After several days of storms and rain, conditions appear to be improving for Sunday’s Takoma Park Folk Festival, though rain and wind gusts remain possible.
The free festival, now in its 48th year, will run from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Takoma Park Middle School on Piney Branch Road.
“With the date pushed back a few weeks this year, it feels like a long wait,” said Chair Robin Stearn. “But it looks like we’ll get cool fall weather as a reward.
“I’m so excited about our great lineup of performers, as well as extras like jam sessions, a drum circle and interactive activities for kids,” she said.
With nearly 50 performances, the festival spans folk traditions from around the world and genres from traditional to contemporary folk, bluegrass, blues, and more. “Something for everyone,” said Peter VanHouten, program chair, who added that nearly half the performers are appearing for the first time at the festival.
Local favorites such as Juels Bland, iyAIMY, Karen Collins & the Backroads Band, and Little Red & the Renegades are among the performers. A few returning performers are coming “in different guises,” VanHouten said. For example, Takoma Park’s Annette Wasilik will be with Rich Morey and Brad Gladstone in a new band called Pierre Is Dreaming. Spyros Koliavasilis, who won a Maryland American Heritage Award for traditional Greek music, joins DC Café Aman, a group of musicians who cross cultural bounds with traditional and contemporary styles.
Given the intense times, VanHouten said protest songs will likely be on some performers’ agendas. That’s to be expected at a folk festival. But he added that many protest songs are about overcoming challenges, rather than being beaten down by them. “I’ve done house concerts for ten years,” VanHouten said. “My one rule is you can do depressing songs, but don’t leave us there. I don’t want guests to leave feeling worse than when they arrived.”
Kids and Crafts
Beyond the performance stages, the festival will be brimming with activity, too.
The Crafts Show & Sale has 38 artists this year, chosen from more than 60 applicants. Pottery, paper, candles, photography, woodwork, fiber arts, and much more will be on display, with the artisans on-site to talk about their work and their inspirations.
The Children’s Nook area will open with Lilo Gonzalez, who will lead a short parade from the front of the school at 10:45 and kick off a day of multilingual performances, along with a robotics demonstration by Blair High School students.
About 35 community groups will attend, sharing information about their activities and how to benefit from their services and/or support their missions. The House of Musical Traditions will set up its big-top tent to sell musical instruments and sheet music and offer hands-on play.
The festival also has its most diverse range of food trucks yet, and tables and chairs will be in the parking lot for picnickers.
“There’s easily enough to keep you entertained—and fed!—all day,” said Stearn. “We hope folks will come early and stay late.” tpff.org
Photo by Kevin Adler
