Like many fans and festivals across the globe, Mariposa is mourning the death of musical legend John Prine.
Prine, who died Tuesday at age 73 from COVID-19 complications, was scheduled as one of the headliners for this summer’s Mariposa Folk Festival.
“I was shocked and saddened. It’s such a loss to the music community around the world,” said Pam Carter, chair of the festival and president of the Mariposa Folk Foundation.
Prine had performed at the festival many years ago, and having him booked for the 60th-anniversary celebration “was an opportunity for everyone who comes to Mariposa to see him perform again,” Carter said.
“We’d been hoping he’d come back.”
Mariposa tries to cater to all age groups with its lineup and programming and, judging by the reactions online to Prine’s death, he would have checked all the boxes, Carter said.
“People of all ages are commenting. His popularity isn’t confined to one age demographic,” she said. “It speaks to the breadth of his songwriting. We could all relate our own circumstances to what he was writing about.”
Whether this year’s festival, slated for July 3 to 5, will go ahead is still up in the air. Carter said the Mariposa team has been in regular contact with others in the industry as well as municipal officials.
“We continue to watch how the situation evolves,” she said. “Our top priority is the health and safety of our patrons, our performers and our crew.”
Officials are working on a contingency plan in the event the festival is called off. That would include the option of refunds, an exchange for 2021 festival tickets or the ability for ticket holders to donate all or part of their purchase to Mariposa, for which they will receive a tax receipt.
There was talk of holding the festival at a later date in 2020, should it be postponed, but “we are very hesitant to say we will launch a festival in September, in case the circumstances don’t allow for that,” Carter said.
However, her team is looking at “pumping up” its winter concert series, with shows taking place in Orillia and beyond.
Regardless, “2021 will be bigger and better,” Carter said.
“The industry realizes we’re all in this together and we’ll work hard to be intact when we emerge from this.”
