Ruth Jones McVeigh, Mariposa Folk Festival Co‑Founder, Dies at 99

Ruth Jones McVeigh, born in Halifax and later based in Orillia, Ontario, co‑founded the Mariposa Folk Festival in 1961. The festival grew from a local gathering to one of North America’s longest‑running folk events, attracting legends such as Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger. McVeigh helped navigate location shifts—including Toronto Islands, Innis Lake and Molson Park—before the festival returned to Orillia in 2000. In 1987 she rallied supporters to avert bankruptcy. Her legacy includes a Hall of Fame induction in 2005 and a digital archive launched by York University in 2010. She died on January 10, 2026 in Ottawa, survived by six children, grandchildren and great‑grandchildren.