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Palmer Rapids Twin Music Festival came to be in 1980 when founded by Lloyd Fleguel. The reigns of the festival have been taken over by Al Schutt who has been involved since 1981. Al purchased the grounds in 2001 and the festival continues and has flourished in becoming the successful family event it is today.
Since inception it has become the biggest event of the summer throughout the Renfrew County. The aim, goal and objective of the festival is to keep the talent basically ’Canadian Content‘. Each year over 90% of the stage performances are from Canada and many of those are from the Ottawa Valley. There is relentless passion to showcase the local and national talent this county has to offer.
It first began as a Bluegrass Festival and it prospered so much that in 1985 another stage was added to introduce Country Music to the venue. The Country segment has been voted as one of Canada’s top ten country music events by the CCMA for a total of seven years.
Every year the festival is held on the July weekend preceding the Civic Holiday in August. On the Bluegrass side, legendary bands from the USA unite with award winning Canadian bands to provide hours of bluegrass music.
Throughout the years the likes of Charlie Waller, Larry Sparks, Bob Paisley, David Parmley, The Gibson Brothers, Carolina Road and III Tyme Out are only a few to have graced the stage. Simultaneously, on the Country Music stage, some of the elite in the Canadian country music industry have performed their hits to the delight of the audience. Entertainers such as Prairie Oyster, Michelle Wright, The Leahy Family, Farmer’s Daughter, Charlie Major, George Fox, Jason McCoy, The Wilkinsons, Doc Walker, Aaron Pritchett, Aaron Lines and Tara Oram. Along with new country, traditional Canadian country music has equally been represented with legends and Hall of Famers such as Carroll Baker, Gordie Tapp, Ronnie Prophet, The Good Brothers, Ralph Carlson, Ron McMunn, Wayne Rostad, Murray McLauchlan, the Irish Descendants, Stonewall Jackson and George Hamilton IV just to name a few.
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