The 2026 Mariposa Folk Festival is now only just over a week away. Hard as it is to imagine, this marks the festival’s 66th year. To celebrate that storied history, here is a little Mariposa-travel related photo retrospective for your viewing pleasure.
For many years, I’ve made a point of packing a piece or two of Mariposa gear whenever I travel. It’s my small way of representing Mariposa wherever I happen to be in the world. As a result, I’ve accumulated quite a collection of photos featuring Mariposa apparel in places ranging from the truly memorable to the decidedly ordinary. Here they are in all their chronological glory!
In the interest of full disclosure, I should add that I served on the Mariposa Folk Foundation Board of Directors for much of the decade between 2009 and 2019, in two separate stints.
This was originally a Facebook post but a couple of friends who aren’t on Facebook heard about it and asked me to turn it into a blog post on my website. So here you are!
1. 1961 – My copy of the very first Mariposa program. No, I did not attend, but I remember the aftermath of the damage the “godless beatniks” had unleashed upon our town! LOL!
2. 2002 – Thailand, James Bond Island.
3. 2002 – Singapore, about to go on a boat tour of the outer harbour. It was a hot, thirsty day. 🙂
4. 2005 – Baie des Chaleurs, Quebec, looking for fossils.
5. 2005 – Percé, Percé Rock in the background, out at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula.
6. 2007 – Rome, the Colosseum.
7. 2008 – Havana, Cuba, interacting with the locals.
8. 2009 – Local pool party with friends… Hat and T-shirt!
9. 2009 – Tadoussac, Quebec. Sporting my new Mariposa hat. The Hôtel Tadoussac was used as the “Hotel New Hampshire” in the movie.
10. 2009 – Halifax, enjoying the waterfront. Got the hat going on again, and a T-shirt froma band I got to see, “The Soundtrack of Our Lives”. Whatever happened to that T-shirt?
11. 2010 – Georgian Bay on a sailing getaway.
12. 2013 – Taipei, Taiwan, the enormous building Taipei 101 in the background.
13. 2013 – Singapore second visit, thinking about what hawker stand to pick up lunch from at the Beauty World Centre.
14. 2013 – Vietnam, posing on a destroyed American tank at the Cu Chi Tunnel exhibit north of Saigon
15. 2013 – Angkor Wat Cambodia. This should be on everyone’s bucket list.
16. 2013 – Shanghai China, hanging out in “The Bund”, looking across the river to the Oriental Pearl Tower.
17. 2013 – Hong Kong, standing on the Kowloon side with Central in the background.
18. 2013 – Orillia, at Mariposa having my picture taken with the woman who started it all, Ruth Jones-McVeigh.
19. 2013 – Orillia, my glamorous life as the Mariposa Vice President. My duties included shovelling off the corporate headquarters steps with a dustpan.
20. Meanwhile, inside. President Pam got to enjoy warmer and more glamorous work… cutting up cardboard boxes for recycling.
21. 2014 – Cabbagetown Toronto, celebrating my birthday in the big city.
22. 2015 – Fort Myers Florida, at a Blue Jays spring-training game watching the Jays play the Minnesota Twins at the Twins spring training facility, Hammond Stadium. OK… It’s a pretty crappy picture, I admit it. Probably should not have included it. 🙂
23. 2015 – The Baltic Sea, relaxing on a ferry crossing from Denmark to Germany.
24. 2015 – Seville Spain, on a guided tour of the bull-fighting ring. It’s bull slaughter folks, not fighting.
25. 2016 – Naples/Bonita Springs Florida, about to sit down at a favourite watering hole on the beachon the beach, “Docs”.
26. 2016 – Boston, checking out the statue of my favourite baseball player from childhood at Fenway Park.
27. 2016 – Toronto, heading into the Urban Roots Music Festival, which only lasted a few years, unlike Mariposa’s 60+.
28. 2016 – Prince Edward Island, waiting in line to board the ferry to cross to Pictou, Nova Scotia.
29. 2017 – Marbella, Spain, our first winter getaway to the Costa del Sol.
30. 2017 – Orillia, back at Mariposa hanging out with Director Michael S. and the amazing Matt Andersen, guitarist and singer supreme.
31. 2017 – Radolfzell Germany, pausing for refreshment at the end of the day in the middle of our eight-day cycling trip around Lake Constance.
32. 2018 – Nerja Spain, hanging out the laundry during our second winter on the Costa del Sol.
33. 2018 – Dakar Senegal, visiting Gorée Island from which point slaves were shipped off to the Americas.
34. 2018 – Ottawa, New Year’s Eve about to turn over into 2019… I am substituting for one of the missing “three Amigas” in the photo.
35. 2019 – Orlando Florida, the annual golf getaway, which Donald Trump now prevents from happening ☹️
36. 2019 – Fuengirola Spain, February 23… Were you sitting out on a patio that day?
37. 2019 – Torremolinos Spain. I used to buy “Patatas fritas con mayonesa” (French Fries with mayonnaise) the preferred condiment locally, at this very spot during the winter of 1975… Life comes full circle.
38. 2019 – Prince Edward County, doing a winery tour with friends.
39. 2019 – Local house concert, with the Mariposa Posse as we enjoyed listening to The Doozies who we met at Mariposa during the summer.
40. 2019 – At home packing up T-shirts to wear at an amazing musical event that we are about to leave to attend in the Dominican Republic.
41. 2019 – Dominican Republic, first up, a waterfront stay in Punta Cana… I remembered to take my poppy for Remembrance Day.
42. 2019 – Dominican Republic, the amazing musical event. Four days of glorious music at John Prine’s All the Best Festival. Who knew that a few days after this photo was taken, I would make a serious attempt to die, followed by a four month stay in hospital. And sadly, John passed away just a few months later from Covid.
43. A signed autographautograph from the event. You are missed John Prine.
44. 2020 – At home, home from the hospital, but under lock and key because of the pandemic.
45. What else to do during the pandemic? Spin up some Mariposa tunes because the festival was cancelled.
46. 2021 – Finally, an outing to Beer Town… The pandemic is on the wane.
47. Canada Day! Drinking Mariposa Lager out in the backyard.
48. 2022 – Marbella Spain, the Omicron strain is on the rise, but we still are able to get out of the country for the first time in a couple of years, getting the keys to our apartment from Verónica.
49. 2022 – Orillia, just picked up the tickets for the first post-pandemic Mariposa for the Mariposa Posse.
50. 2022 – Orillia, Mariposa is reborn, and the posse is there. Sadly, we lost Terry a couple of weeks ago … an incredibly kind and gentle man.
51. 2023 – Nerja Spain, staying hydrated.
52. 2023 – Lisbon Portugal, The “Time Out Market” is a fun place to have lunch.
53. 2023 – Cork Ireland, taking my Irish DNA back to the homeland.
54. 2023 – Galway Ireland, listening to tunes in a pub, it does not get much better than that.
55. 2023 – Edinburgh Scotland, making some new golfing friends.
56. 2023 – Saint Andrews Scotland, having lunch with my new Saint Andrews Golf toque on in a local pub.
57. No Mariposa gear but I thought it best to prove that I was there and made it to the Old Course. 🙂
58. 2024 – Marbella Spain, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a Guinness and a free goofy hat.
59. 2024 – Toronto, slurping oysters.
60. 2024 – At home, sporting my new Mariposa apron.
61. 2024 – Halifax, Nova Scotia, hanging out at The Old Triangle Irish Alehouse, a great downtown bar and live music venue.
62. 2025 – Estepona Spain, strolling on the Paseo.
63. 2026 – Estepona Spain redux, everybody loves ice cream.
64. Long-time Mariposa volunteer Jeff P. sent me this photo of himself out on the road sporting Mariposa gear… Tofino on Vancouver Island.
