For the last 26 years, Takoma Park’s Folk Festival has entertained thousands of people, and this year’s 27th annual festival, held on Sunday, Sept. 12, was no different. People of all ages, races and backgrounds came together in Takoma Park to enjoy food, crafts, dancing and all kinds of music. With a total of 55 different activities on eight separate stages, the Takoma Park Folk Festival had something for everybody. Performances included country music, interactive dance instruction, Spanish flamenco routines and Celtic rock.

There are many aspects of the Takoma Park Folk Festival that appeal to such a wide audience; it may be the free shows, the interactive dances or the child-focused activities, but there are many integral parts of the Festival that attract people from all over the Washington metropolitan area.

Music and dancing

The Folk Festival features many different types of music, ranging from traditional a cappella to grass roots rock to cultural reggae. None of the performers get paid, but many enjoy the publicity and take the chance to sell CDs and advertise for their future performances.

While Beth-Allison and the Well-Strung Boys, a six person music group self-identified as a roots rock band, played on the Field Stage, over 20 people stood up off the grassy hill of Takoma Park Middle School (TPMS) and joined the dancing in front of the stage. The dancers jammed and flowed with the music, and some small children joined their parents for their version of the hit “Shaken All Over."

Meanwhile, in TPMS’s cafeteria, Arte Flamenco, an authentic flamenco group from the South of Spain, was performing on the World Stage. The two main singers, dressed in red flowing skirts, danced rhythmically across the stage while belting out traditional Spanish flamenco songs.

Another notable performance was that of the Blue Moon Cowgirls, a local country music group who had an impressive presence on the stage. One of the four is our very own Blair computer-science teacher Karen Collins. Collins also performed at the Folk Festival as a fiddler and vocalist with Squeeze Bayou, a popular Washington area Cajun band.

Volunteering

The Folk Festival would not be possible without the help of its volunteers. This year, 12 youth-oriented organizations in the Takoma Park/Silver Spring community volunteered and will receive part of the proceeds from the Folk Festival. Beneficiaries include Blair’s After Prom Committee, Takoma Park Neighborhood Youth Soccer and local Girl and Boy Scout troops.

Blair freshman Rehana Mohammed is a Girl Scout in troop 2131, a group which has volunteered at the Folk Festival each year for the last seven or eight years. Mohammed feels that volunteering is a good way to get involved in the community as well as raise money for her Girl Scout troop. “I’m volunteering partly because our troop is going to Costa Rica next year and volunteering helps raise money for our trip," she said.

Blair senior Rachel Feely-Kohl is volunteering for some of the same reasons as Mohammed. For the last three years, Feely-Kohl has volunteered at the Folk Festival for the YMCA’s group Youth and Government, which is a mock legislature for teenagers. “Blair’s chapter of Youth and Government started volunteering before I was at Blair," Feely-Kohl stated. “Mostly it was because a lot of the group’s members live nearby. I live here in Takoma, and I think volunteering is a really good way to help out."

Campaigns and community tables

One of the activities that children and sometimes teenagers like to do is circulate the community booths. This year, over 95 individual booths were set up to encourage visitors to the Festival to learn about the activities taking place in and around Takoma Park.

There was a great diversity of community tables set up, including groups such as Republicans in Takoma Park, Friends of Sligo Creek and Temple Shalom.

Many booths had interactive activities, such as Greyhound Pets of America, which had a few dogs near their booth that visitors could pet and play with. Johrei Fellowship, a nature-farming relaxation technique, had a booth set up and anyone could sit down to receive a free five or ten minute session.

Blair senior Jonathan Carney helped campaign for his mother, Valerie Ervin, who is running for the Montgomery County Board of Education. According to Carney, a total of 12 people helped campaign for Ervin that day. The four adults and eight teenagers, including Carney, wore Valerie Ervin T-shirts and walked around the Folk Festival introducing themselves and passing out stickers and papers regarding Ervin’s platforms.

Remembering Lenore Robinson

This year’s Folk Festival is dedicated to Lenore Robinson (1944-2004), a hardworking volunteer, community leader and friend to all. She worked as the Festival’s chair or co-chair since 1993 and had been involved in the Folk Festival since its founding in 1978, according to the Takoma Park Folk Festival Committee. A new stage was added solely for interactive dance lessons and named the Lenore Robinson Dance Stage in her honor.

An enjoyable day for all

Blair sophomore Maura Druhan said that she has been coming to the Takoma Park Folk Festival for as long as she can remember. Druhan feels that the festival is a good experience for everyone, whether they live in Takoma Park or not. “I like that everything is free," Druhan says. “That makes it really open to everyone."

Druhan isn’t the only one who feels this way, because over a thousand people each year come from all over the area to enjoy music, dancing, food and activities at the Takoma Park annual Folk Festival.