American Folk Festival

Montana Folk Festival opens in Butte

BUTTE — Jane Hammett said she and husband Rod O’Gorman love their music festivals throughout the summer.

But one sticks out for the Missoula couple — the folk festival in Butte, which began Friday and wraps up Sunday.

“This festival is the one we won’t miss,” Hammett said Friday evening at the Original stage, moments before the opening ceremony of the inaugural Montana Folk Festival. “There’s just something so special about Butte and the people — they’re just genuine, down-to-earth people.”

Hammett said they’ve made it to all of the National Folk Festivals in the past three years in Butte. The event was held in Butte from 2008 to 2010 before moving on to Nashville, Tenn.

But Butte made a commitment to keep it going, Jon Sesso, liaison between the festival and Butte-Silver Bow, said during opening remarks at the Original.

“We said we were going to do it and we’re going to deliver,” Sesso said under crystal clear skies before a huge audience. “Everybody has made this happen in our great city and those are the first people we need to thank.”

The inaugural Montana festival is somewhat bittersweet for organizers of the National Folk Festival, said Julia Olin, NFF executive director.

She said the plan was always to hand it off to Butte and hope it flourishes, but she has missed spending time in Montana.

“I’ve sort of been in withdrawal this year as you guys have gone on to form your own festival,” she said.

This year offers another eclectic blend of music: Cajun and Tex Mex, West African and Klezmer, blues and traditional Native American singing.

And there’s more than just music, Olin said. The festival includes artists, food and a Montana folk life area with demonstrations and talks on bears, outdoor gear and birding, among others.

“Wherever you turn this weekend, you’re going to find something you love,” Olin said.

Before the opening remarks, several people said after experiencing the national event they had to come back.

Among them was Brent Patch from Chubbuck, Idaho. He said he’s made all three festivals and there was no doubt he was coming back.

“And we’ll be here every year as long as it continues,” he said.

In the final remarks of the opening ceremony, Gov. Brian Schweitzer took the stage and said Butte has long been a working-class town. And it’s long known how to show people a good time.

Weather, talent kept Folk Festival hot — Maine Living — Bangor ...

BANGOR, Maine — Saturday brought the full array of American Folk Festival performers to the four stages on the waterfront, such as the mesmerizing sounds of Iraqi musician Rahim Alhaj, who plays the oud, an Arabic lute. Urban Artistry wowed the crowd with their breakdancing moves, and Noreum Machi, a Korean drumming group, displayed incredible rhythmic dynamics during their afternoon performance.

The steamy, upper-80s weather at the sixth annual American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront was a welcome change from the cold rain of last year’s event, but a few attendees were treated for dehydration, and at least one diabetic man was transported to the hospital after he collapsed near the railroad tracks.

Saturday’s crowd exceeded the approximately 30,000-35,000 people who gathered beginning around 4 p.m. Friday to welcome the festival.The yearly call for crowd donations gained even more urgency this year, as the $226,000 budget deficit became a worrisome issue. According to J. Martin, coordinator for the Bucket Brigade, the festival was on track Saturday to break the previous fundraising record of $107,000.

In addition to all the music and dancing, festival-goers come for the food. Chicken on a stick, crabmeat rolls, blueberry smoothies, gyros, ice cream, wraps and plenty of other goodies were served up to the tens of thousands of hungry attendees. Carol Braley of Winthrop clutched a long plastic bag filled with fresh-popped kettle corn, which she slowly munched on as the afternoon progressed.

“This stuff is addictive,” she said. “I only eat it once a year at the festival, and you just can’t stop.”

With sunny skies and mid-80s temperatures forecast for the remainder of the weekend, the biggest party in Bangor was off to a rousing start Friday night that continued when the festival resumed on Saturday.

The Pride of Maine Black Bear Marching Band took formation around 6 p.m. Friday in West Market Square to kick off the three-day event, and performed for a crowd of several hundred, some of whom arrived early to snag a seat at one of the downtown eateries.

“I think it’s fantastic,” Andrew Day, service manager at Paddy Murphy’s Pub, located just off West Market Square, said Friday. “We had people get here early to watch the parade from inside. It’s definitely been a boon. West Market is the heart of downtown, and there’s nowhere else the festival should start.

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