S.E. U.S.A. Festivals Who's Going?

Subject: S.E. U.S.A. Festivals Who's Going?
From: chip a
Date: 07 Apr 03 - 02:57 PM

Just curious. Who's going to Old Time festivals in the southeastern U.S. this year. Which will you attend and where are you from?
Tish and I plan to be at Mt Airy and Clifftop. Also "Bear on the Square" in Dahlonega, Ga. in a couple of weeks. "Bear" is a small artsy/craftsy thing with near constant music. Lots of jamming as well as performances.
:-),
Chip

Subject: RE: S.E. U.S.A. Festivals Who's Going?
From: chip a
Date: 09 Apr 03 - 10:57 AM

Anyone!?

Subject: RE: S.E. U.S.A. Festivals Who's Going?
From: nickp
Date: 09 Apr 03 - 11:05 AM

Claire and I are going to Fiddlers Grove and LEAF (Lake Eden, Black Mtn, NC) - or rather (timewise) the other way round, LEAF first!

Oh and we're from the UK

Subject: RE: S.E. U.S.A. Festivals Who's Going?
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 09 Apr 03 - 07:14 PM

We spend the summer going back and forth between DE and WV. Melvin Wine's Birthday Party in Sutton (April), Vandalia in Charleston (May), WV State Folk Festival in Glenville (June), Clifftop (August), Stonewall Jackson Jubilee (Stonewall Jackson State Park, Labor Day), Fiddler's Reunion (Elkins).

Subject: RE: S.E. U.S.A. Festivals Who's Going?
From: Fortunato
Date: 10 Apr 03 - 02:35 PM

Hey, Chip A, did you see my thread on Mt. Airy a last week? Susette and I will be there. What are you guys into? cheers, chance

Subject: RE: S.E. U.S.A. Festivals Who's Going?
From: GUEST,Tom Henehan
Date: 10 Apr 03 - 03:47 PM

How 'bout the Arkansas Folk Festival in Mountain View next weekend (4/18-20), founded by the late Jimmie Driftwood? It's been 30 years since I last attended (and sat in with the founder himself on washtub bass), but I just checked out their website and they seem to be going strong.

Jimmie Driftwood had some commerical success, and is probably better remembered as a "country" rather than a "folk" or "bluegrass" artist, but he disliked the commericalism of Nashville, left there in the mid-60s to found the Ozark Folk Center in remote Mountain View, and dedicated the rest of his life to the preservation of what he knew as the folk tradition of his home mountains. He died just a couple of years ago, but the institutions he foudned seem to be surviving on their own.

Subject: RE: S.E. U.S.A. Festivals Who's Going?
From: Ebbie
Date: 10 Apr 03 - 04:02 PM

We are currently in the middle of the Alaska Folk Festival; this is Day Four of seven nights and two days.

This is a different kind of festival than in most areas. There are Guest Artists (this year it's Barachois from Prince Edward Island, eastern Canada); everyone else is nonpaid. There is no attendance fee for the festival itself; it's funded by memberships and various functions during the year.

The festival consists of 15-minute sets beginning at 7:00 nightly, ending at 11:00. There are no auditions so a few of the sets are of less than stellar quality, but on the other hand some of them are professional. The auditorium holds about 1200 enthusiastic and appreciative people.

On the weekend there are many workshops, ranging from drums to step dancing to flatpicking to story telling, etc, etc, etc and so on and so forth...

And jamming. LOTS and LOTS of jamming, in the halls and foyers, on street corners and stores, all nighters and afternooners and impromptu get togethers. People come from all over Alaska and a good many from 'down south'. This year, probably the farthest traveled is a Scotsman, John Ledger. Last night he did an unaccompanied set that was great. And this year there's a group of 16 university young'uns from Maine.

What fun.

Subject: RE: S.E. U.S.A. Festivals Who's Going?
From: chip a
Date: 11 Apr 03 - 10:13 AM

Hi Chance,
I play two finger banjo and some autoharp and my wife plays guitar and a little whistle. My post on the two finger banjo thread will tell you what I'm into! We camp up by the water tower at Cliftop. Last year was our first time at Mt Airy. We camped in the barn and will again if there's room.
Chip

Subject: RE: S.E. U.S.A. Festivals Who's Going?
From: wilco
Date: 11 Apr 03 - 11:44 AM

All below are weekend festivals, running thursday nite through Sun noon. All are alcohol free, except Boxcar Pinions. All have on-site camping, costs about $10.00 (except Pinion's) for the whole thing, are mostly musicians, and they have food there. Crowds of 300 to 2000.


April 26 Dillard's Blue Grass festival in Rome, GA.
May 9th Nine Mile Volunteer FD Festival Pikeville, TN.
**
May 23 Big Frog BGF in Cleveland, TN.
May 31 Boxcar Pinion BGF in Chattanooga, TN.
June 14 Coke Oven festival in Dunlap. TN.
June 23 Edmonds Family festival Nine Mile, TN.
July 3 Rocky Top in Rome, GA.

** Within, fifty miles of Chattanooga, there are festivals every weekend, but I can't go every weekend. This is like this thru October.

Subject: RE: S.E. U.S.A. Festivals Who's Going?
From: GUEST,Another Voice
Date: 11 Apr 03 - 05:48 PM

How about the Seattle Folk Life Festival from May 30 to June 2. It usually has 35 or so stages running concurrently plus all sorts of jamming and lots of master classes. Free (expect a request for a donation however) and huge fun and lots of people. I think last year some 300,000 plus attended. The central park area usually has at least 40 different groups of people just jamming away and ond group of drummers that, I swear, start on friday and dont stop until monday. I plan to take a digireedoo master class there this year.