A report to council shows Renfrew is on the right track when it comes to festivals. There were three this year, the first of which was a collaborative effort back in June. The Forest Life Expo, held at Ma-Te-Way, saw live demos, artisans and nearly 60 vendors involved in the event, with 200 students from grade 5 to 8 attending. Following that, the Renfrew Bluegrass Festival at Ma-Te-Way continued to grow. Organizers saw an increase in attendance this year. They sold nearly 1000 wristbands, over 200 more than last year sold, and had 57 more trailers camping on the property than they did in 2018. A report to council indicates the projected visitor spending was over $100 000 and organizers expect the festival to grow another 15 percent by 2020. The final event of the season was the annual Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival in October. The event experienced a 13 percent increase this year and sold nearly 1700 wristbands. With nine brewers, two craft spirits, four food trucks and one barista, the event is deemed a success. Projected visitor spending sits just shy of $45 000. The town is pleased with the results and is looking forward to growing the events year over year and perhaps attracting some new ones.
