This is the 13th annual Dufferin Youth Festival of the Arts and some may be wondering how an arts celebration of this size, diversity and scope came to be.

It was an idea whose time was come. It was 1998 and the DYFA began as a conversation between concerned parents, teachers and friends, who were concerned about the cuts to funding for the arts in Dufferin County Schools and wanted to find out if there was anything that could be done.

A music festival had not been held in Dufferin for over 10 years. After a ‘possibility thinking community forum’ was realized that there was indeed a place for parents to bring some excitement and meaningful energy to arts advocacy: The Dufferin Youth Festival of the Arts (DYFA), The Dufferin County Music Advocacy Committee (DCMAC) and a newsletter ‘Music Matters in Dufferin’.

Dufferin pulled together as a community. The Dufferin School board, at its last business meeting before amalgamation with the Upper Grand School Board, designated funds to fund the first year, through presentation given by Marilyn Logan.

As a result, The Dufferin Arts Council, Theatre Orangeville and the DCMAC caught the vision and Orangeville Baptist Church agreed to provide the best acoustical accommodation of any 750 person capacity facility in the county, along with a top notch sound technician team and space for the visual arts display over a three morning commitment.

As a community, a team of volunteers rolled up their sleeves to make it happen and a corporate sponsor, Carter & Associates Law Firm came on board. So, you might ask, what's the big deal? What makes this so different? What makes this the biggest arts festival for children in the province?

Well, DYFA is a true celebration of Dufferin's youth and what they're accomplishing in the arts. It is unique!

This is a festival of music, dance, drama and visual arts which embraces students not only from the elementary and secondary divisions of the Upper Grand District School Board, but also the Dufferin- Peel Catholic School Board, public, area and church schools and home schooling sectors. Administrators, principals, teachers, parents, school councils, and community sponsors joined forces for the children of Dufferin!

Another way the DYFA is different is that although there are many other opportunities to participate in competitive Art Festivals, the DFYA is not about competition or solo divas.

It is strictly an opportunity for children to gather together gather to showcase what is being accomplished by many wonderful teachers in the district. And it is an opportunity for students to see what other schools are doing in the arts field.

The story is one that has been blessed by volunteers who caught the vision of an opportunity to celebrate the arts in Dufferin schools, celebrate those students who participate in music, drama and dance, and the wonderful teachers who provide the instruction and inspiration for those students. Each year more and more people volunteer their help for DYFA.

These volunteers — many retired teachers — are the people who make the event happen, many spending the entire week at the festival.and helped make it happen. This year’s festival takes place at Orangeville Baptist Church from Monday, May 3 through Thursday, May 6. with David Nairn, Artistic Director of Theatre Orangeville and Bernadette Hardaker as emcees.