Dear Friends,
On behalf of the entire student committee, welcome to the 38th Annual New Jersey Folk Festival! The festival has been the most rewarding part of my college experience and it is with great joy and pride that my fellow coordinators and I share it with you. For first time festival goers, we hope you explore, experience, and enjoy everything our festival has to offer. For returning visitors, we are thrilled to have you back and we hope your day is as fun and memorable as years past.
Our festival is the largest and oldest annual festival of its kind in the state and is managed entirely by fifteen undergraduate students. Throughout the fall and spring semesters, the student staff works rigorously under the guidance of Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Angus Kress Gillespie, and Associate Director, Erin Clarke, to put on a spectacular event.
Every year, the festival highlights a specific culture to showcase its heritage, traditions, and arts. For our 38th event, we enthusiastically celebrate Bulgarian Folk Culture! Boselik, Cherven Traktor, and Svitanya are just three of our many performers showcasing Bulgarian music, dance, and cultural traditions throughout today.
This year we are proud to announce Roger Deitz as our 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for his significant contributions to the folk world, both as an accomplished musician and writer. Through the years, Mr. Deitz has performed at distinguished folk festivals and has written columns for notable folk and music publications such as Sing Out! Magazine. You can watch him perform on our Skylands Stage after our Awards Ceremony.
Also on our Skylands Stage, be sure to see the performances of Celtic Harp Masters Grainne Hambly and William Jackson, as well as the Highest Praise Gospel Choir and the Bad Dogz bluegrass band. As always, our Shore Stage features Bluegrass, Old-Timey, and Irish music jams in the morning, with our Singer-Songwriter Showcase winners performing in the afternoon. Interactive workshops will take place all day at the Pinelands Stage about both Bulgarian and American folk culture. Also, the Loree Building will host Johanna Van Der Heijden’s Violanta Street Organ as well as our Allen Ginsberg Poetry Festival.
In addition, visit our juried craft market to find unique, handmade crafts of high artistic quality that are sure to impress you, and if you get a bit hungry, our twenty plus American and ethnic food vendors are sure to satisfy you. Kids and the young of heart can enjoy the Children’s Activities area with free crafts, games, and even face painting. Definitely check out and complete our new Passport Kids Activity as well to win a special prize!
Lastly, I give my sincerest and deepest thanks and appreciation to all of our volunteers and student staff who make this event so wonderful and possible every year for the past 38 years. I am truly grateful for this experience and for every person who has helped to make what the festival is today.
Thank you again for coming and I hope you enjoy your day with us. There is certainly much more to discover at our festival than everything I have mentioned here. So feel free to wander and explore, and come visit us again next year on Saturday, April 27, 2013 to celebrate the culture of the Garifuna people!
Best regards,
Michelle Yasay Festival Manager 2012