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Welcome to the dooryard.
Dooryard Arts Festival respectfully acknowledges that this festival takes place on the unsurrendered and unceded traditional territory of the Wolastoqiyik alongside the Wolastoq and Meduxnekeag rivers.
This territory is covered by the Treaties of Peace and Friendship that the Wolastoqiyik, Mi’kmaq and Peskotomuhkatiyik signed with the British Crown. The treaties did not deal with the surrender of lands and resources but in fact recognized Indigenous title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations.
We are all Treaty people. We remain Treaty people “for as long as the grass grows, the rivers flow, and the sun shines.”
On behalf of River Valley Arts Alliance (RiVA), welcome to the 2023 Dooryard Arts Festival! This is our first full-schedule festival since 2019 and we are pleased to be offering a wonderfully diverse group of performances that brings us together in enjoyment and support of art, music, drama and comedy. RiVA has been the proud sponsor and organizer of the festival since its inception in 2009 and we are excited once again to welcome patrons of all ages back to the Dooryard.
A highlight of this year’s festival is the permanent art installation created by local artisan Kerry O’Toole. This metal sculpture will enhance the natural beauty of the Meduxnekeag and Wolastoq rivers, bringing art into public spaces.
There are many volunteers in various capacities who make this festival possible and we are grateful to each of you. I especially want to thank the volunteer members of the DYAF steering committee for the time, experience, knowledge and commitment they have contributed. To Janice Bragdon, Corey Crouse, Jilly Hanson, Ross Kinney, Jordan Rose and Greg Thornton, I offer my heartfelt thanks.
As well, I want to acknowledge the generous support we have received from numerous businesses, individuals and organizations in the area whose financial contributions have been instrumental in allowing us to offer high quality talent at reasonable admission prices. Finally, Dooryard has been fortunate to receive grant funding from the Government of Canada, the Town of Woodstock, the McCain Foundation and Atlantic Lottery, without which the festival would not be possible.
Above all, thank you for coming to the Dooryard. We do this for you.
Gloria Yachyshen
Executive Director
the 2023 dooryard arts festival is presented thanks to the support of
