No budget? No problem.

The Cowichan Folk Festival debuted in July 1985 as a Providence Farm fundraiser with dreams, but no dollars.

Festival co-founder Deb Maike – who later helped launch the Cowichan Folk Guild with other locals — is clearly proud of what’s now the Islands Folk Festival toasting its 25 birthday July 24 to 26 at the historic farm.

“Our festival has been a work in progress and continually growing but it maintains an intimacy that’s special to our festival.”

So special that many festival and folk guild founders, and performers, are returning for IFF 25.

Maike’s anxious to see balladeer, folk historian and festival co-founder Mike Ballantyne next weekend.

“I haven’t seen Mike for ages. I was thrilled he’s coming and it’s all his fault the festival started.”

Maike met Deep Cove’s Ballantyne through farm executive Devon Mills in the early ‘80s.

Maike was shy about playing her songs back then and was encouraged by Ballantyne who took her to the Victoria Folk Music Society in early ‘85.

“Then Mike said his friends from Vancouver wanted to sit around the campfire and play songs and asked if they could do that on my farm.

“Then Devon suggested doing it as a fundraiser for Providence Farm.”

Organization fell on Maike’s shoulders when pal Ballantyne said he was going on the road for three months to perform.

“Mike said ‘Here’s a list of people to phone.’

“Quite a number agreed but we had no budget.”

Billed as the Cowichan Folk Festival, talented locals got interested in the musical bash.

“For example, Sona Scottish country dancers Jim and Helen Tulip, and Don Hargrove with the International Folk Dancers started coming out of the woodwork,” said Maike who has now issued three CDS.

“We had two small stages on either side of the stairs up to Providence House; one was a dance stage, the other was a music stage.” (IFF now offers six stages.)

Fields now fronting IFF’s permanent main stage saw a beer tent sprout, manned by Cowichan Rugby Club.

Shaw Cable covered the event that drew 300 folkies “and most were in the beer garden,” remembered Maike.

Performers included the late Laura Harris on fiddle, Salt Spring’s Careers Without College, luthier Terry Warbey, and Julio Cabrera.

“Scott Parsons and Jenny Allen were our headliners,” she said of the minstrels also booked for IFF 25.

Maike applauded the late George Halkyard and Tony Latimer who also pushed the first festival.

Halkyard and Harris later helped found the folk guild that now runs the festival drawing 3,000 fans.

Maike also remembered initial involvement by Cowichan Valley Arts Council members Janet and Michael Shaw.

“Jim Kent did sound,” Maike said.

“It was all nothing but a dream.

“Then after the first festival Laura Harris thought we ought to have a folk guild.”

CFG’s first coffeehouse happened in fall 1985 in St. Peter’s Quamichan church hall while “the folk guild was set up with a mandate to also do the festival.”

Government funding, now an IFF staple along with sponsorships, arrived by the festival’s second year.

That cash helped rename the local festival.

“With Expo 86 going on, if you had the word ‘island’ in your name you got grant money,” Maike said of IFF that’s cemented as a farm and folk guild fundraiser.

Year two saw the main stage moved to the north end of the field, then permanently shifted to its current spot by IFF 3.

“The Caravan Stage Co. wintered at Providence and left its canvasses for our stage backdrops,” said Maike.

By IFF 4 and 5 the main stage was built with a roof designed by Neil McConnell and Jack Bundon’s electrical work.

“Every year improvements were made to our site and camping grounds,” Maike said.

“Usually workers from William Head prison also come and clear the campgrounds and make new ones.”

The festival’s success comes from its simplicity and family flavour while budding talent gets a career foothold.

“Our festival’s a leading edge to larger festivals.

“We had James Keelaghan and Stephen Fearing long before they made it big.”

Folk guild brass spreads its festival budget around by booking global acts rather than simply bankrolling big name-headliners.

“We like to share our music. Festivals with big names can also have big problems too,” she said.

“People who haven’t come to our festival, and think it’s small, are inspired when they see the level of talent and the programming within a small budget.”

Music ‘91 funded IFF’s biggest budget that hired Buffy Sainte-Marie.

Maike beamed admitting the festival is in the black while cheering its various artistic coordinators.

She held the post until 1991 when Richard Wright and Cathryn Wellner took over for IFF 10.

Sax man Brent Hutchinson was hired by the folk guild for IFF 11.

He groomed the festival, its coffeehouses and concerts such as International Guitar Night, until IFF 24 when Robert McCourty took the reins.

“After 25 years, kids who’ve grown up with our festival are now co-ordinators and volunteers,” said Maike.

She met husband Steve McKinnon at IFF ’91 when he was a bassist for Pat Temple’s High Lonesome Players (also IFF 25 guests).

While money isn’t the main focus, the festival can’t give its entertainment away.

“I remember at our first festival, four nuns were still living in Providence House and letting people in for free.”

Your ticket:

What: Islands Folk Festival 25

When: July 24 to 26

Where: Providence Farm

Tickets: Weekend passes $90, $80 teens. Daily: $30 Friday, $50 Saturday, $30 Sunday. Call 250-748-3975 or visit www.folkfest.bc.ca.

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