Kenny and Johnny Mulville are excited about Westfest this Saturday, August 28th at the Westport Lions’ Beach.
Westport Lions Roar
By Lion Bob Reddick
One beautiful, sunny day Lion Marty Hawkins was sitting outside the Westport post office selling tickets for the Lions’ Spring Draw. Josh Doornekamp approached Marty and asked him if he wanted a coffee. “Sure,” said Marty. Josh told Marty that his company, Aarde Construction would be willing to sponsor a future Lion event. “Let me think about it,” said Marty, and in a couple of weeks, Marty had an idea and had worked out the preliminary plans.
Marty’s idea was to hold a free music festival called Westfest at the Lions Beach to say thank you to the community for their tremendous support during the pandemic. Josh, who is president of Aarde Construction Limited, liked Marty’s idea and agreed to sponsor the event.
Aarde, which means “earth” in Dutch, is a full-service general and excavation contractor serving the Kingston, Westport, and Rideau Lakes area. They specialize in septics, foundations, grading and excavating. Aarde Construction was established in 2012 and has grown steadily since then. One of their first jobs was upgrading the parking lot at Kudrinko’s.
Westfest will run from noon until 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 29th at the Lions Beach at 63 Mountain Road. There will be a steady stream of musicians to entertain you, such as the Rick Cranium Band, The Wings & Tunes Back-Up Band, Shawn McCullough, Bill Parsons, Dave McCullough, Billy Allen, Hilary Hutchings, Henry Norwood, Mike Cochrane, and Jay Smith.
All COVID protocols will be in effect. Only 200 people will be allowed into the beach area at any given time. Masks must be worn by people walking around, but not sitting in their family bubble. An individual person, or one member of a group must sign in with a telephone number for contact tracing. There will be multiple hand sanitizing stations throughout the grounds.
Musicians will play from the lower deck to the audience sitting on the lawn and beach. Please bring a blanket or lawn chair and sunscreen.
There will be parking at the beach until the lot is full. Alternative parking will be available at the parking lots of the Outdoor Association across from the entrance at the Beach entrance, St. Edward’s Church, the arena, and the municipal lot across from Thake Home Comfort on Bedford Street. All parking areas are free and will be well marked. Lion Harry Beckett will operate the Lions bus on a continuous loop from noon to 6:00 p.m. For safety reasons please do not park on Mountain Road.
To help offset the cost of the event the Westport Lions Club will be selling hamburgers, Oktoberfest sausages, pulled pork, chips, ice cream bars, popsicles, and cold drinks. The Westport Lions wish to thank Aarade Construction Limited for their generous sponsorship of Westfest 2021. Hope to see you at the beach this Saturday, August 28.
Westport Lions Club 