Dear Friends,
I would like to welcome you all to the 37th annual New Jersey Folk Festival! The festival has been the most important part of my undergraduate career and I take much pride in sharing it with you. To all the first time festival-goers, my fellow committee members and I hope that you enjoy the exciting performances and activities we have to offer. To all our returning visitors, I hope this festival experience is the best yet!
The New Jersey Folk Festival is the largest and oldest continually held festival of its kind in New Jersey. The event is the result of the hard work put in by fifteen undergraduate students throughout the fall and spring semesters. In order to put the festival together and keep traditions alive, we are under the guidance of our founder and Executive Director Dr. Angus Kress Gillespie and Associate Director Erin Clarke.
Year after year, the festival highlights the culture, traditions, food, crafts, and music from a specific heritage or nation. This year we are thrilled to showcase the folk culture of Kalmykia. The local Kalmyk communities can be found in southern New Jersey as well as in Philadelphia. Orn Nutg Dance Troupe and Hadgslan Zoera are just two of our many performances exhibiting Kalymk music, dance, and cultural traditions that can be seen throughout the day.
This year we are proud to announce that our Lifetime achievement award winner is Gordon Bok, a folk music artist from Maine. Mr. Bok has been a singer and caretaker of the music and liturgy of the Kalmyks who immigrated to America starting in 1951. He maintains and circulates an extensive collection of their surviving music among their descendants. Feel free to visit him on the Pinelands stage for two “hands on” workshops: Kalmyk Strings and 30 Years of Collecting Kalmyk Music.
The festival has something for everyone! On the Skylands Stage, be sure to see Lotus Dance Troupe, the national dance troupe of Kalmykia, part of the Russian Federation. Also on the Skylands Stage, we will host Jackie Tice, a folk music artist who plays music influenced by the Chickamauga Cherokee. On the Shore Stage, participate in an Old Time, Bluegrass, or Irish music jam in the morning and check out the up and coming singersongwriter competition winners in the afternoon. The Heritage Tent will host a number of traditional Kalmyk gers, customary Kalmyk living spaces. There will be plenty of interactive workshops throughout the day on the Pinelands Stage about Kalmyk and American folk culture. On the Gateway Stage, the entire family will enjoy the return of the Johanna Van Der Heyden’s Violanta Street Organ.
Additionally, don’t miss out on our juried craft market, where you will find unique and high quality artistic pieces. If you are feeling hungry, make your way over to the exotic and satisfying array of food vendors for a filling meal or snack. The kids will enjoy all the Children’s Area has to offer, including traditional Kalmyk children’s crafts.
Lastly, the festival cannot function without the help of our volunteers and student staff. I sincerely appreciate everyone’s hard work and contributions that make this a great experience for the tens of thousands of visitors each year. The New Jersey Folk Festival has brought people together for 37 years and can only continue to as long as there are helping hands. This experience has been like no other and I truly thank every single person that has taken the time to make the festival what it is today.
Remember, this only happens once a year! Make sure to enjoy the day and absorb everything the festival has to offer. Come visit us next year, April 28th, 2012 to celebrate the folk culture of the Balkans!
Lauren Saxer
Festival Manager 2011