The sixth Back to the Farm Festival hosted by the MacKinnon Brothers Brewing Company returned to the family farm just north of Bath this Sunday.
Last year’s festival was cancelled because of the pandemic, but now with the provincial government easing public health restrictions, it’s making a comeback.
Ben Vandenberg, one of the brewing company’s owners, says extensive consultation took place with KFL&A Public Health to develop a pandemic safety plan for the event.
Hand washing stations, sanitizer, physical distancing and contact tracing are all part of the day of music, food and beer, according to Vandenberg.
“There’s a QR code at the door, multiple ones for your phone, a number of the restaurants in town were doing that so it’s a quick way to do contact tracing so we have the database just in the off chance something possibly does happen,” Vandenberg told Global Kingston.
More than 20 brewers were on site along with an almost equal number of food trucks. Vandenberg says the set-up is spread over 20 acres of farmland, allowing for physical distancing.
“We got the MC rolling all day,” said Vandenburg. “Trying to reinforce all the social distancing measures we have to do.”
Kingston resident Mitch Nasheim says he bought tickets for himself and his wife seven minutes after they went on sale.
He says he feels safe in the wide-open space, even with several thousand other people on the property.
“They’re doing the screening at the door, they’ve had the rules posted basically since they announced the festival,” said Nasheim.
Katie McNeill, Nasheim’s wife, says they are both fully vaccinated, adding to their feeling of security.
“I also felt that with the outdoor experience, it was going to be a lot easier to social distance, their regulations about masks were really impressive, I also know that we are double vaccinated,” said McNeill.
Bath resident Steve Franklin said everyone seemed to be acting responsible and following the safety protocols, but did admit it felt strange returning to an event like Back to the Farm after more than a year of lock downs and avoiding large crowds.
“It seems funny to get out again and you’re sort taking a step back and going, ‘should we be doing this or should we not.'” said Franklin. “I imagine a lot of people are watching this event to see how it does go.”
KFL&A Public Health’s website last updated August 20 shows a total of 14 active cases in the region with no one hospitalized.