Summer Winds Family Music Festival began when Glenn and Cathy Halgren, permanent residents of Victoria Beach, came up with a wonderful idea of a family music festival to raise money for the much-loved and run-down Victoria Beach Sports Club, since renamed to the Victoria Beach Community Centre and NOW the Beaches Community Centre. The Victoria Beach Sports Club, was established in 1960, and operates as a registered charity. It has been a vital part of the community for over 65 years. 18 years ago with the first Summer Winds, a group of volunteers came together to start to revitalize the sports grounds.

The then 50-year-old Victoria Beach Sports Club was the centre for the community to come together.  Not only did it support our curlers, bonspiels, and hockey games, “The Club” as it is fondly referred to, was also the venue for weddings, socials, arts and craft sales, and funerals.  It was the place for dinner theatres put on by the Beaches Drama Club, and it provided space for the annual spring vaccination clinic for dogs and cats. It was also the home of the ”Merry Makers Club”, a group of women who raise money for different charities and local organizations, as well as our non-profit animal shelter. Built entirely by volunteers over 50 years ago, the building had come full circle, giving us everything we could possibly have.  But, it was time to build a new Victoria Beach Community Centre.

The Summer Winds Family Music Festival has become a large fundraiser for the Beaches Community Centre. Our first music festival‘s attendance was about 400 people, and has increased to thousands each year. The Summer Winds Family Music Festival to date has raised over $450,000, thanks to the support of cash and in-kind donations from area residents and businesses, as well as the commitment of our festival fans.