Tour de Fort, a non-profit organization that has been organizing entertainment performances in Fort Frances for 26 years, decided to put their entertainment series on hold because of restrictions around gatherings brought by COVID-19.
Charles Fisher, president of the board, said they will not be able to organize any shows with the current COVID-19 numbers in the province.
“Unless something drastic happens, we will probably not have anything before April,” Fisher said. “We can’t even have any gatherings, so we will not be able to do anything until that changes. We want people to feel safe as well. If they are going to come out and enjoy a show, we want to be able to do that when the most amount of people can come and feel safe and be in a safe environment.”
The last show Tour de Fort had taken place from September 2020 until March 13, 2020. The last show was for April 2020 but was cancelled because of COVID. One season would normally have six acts that take place over the course of six months.
Fisher said it is hard for them to plan for the next year because everything is up in the air. Fisher added that they are working with the artists to push back performances and reschedule them in the future.
However, Fisher said the most challenging part is the uncertainty.
“The circumstances changed,” Fisher said. “It becomes a matter of trying to figure out when we’re actually going to be able to see or return to artists that are touring across Canada, and how we can fit those individual artists in because their plans have changed.”
A lot of in-person meetings and gatherings have now transferred to virtual means. However, Fisher said Tour de Fort does not have a platform for hosting virtual concerts, and it is difficult to reach some of their audience virtually.
“Many artists are doing online shows, and we encourage everyone to tune in and support touring artists directly if they are able to, whether that’s by purchasing records or merchandise, or directly to the artist through virtual tip jars,” Fisher said.
Because Tour de Fort is a non-profit organization, Fisher said they have always been supported through grants from Heritage Canada.
“That has always been a part of our funding model in addition to sponsor contributions,” Fisher said. “We have been in good shape financially going into [COVID]. Because of the way we are organized, if we are not putting on shows, we have no costs.”
Tour de Fort received a supplementary grant in June 2020 in the amount of $5,000 to be used in the 2020/21 fiscal year from the Canada Arts Presentation Fund Program through Heritage Canada as part of the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund.
Fisher said Tour de Fort also received a 3-year Heritage Canada grant in the amount of $13,000 per year through the same fund.
“The pandemic has been devastating to many artists who rely on touring across Canada and playing in communities like Fort Frances for their livelihood. Social media sites are great to see what your favourite artists have been up to and to find information on virtual events they may be hosting,” Fisher added.
If you want to support Tour de Fort artists, you can find artist listings from past seasons at www.tourdefort.com.
