(Photo: Fairview Post)

Fairview Lions Old

Time Country
Music Festival
June 18, 19, 20 (2010)
Cummings Lake, AB
Survey Analysis
“Keep this going or we will riot!! National uprising!”

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Table of Contents
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Residence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Length of Stay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Location of Stay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Purchasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Spending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Reputation/Concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Fairview Resident’s Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Appendix 1 Fairview Residents’ Graphic Results

Appendix 2 Original Survey

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SUMMARY
The Town of Fairview, in cooperation with the Fairview Lion’s Club and the Fairview &
District Chamber of Commerce distributed a survey to the attendees of the Music Festival
on the weekend of June 18, 19, 20th 2010. A total of 243 surveys were returned
completed.

The purpose of this survey is to determine the economic success of the Fairview Lion’s
Club Old Time Music Festival. Additionally, comments provide insight as to what kind
of development attendees would like to see at Cummings Lake, the things that attendees
enjoy at the festival and things that attendees would like to see improved.

Survey Questions

The Survey questions addressed the following concerns for each respondent:

 Where each respondent was from

 How long each respondent was staying at Cummings Lake
 Where each respondent was staying
 Which items each respondent purchased in Fairview
 How much each respondent spent in Fairview
 Suggestions for the music festival
 Suggestions for development of the Cummings Lake Park Area

Method of Analysis

Scope

The analysis of this survey focuses mainly on the responses of those who attended the
festival who were not residents of the Town of Fairview. 83% of respondents were
residents of other jurisdictions. The inclusion of Town residents in the final results would
negatively alter the results and render them less reliable. Additionally, splitting the results
into two categories, residents and non residents, provides further opportunity for
interpretation consequently creating a clearer picture.

The results garnered by respondents who reside within the Town of Fairview follow the
results presented for those who are visitors. An attached appendix includes graphical
representations of the results for each question. (pg. 13)

Assumptions

Given that the majority of the attendants were residents of jurisdictions outside of the
Town, questions were assumed to be asking about decisions made while in town for the
duration of the festival. This does not necessarily mean only for the days of June 18, 19,
and 20 as some respondents stayed for longer than the weekend while enjoying services

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in Fairview. However, the assumption is this: that the questions are not addressing total
spending, duration of stay, etc for a totality of time spent in Fairview at each visit. The
questions are only addressing the duration of stay when the purpose was to visit the 2010
Lions Music Festival.

Comments

Comments that were returned with the surveys have been inserted throughout the report
placed under a heading which addresses the concern. The comments may be the most
valuable section of the report, as they specifically indicate a positive or negative result at
the festival. Respondents did well to give constructive criticism.

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RESIDENCE

The majority of attendants to the festival are residents of other municipalities. Of the 14%
who responded as residents of municipalities outside of Alberta, many noted that they
had travelled from British Columbia.

As many attendants are from outside the Town of

“We are from Hudson’s Hope – we
need posters to advertise! Our second
trip out and I didn’t realize that the
festival started on Friday; I’m sad I
missed a day. I love the old time
music and dancing, it lifts me up!
Very much appreciated!”
Fairview and surrounding area, it would be
helpful for the Lion’s to invest in advertising to be
placed in communities or tourism/musical
publications that are located further away from the
Town.
It is encouraging to note as well that nearly a
quarter of all attendants are from the Town and
surrounding areas: M.D. of Fairview, the Village
of Hines Creek and Clear Hills County.

Not including those from other jurisdictions who did not return a completed survey, the
population of Fairview increased by 5.6% over the weekend that the Festival took place.

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LENGTH OF STAY

Just over half of all attendants indicated that they visited Fairview only for the duration of
the Music Festival. Encouragingly, nearly 30% of attendants visited Fairview for
upwards of a week, arriving early for the event or visiting afterwards.

“It is totally amazing to see so many people who get along so well; the happy faces, the smiles, the
friendships that we make. All efforts should be made by the Town and the organization to encourage such
activities. Activities such as the music festival reflect the atmosphere of the Town of Fairview and area.
Keep it up – perhaps expand!”

Good weather during the weekend and several Town activities may contribute to a larger
percentage of attendants staying outside the duration of the festival. It may be assumed
that for those who stay longer than three days, they are individuals who make a holiday
of coming to visit the Peace Country.

Several respondents noted that it would be helpful as first time attendants if more signage
was put up along highways directing people to the Festival site.

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LOCATION

Of the 11% who indicated “other”, many respondents identified that they were tenting at
the campground.

Overwhelmingly, nearly three quarters of respondents identified R.V.’s parked at

Cummings Lake as where they stayed for the duration of their visit. Consequently, many
comments were made about the amount of space provided for R.V.’s, the location of the
R.V.’s, etc. Many respondents hoped for more parking spaces for R.V.’s next year. Many
comments were made pleading for the R.V. space to remain in its current location.

Many attendants were impressed with the cleanliness and quality of services provided by
the Town for the campground. Several additional suggestions include:

“We could maybe use 2 or 3 garbage bins in the camping area, everything else was great!”

“For safety, it would be great to see floor mats in the showers.”

“Absolutely fantastic – clean, well run – best music festival we have been to for years!”

Several respondents suggested that there could be more dust control along the roadways,
as well many hoped to see more tents or structures for shade.

“Very good, we love coming here camping is good rain or shine!”

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PURCHASES

As shown above, the two items most purchased while visiting Fairview were fuel and
groceries. This is unsurprising as over three quarters of attendants of the festival either
camped or stayed in R.V.’s while at the festival.

Many respondents additionally commented that they had spent their money in other areas
of town. In particular, liquor was mentioned several times. As well, many respondents
took advantage of other events and services around Town including: the swimming pool,
the pancake breakfast, the car show and the Golf Course.
“The friendliness of this musical festival is phenomenal. We enjoyed the walking trails, golfing each
morning, the pancake breakfast, some suppers…we wouldn’t miss it!”

Also interesting to note is a handful of respondents noted that they purchased farm parts
in Fairview while visiting.

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SPENDING

The results of this particular question may not be entirely reliable. The question, although
set up correctly was not always answered properly. Some respondants answered as if to
identify the amount of money they spent over the entire weekend, while others correctly
identified the amount of money spent daily while in Town. Those that were easily
recognized as having answered their spending over the entire weekend had their results
manaully calculated to meet the intent of the question. Therefore, a percentage of error
must be assumed in interpreting individual responses.

However, what can be assumed from the results of spending and purchases is that money
spent by attendees of the Festival was well distrubuted between services, non-profit
endeavours, and businesses selling goods and wares.

To give an idea of the amount of money spent over the weekend:

If we were to assume that of the 72% of respondants who bought groceries bought
$50.00’s worth, and that of the 63% who bought fuel purchased $50.00’s worth, an
approximate amount of money injected into the Town economy by those who responded
as such would be $13 600.00 on those items alone.

145 x $50 = $7250

+ 127 x $50 = $3650
$ 13 600

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This number reflects only a portion of the money injected by out of town consumers; take
into consideration those who did not complete the survey, and the purchase of other
goods not identified and the total economic injection is considerable.

That the Town hosts other events during the weekend such as the Fire and Rescue
Society Pancake Breakfast, as well as the Peace Classic Wheels Street Spectacular
provides further incentive for attendees of the Festival to come into Town. The amount of
money injected is unlikely to be the catalyst of any multiplier effect, yet the economic
benefits are still significant.

Additionally, many attendants of the Festival asked for more vendors to attend the trade
show. Indicated by comments, attendants seemed to think that prices for ice cream and
other goods were reasonable, and a suggestion for a small camping fee to “…offset
expenses would be fine.”

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REPUTATION
A lasting positivity that results from the Lion’s festival is that the reputation of the Town
and its service clubs grows with successful events and weekends such as this. This is
shown not only by the growing attendance numbers but also by comments such as these:

“It is a great place to meet friends and meet new acquaintances. We hope it will always remain the
same.”

“The Lions club should be very proud of their commitment to the area; this is the best Jamboree in
Alberta.”

“The friendliness of everyone is great; like coming to a family reunion each year!”

“Water and Creamsicle prices are reasonable, grass was mowed, garbage and toilets were good;
fantastic job by the Lions!”

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CONCERNS
By far, the most common concern was that of the size of the dance floor. Numerous
respondents indicated a need for a larger area for dancing. As it would appear that this is
a major draw of the event, an investment in this improvement is recommended.

Several concerns were raised about assistance for seniors. Topping the list is the necessity
for more shade tents or structures as the heat was quite high. Respondents seemed very
impressed that seniors from homes within Town were invited and brought to enjoy the
music. Several suggestions to make the experience more enjoyable were to reserve
seating for them, and also to set up reserved seating for those with wheelchairs or

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scooters. Concerns were raised about the distance to walk for many seniors, as one
respondent commented:

“Great set up – need more shuttle vehicles, it’s a long walk for the “oldies”!”

Another common concern was directed toward the management of the Fire Lane. Several
respondents suggested that the Fire Lane be more clearly marked and that it be managed
more strictly. In a similar vein, a few suggestions for disabled parking were mentioned as
well.

Respondents also enjoyed the 50/50 draw, but many suggested the results be posted for a
period of time, and if no-one responded, to draw again.

FURTHER COMMENTS:

- “Need a water outlet at group camping site and a shower closer to the camping area.”
- “Hand washing fountains, or hand sanitizer would be excellent.”
- “Stage could be closer to the audience.”

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MUSIC
The reaction in terms of music was more than positive. Many respondents made sure to
express their happiness with the music of the event. Players also seemed to be pleased:
“Keep it the way it is. We love being here and playing on stage/making people happy. It is so nice just the
way it is; you may even extend the days to accommodate all the old time players who want to play – Thank
you Lions Club!”

Two major concerns arose. Firstly, several respondents requested a program of events
listing the acts in order of their times of appearance. Secondly, a number of respondents
took issue with single performers employing the use of regular bands as back up. A
suggestion to alleviate this was to, “…have one band that’s hired to back up single
performers.”

One respondent who particularly enjoyed the music also suggested the inclusion of
“..country poetry or blue grass.”

Another respondent who clearly had attended to tear up the floor noted:

“I’ve like everything I’ve seen so far but how about a different coloured wrist-band for SINGLES – who
just want to dance!”

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FAIRVIEW RESIDENTS’ RESULTS

Residents of the Town of Fairview who attended the festival were also surveyed. Given
the types of questions posed, results from local attendants were difficult to integrate into
the full report. The most glaring issue plaguing results of the surveys completed by local
residents was that their surveys were completed as if the questions were asked over a year
long period, rather than addressing the questions only within the time frame of the
festival weekend only.

Question 2: Length of Stay is inconclusive. Respondents indicated that they were in fact
residents of the Town of Fairview, yet looking at results it would appear that they only
reside part time. To assume that the results indicate the length of stay within the campsite
would be incorrect, as more respondents indicated a length of stay than answered that
they hadn’t stayed at home.

Question 4, “What items do you typically purchase in Fairview?” was problematic for
local residents for several reasons. It is important to note that many respondents who
chose the category “Other” accompanied the choice with the comment “…purchase
everything possible in town”. It is possible to look at the results received as per the
percentage of people who purchased groceries, clothing, and fuel in town, but even then,
keep in mind that respondents answered with two different time frames in mind.

The same issue of time reference skewed the results of question 5 as well. Again, the
intent of the survey is to analyze spending from that particular weekend, yet the majority
of local respondents completed this question assuming spending over a yearly basis.
Additionally, as 48% of respondents did not answer the question, the results of this
section do not reflect an adequately conclusive picture of residential spending during the
weekend of June 21-23.

However, the information presented in the results of Question 3, “Where did you stay?”
is worth noting. 25% of respondents noted that they spent their time at the festival at
Cummings Lake in their RV. Of those that answered “other” many noted that they were
also camping at Cummings Lake (in a tent, etc.). It is reasonable to assume then, that of
the remaining respondents many would have stayed home during the evenings.

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Appendix 1
Results of surveys turned in by those who indicate that they were residents of the Town
of Fairview.

*Note: Question 1 is not included as 100% of respondents were residents of the Town.

Question 2:

Question 3:

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Question 4:

Question 5:

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