By Tyler Kula, from www.theobserver The Observer
Rogers Bayfest has been named the best in Ontario when it comes to tourism events.
The Sarnia music festival claimed Event of the Year honours at the seventh annual Ontario Tourism Summit in Hamilton on Tuesday. The top award is given for promoting and enhancing tourism in the province.
“I was honoured to win,” said Michele Stokley, who co-founded Bayfest with her late husband Jim. “Out of all the awards Bayfest has won, this is our biggest honour.”
The event wrapped up its 13th year in July with an impressive, seven-day music lineup that included Lady Antebellum, Trace Adkins, KISS, Tragically Hip and INXS. And for the first time organizers offered a free concert featuring Marianas Trench.
Sarnia’s economy received a boost from the festival this year estimated at more than $5 million.
“We’ve come a long way over the last 13 years,” Stokley said.
Bayfest began as a way to drum up business for Stokes restaurants.
“That third week in July used to be our slowest weekend of the year,” Stokley said. “At that time everybody would just go across the bridge and go to the Mackinac races. The closest they would get to Sarnia would be just driving through.”
Bands that included Sloan, Kim Mitchell, Prairie Oyster and April Wine kicked off the festival’s first year, with a respectable 7,500-strong crowd.
The second year shows drew travellers from London and Port Huron, Stokley said.
“Now looking at it 13 years later, our spillover from Sarnia is going into Port Huron,” she said. “We’re actually busing people back because they can’t get hotels in Sarnia.”
Bayfest’s success reflects well on the city, said Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley, who nominated the event for the award.
“It’s a real endorsement of this little festival that grew.”
The award typically goes to events from Toronto or Ottawa, he added.
“For the city, I think it’s just an incredible endorsement of what they’ve been doing and what we’ve been supporting as a community.”
The concert festival has grown into an A level event and is recognized all over the province, he said.
The summit is presented by the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation (OTMPC) and the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario.
Rogers Bayfest was also chosen as the top tourism event in the province in 2009 by Tourism Ontario, and earlier this year won for best souvenir idea at the Festival and Events Ontario annual conference.
As for what bands will play in 2012, Stokley isn’t letting anything slip.
“We’re just working on that,” she said. “But we do have agents calling us.”
Observer Article ID# 3323373
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