We could tell before we even saw him that the man who walked into the hotel coffee shop as we ate our breakfast was not from Salmon Arm. The resonant, American-accented voice didn't sound like any we had heard around those parts, and the fact that it came from a nicely dressed, towering African-American rather than a trucker-capped local convinced us that he was a visitor. As he ate, Paris Delane told us just how far he had come. He told us about his mother, Lillian, who had encouraged his love of music, and about singing in the Chicago subway system, and he recited heartfelt poetry to us.

He was in Salmon Arm with his fellow Sonia Dada band members for last year's three-day Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival. When I asked him what kind of music his band played, he said it was impossible to define and that I'd have to wait for their concert on the main stage later that evening. He wasn't just giving us the standard musician line-the eight-piece band got the crowd grooving to a mix of funk, soul, '60s psychedelic rock, gospel, folk, and a whole lot more.

One of the great things about a music festival in a small community is that visitors (who make up about 70 percent of this fest's attendance) and musicians become part of that community. On Sunday afternoon, after a scorching set on the Blues Stage by Nanaimo guitar master David Gogo-who, strangely, was wearing a long-sleeve black cowboy shirt and black pants in the 30-degree-plus heat-we were walking through the Salmon Arm fairground with my mother, who, conveniently, lives right next to the festival site. As we headed toward the Shade Stage, as much to get out of the sun as to listen to the Dix?ie Hummingbirds and David Essig, we ran into Delane again. He and some other singers had thrilled my mother's United Church congregation that morning with a great gospel service. When she expressed her gratitude, he threw his arms around her and gave her a huge bear hug.

"I think I have as many friends here as I have in my own country-after just two days here," he exclaimed. "This is God's country. It's paradise."

English singer-songwriter (and, apparently, ex-circus clown and fire eater) Rory McLeod expressed similar sentiments about the joys of a small-town festival. "I enjoy jamming with people," he said, which is what many of the musicians did at a local bar after the Friday and Saturday evening shows.

The Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival has a lot of other things going for it, though, not the least of which has to do with the music programming. As a reporter in Kamloops many years ago, I once wrote that I had to travel from the city of 75,000 to a town of 15,000 to hear good music. It's still true. The Salmon Arm Folk Music Society, under artistic director Linda Tanaka, has managed to tap into some great music by snagging bands and musicians as they tour between Vancouver and Calgary, offering up great shows throughout the year.

It all culminates in mid-August. As its name suggests, the Salmon Arm fest has a heavier emphasis on blues and roots music than festivals such as the Vancouver Folk Music festival, but it's just as eclectic. Last year, close to 8,000 music fans each day (for a total attendance of 23,078) listened to more than 45 acts, ranging through the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, Blue Rodeo, Bruce Cockburn, James Cotton, Fruit, and Veda Hille.

This year, scheduled acts include Winnipeg's the Weakerthans, South Africa's Johnny Clegg, blues veteran Buddy Guy, Italy's Fiamma Fumana, and soul great Percy Sledge.

During the day, the stages reflect the environment and the music, with names like the Alley Stage (where seating includes hay bales), the Barn Stage (yes, it is in a barn), the World Café Stage, and the already mentioned Shade Stage. That last one is a good one to make note of, if last year's fest is anything to go by. It can get hot in Salmon Arm, but you can always quench your thirst in the beverage garden, or, better yet, cool down with a dip in nearby Shuswap Lake.

The area's a pretty nice place for a vacation even at the quietest of times, with good hiking, fishing, boating, and swimming, as well as a bird sanctuary at the edge of town. But the chance to hear great music, and to make exciting musical discoveries (I've been enjoying my copy of Sonia Dada's Test Pattern all year) makes the five- or six-hour drive well worth it.

Of course, with all the festivals in B.C. during the summer, one could make a grand tour, starting on Vancouver Island and travelling to Vancouver, through Burnaby and Mission and Maple Ridge, and up to Kaslo at the end of July for the Kaslo Jazz Etc. Summer Music Festival, then on to Salmon Arm.

With the mountains, lakes, rivers, and joyous sounds all around, it would be hard not to feel the same way Delane feels about following the music. "I get to travel all over the world," he told me, "and I realize that whatever country you're in, we're all the same. We all have good in our hearts." He ended by saying that we all share a common goal, "which is to be in harmony".

ACCESS: The 13th annual Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival takes place at the Salmon Arm Fairgrounds on August 12, 13, and 14, with main-stage shows from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. all three days, and daytime stages from 10:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets are $110 for adults for a three-day pass before August 4; $125 after August 4 ($60/$65 for youth, although youth under 12 accompanied by a parent are free; seniors $70/$75). Tickets are also available for individual days and for the evening main-stage shows. Tickets can be bought through Ticketmaster, or by calling 250-833-4096, or on-line at www.rootsandblues.ca/.

Camping is available nearby, and the site is close to the highway and downtown Salmon Arm, where a wide range of accommodation is available. Many of the musicians stay at the Prestige Inn (www.prestigeinn.com/), which has theme rooms and a great coffee shop where you're bound to run into some of the performers.