From the old traditions (the "belles" selected from each county's homemakers clubs)
to the new (young street performers juggling and playing accordion with their companionable dog),
and young ones with their elders playing together in jam sessions on the streets, on corners, under porches, in parking lots and in front of motel rooms--not to mention fiddle contests and masters concerts,
that was the West Virginia Folk Festival at Glenville this weekend.
Did I mention street jams?
and everywhere
everywhere
musical instruments
waiting to be played--
Old-time and bluegrass music, storytelling, balladsinging, parades, good food, crafters, friends and laughter combined into one good time.
Oh boy. I love these photos--street festivals and county fairs are what make a summer for me. Great stuff!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like fun! I love banjos and fiddles.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! That's the best way to describe it for me. That looked like so much fun.
ReplyDeletei love this~we still have a lot of folk festivals that take over small towns, like Swanage, Wareham, Foey~always a great atmosphere although i have noticed we no longer get morris dancers here in the village~i wonder if i should start a revival and petition the county council?!
ReplyDeleteJaime, I'll post the old cars and tractors photos later--there was a parade in the middle of the day of cars and there were some neat ones. Only a couple tractors, though--Aaron should enter his.
ReplyDeleteJaime, I'll post the old cars and tractors photos later--there was a parade in the middle of the day of cars and there were some neat ones. Only a couple tractors, though--Aaron should enter his.
ReplyDeleteThere are many of these kinds of festivals in WV, Susan, although the economy this year meant that some longstanding ones lost funding. Fortunately some of my favorites have survived. I prefer the small ones, I admit. They're much more manageable and laid back.
ReplyDeleteJanet, maybe you can make it to Glenville sometime. It's a nice drive. And the rpice is right (free!).
ReplyDeleteI think you should, laoi. Sometimes organizers lose sight of what's important to people who attend.
ReplyDeleteStreet Jams?
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking Elderberry.....
That sounds like so much fun! I would love to have been there.
ReplyDelete