Downtown Kalamazoo prepares to swap its sidewalks for a celebration of Canada this Saturday, Sep 19, as the Canadiana Fest's annual Can-Am Peace Jam moves to a new "Catalyst Commons" location spanning Water Street, the Municipal Parking Lot and Haymarket Plaza. Founder Channon Mondoux tells Cara Lieurance that the shift comes after the festival's usual home, Arcadia Creek Festival Place, closed for reconstruction — a change she is turning into an advantage. "Now it is literally a street festival," she says, adding that guests can "amble back and forth" rather than stay in one spot.
Running from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m., the festival features eight musical acts, Indigenous speakers and storytellers, a poutine competition, a butter tart bake-off, log rolling, and a French military living-history group, the Azure Musketeers. A portion of the proceeds benefit Loaves and Fishes and the South Michigan Food Bank. Mondoux says the event's purpose runs deeper than the festivities: "We bring the best music, food, art, culture, sports, and kindness of Canada and her people in a festival setting to celebrate, educate, and help our community heal." She points to language as central to that mission, noting the festival incorporates Anishinaabemowin, Cree, English and French: "Language opens minds. Art opens minds. Music opens minds."
Among this year's headliners is Mélisande, the Quebec singer behind the electro-trad group Mélisande [électrotrad], known for reworking traditional Québécois folk songs with electronic beats. She tells Lieurance that authenticity guides her live shows regardless of audience size: "Throughout the years, I found that when I was the best was when I'm just really myself." Mélisande also describes adapting her performances for English- and French-speaking crowds and reworking traditional lyrics to center women's voices.
WMUK's Kim Willis also joins briefly to mark the first day of the station's fall membership drive, encouraging listeners to support local programming.
Tickets and details are available at canadianafest.fun.
The interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
