Folk Project Festival Endorsements
Folk Project Festival Endorsements
The Groovemongers would like to thank all of you for inviting us to participate in the Folk Project Spring Festival. We had a lot of fun. The dancers were wonderful, the food was great, the accomodations nothing short of palatial and friendly folks were everywhere. And ... the true sign of a good festival..... we didn't get nearly enough sleep!! Please share this note with all the folks whose addresses I didn't have but who helped in making such a wonderful weekend. All the best, the band
Mike, Thanks for thinking of me to replace Mary this weekend at the Folk Project getaway. I had a nice time, dancing and picking. Lots of good music. I was actually surprised at how many people showed up for my Jewish music workshop -the room was full. I guess it was a good choice! You, Ken and all the other volunteers did a great job. Please keep me in mind for another time, maybe with a little more notice! Thanks again, Robin Greenstein
Pholk Project Phollow-up Hi from rainy Cape Cod on Monday night...got home from camp at midnight yesterday, nothing like a 7 hour drive to unwind!!! Argh. Thanks for a great weekend, I couldn't have enjoyed myself more with a group of folks, and for a first-timer, you made me feel most welcomed. Keep singing, keep writing, keep loving, keep fighting! David Roth
"To say this festival has "community spirit" is the understatement of the year. The folks who go are family and they'll be like your family by the end of the weekend. All this and music too, what more could you want?" Jacey Bedford ARTISAN
"It was a unique and rewarding experience to spend the weekend living with such a knowledgable and appreciative group of folk music aficianados. The Folk Project Festival afforded us an opportunity to really get to know people, and gave us time to share - and have others share with us - in a way that is not possible at conventional festivals." Steve Ritchie Tanglefoot
This weekend is billed as having: "concerts, dances, pickup jams,
and more." I attended primarily for a couple of special workshops that
I was interested in, and found myself also enjoying many of the other activities.
All events are of high quality since the organizers bring in experienced
performers and teachers in a wide variety of musical styles including: song
writing, French Canadian music, contra dancing, and more.
There is an emphasis on participatory workshops for those of all experience
levels. They go out of their way to encourage newcomers, and even make welcome
non-dancers and non-musicians. Families also attend, and I spent an enjoyable
hour exchanging clogging steps with some small children who seemed to learn
at a faster rate than most of the adults! The dancing was good, and I enjoyed
several good music jams with other participants.
Lodging is dormitory style since the camp takes place at a well maintained
YMCA camp. Some folks also tented or slept in campers. The prepared food
is simple fare, probably the same camp food that the YMCA kids get. I was
satisfied since it included fresh fruit and vegetables. There were also
tables of snack food set out periodically that included the largest variety
I've ever seen at any music and dance camp. I usually don't go on much about
food, but there were probably 25 different choices of cookies, pretzels,
crackers, bread, dips, spreads, etc.
There is a lake front and some people took advantage of water activities
including boating. The site was beautiful and good for music making and
socializing. Visit their web site for more information on Fall
Festival and a number of other activities and camps throughout the year.
Sender: oconnell@pobox.upenn.edu (Kathy O'Connell) Subject: Folk Project Thoughts I just saw the post for the Folk Project Fall Festival, and I wanted to put in my 2 cents. I attended this festival a couple of years ago when Trout Fishing in America played it. This was my first exposure to a smaller festival (Philly being my experience up until then!), and it was lovely! I'm sure that many of you think of this as old hat, but one of the best memories I have was of sitting near a lake at night and listening to the music of regular people...a couple of people singing over here; a fiddle down there; a lone guitar strumming a few feet away. Really wonderful. I was a first timer who felt at home right away...not always the easiest thing for a self-professed geek like myself. If the performers listed on the previous post appeal to you...or if you just want to spend a weekend listening to music and eating pretty good food with truly nice people, check out the Folk Project's Fall Festival. Kathy O'Connell WXPN-FM Philadelphia
From: greg@netcom.com (Greg Bullough)
Subject: Folk Project & Festival (New Jersey)
FESTIVAL!
Or folk-camp, or whatever you want to call it.
Anyway, THEY call it a festival, and they've been who they are longer than
I've been around, so there.
What it is, whatever you call it, is a rollicking good time on May 12-14
known as
'The Folk Project Spring Festival'
That's 'New Jersey' Folk Project to you distant relations.
What happens at these semi-annual events is
'Concerts, Dances, Workshops, Pickup Jams, and more...
This festival claims to be different. I attended the last one. It is. The
magic is in the atmosphere. It's held at a really nice (yes there is such a
thing) YMCA camp in the Northwest corner of New Jersey, with a pretty lake
spang in the middle of it all. One of my favorite features of the place is
that some genius figured out how to put a self-controlled window at the head
of each bunk in the cabins. Really, as cabin accomodations go, these are
pretty darn nice. You can pitch a tent, though, and get a $10.00 discount
for your trouble. The food is decent. The people are far more than decent,
and if you don't feel welcome here, then you need to have your
welcome-sensors cleaned. Workshops and concerts range from the serious to
the goofy. The jams and song circles, formal and informal are certainly some
of the best ever.
Really. These are good folks, and a reminder of what we all fell in love
with back when we started in folk music.
You'll hear everything from swing to mouth-music, and from Ukranian Blue
Grass to Sensitive Urban Singer-Song-Writers (good, uns, too).
Come to this one, and you get free admission to yours-truly's 'Concertina
and Squeezebox' workshop, featuring special guest appearances (I'll find
someone, perhaps a frog which impersonates the Budweiser chorus).
Oh, yes... ...this is a mind-altering substance (unless you count gallons
of coffee) free event, and child chare is usually available on-site.
The FOLK PROJECT:
The Folk Project is a New Jersey based organization of folk folk who
organize to sponsor, among other things, the Minstrel Coffeehouse, Contras,
bi-annual festivals and folk camps, concerts, a great newsletter, and other
folking things. Membership is a pittance, at $15 for an individual
($20 for Supporting, which gains you additional gratitude), and $3 for each
additional family member.
P.S.: On a personal note, one thing I've noticed about the FP folk is that
there is almost nobody who will stride up to you and tell you that
what you're doing isn't Folk, or isn't traditional, or is wrong,
or any of that dunnage. In other words, people feel free to like
what they like, and if it's good they tend to like it. What a
bunch of wierdos. Enjoyin' themselves without hangups. Dangerous.
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