The Eaglewood Festival - Ontario's Smallest And Most Intimate Folk Music Gathering - Marks 20th Anniversary Aug. 28-30

ONTARIO, CANADA (Top40 Charts/ Eaglewood Folk Festival) - Crowds at the Eaglewood Folk Festival certainly do not equal those at Mariposa, or other festivals in Hamilton, London, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, and the couple of dozen other annual folk events in Ontario. But if small is a virtue, Eaglewood's organizers - largely volunteers - certainly think big.

As a result, the 600 people who attend each day from Friday August 28 to Sunday August 30 will get to see and hear - close up - a world-class collection of Canadian artists, ranging from contemporary bands such as Flashlight Radio, Digging Roots, The Good Lovelies, Corin Raymond andthe Sundowners and Run With the Kittens - the last three groups all alumni of Toronto's hippest bar, the Cameron House.

Canada's rich group of singer songwriters is represented by Montreal's Annabelle Chvostek, Doug McArthur, Eve Goldberg, Jory Nash, Pat Robitaille and Alberta's Matt Masters.The festival's founding artistic director, Cheryl Gaudet, who's now based in Mexico, is returning to the event for its 20th birthday; Holmes Hooke (who books Hugh's Room in Toronto) will tell stories and read his verse

Vancouver-based Kinnie Starr is a genre-bending performer who lists Led Zeppelin, Run DMC, Metallica and countless spoken word artists as influences; songwriter Jonathan Byrd, making his only Canadian festival appearance, is a rising star based in North Carolina, and Tom Wilson (a founder of Blackie & The Rodeo Kings) is bringing his new project, LeE HARVeY OsMOND, to Eaglewood.

There'll be a major form of audience participation when the Toronto band Mr. Something Something appears - their Sound Cycle device, literally pedaled by fans, provides the on-stage power the group needs.A wide range of other artists will take part, including the Big Canoe Family Drummers & Dancers from nearby Georgina Island who will open the Festival at 5 p.m. on Friday Aug. 28, along with The Georgina Community Drum Circle.

Other artists at Eaglewood include Adam Bailie, Bette & Wallet, the duo of Lindell Montgomers and Kristin Sweeetland (who call themselves Captain Dirt and the Skirt), Faye Blais, and performance groups Red Slam, Red Pepper Spectacle Arts and British Native Allies.