Despite the terrible flood that caused so much devastation to the Perth-Andover area this spring, the annual Larlee Creek Hullabaloo is going ahead with its fifth installment, August 17th to 19th. The annual festival is fast becoming one of the province's most popular get-aways for music fans, offering an all-East Coast lineup, on-site camping, and down-home charm. But it was almost wiped out by the late-March flood and ice jam, which caused major damage to the site of the festival, and the Baird Memorial Campground at Larlee Creek, right on the village limits and on the banks of the St. John River.

Like everyone else along the river, the festival site and campground were covered with water and huge chunks of river ice. The campground field had three meters of water and more; ice was piled seven to ten meters high. But it was the structural damage made putting on the festival a big question mark. Heidi Baird started, and runs The Hullabaloo, and lives at the site. Her house was spared, as it sits on a hill, but she watched as the river did its worst. "The field that hosts the actual festival didn't suffer too much damage," she says, "Some fencing damage and a major clean up. However the power to the entire campground and festival has to be repaired. The biggest impact was on the campground itself and areas that we use to host the artists and audience who camp at Baird's."

The campground was nearly wiped out. The main building was destroyed, all the smaller ones as well, the water and power infrastructure wrecked, and the sites all a mess. So its been weeks and weeks of clean-up and rebuilding, which put everything behind and in doubt. "I'm not sure I was ever really willing to throw in the towel completely," Baird says. "I was mostly worried that we wouldn't be able to host at the campground. But it was clear very early on that we had the support of past, present, and future artists, other sponsors and our audience. I feel that the community needs this festival and other events now more than ever. There was some worry but I think we all felt we were going to find a way to make it happen."

It's an all-star East Coast line-up, featuring Rawlins Cross, In-Flight Safety, The Once, Thom Swift, Andy Brown, Keith Hallett and Garrett Mason, Alan Jeffries, Irish Mythen, and many others. You can find all the details about tickets, camping and directions at the Festival website, www.larleecreekmusic.ca, or by phoning 1-877-778-7271.