RED LAKE — One of the main summertime events in Red Lake is ready to rock this weekend.
The Norseman Festival started in 1992 as a way to celebrate the history of the Noorduyn Norseman aircraft.
“It originally started because Red Lake is a sort of a fly-out area for tourism. With lots of airlines here and there was a decent portion of the world's population of flying Norseman in Red Lake at that time. And there was about, there was about 18 or 19 flying in Canada and we've had up to that many all here at the, for the festival back in the beginning,” said festival chair Duane Riddell.
Known as a working aircraft, Riddell said the Noorduyn Norseman aircraft was “used extensively in opening up the bush in the [Northwest] region.”
These single-engine planes were economical to operate because the body of the aircraft was fabric and the wings were wood.
Canadians used Norseman’s helped bring in supplies to remote exploration camps looking to mine the area, as well as, goods and services to remote communities.
Being a hub for flying into the far north, Red Lake become a prime location for pilots.
Riddell also said that Canada also used the Norseman aircraft in World War Two. Their primary use was military transport and air ambulances. Riddell also claims they had the capability to drop bombs.
Although the Norseman is used more as a recreational aircraft today, its popularity still thrives among aeronautical enthusiasts who use them for tourism.
“They require major overhaul about every 10, 15 years, and the major overhaul in those nowadays is about $400,000 or so to redo the fabric. So, what we found is the commercial operators like the airlines and stuff, they don't operate them anymore and they've transitioned to private ownership around the United States and Canada,” explained Riddell.
The Norseman Festival still retains the cultural significance of Noorduyn Norseman roots in Red Lake, but Riddell acknowledged it has “slowly transitioned into a music festival,” over the years.
“We have three days of community entertainment, family entertainment, and evenings of rock and country bands,” said Riddell.
This year's festival will feature a plethora of classic rock cover bands such as Renegade, Free Ride, Rattlesnake Suitcase, For Those About to Rock, and Bed of Roses.
Last year, the Norseman Festival saw more than 2,500 people attend from around the region and out of province pulling over $1 million to the local economy, according to Riddell.
“The budget for the festival itself just itself is at 100,000. So, that's our expenses and we do it on a not-for-profit basis. Occasionally, we get a grant although those are challenging to get. We don't have any approved grants this year because they take their time to do it. This started a challenge to organize a festival in a small community without a big bank account in the rears,” said Riddell.
Therefore, the festivals draw in support from many sponsors including the Municipality of Red Lake, the Tourism Marketing Board, and Evolution Mining.
“We're trying to keep a sort of balanced budget. So, if I get money, I spend it on entertainment for the community,” Riddell said.
The Norseman Festival will start Friday and continue throughout the weekend. Riddell said tickets at the gate are $10 per day.
