By Laureen Summers

Woodstock was originally billed as a two-day music and crafts festival. It soon became a three-day festival of music that reflected the mood and times of a tumultuous era – and many of us buried ourselves in the music that spoke loudly of our hopes, dreams, and yearnings for a life we could love. But were there crafts?

If you look at photos of the Woodstock audience, you will probably see tie-dyed clothing, stoneware plates and mugs, and all kinds of jewelry. Probably, there were individuals taking pictures, molding mud (!!) into sensational forms, and stringing beads as they swayed and crooned to the music. Crafts were, absolutely, a part of the amazing, unprecedented scene.

Like Woodstock, the Takoma Park Folk Festival is primarily a music festival. The juried crafts show is a small component. Yet, the crafts show is an important piece of the experience … an artistic complement to the creativity of the music and dance on our seven stages. The dozens of artisans who participate care deeply about their work and their community.

When one stops by Clydelle Griffin’s booth, her vibrant colors almost fly off her fabrics and wrap themselves around you. “They talk to me – they are my inspiration from God,” Clydelle says. “They tell me what to do.”

As a housewife, Clydelle used her sewing skills as a way to contribute to the household income. When her husband left her in the early ‘90s with no resources, she took her talent at creating beautiful scarves, skirts, and handbags more seriously. Her sister, who also sews fabrics, encouraged Clydelle to showcase her work at festivals – and a career, a livelihood, and a calling emerged.

For Clydelle, showcasing her work at the Takoma Park Folk Festival is about more than business. She loves the camaraderie of the other crafters, the diversity of the attendees, and the helpfulness of the volunteers. Her son Alfred accompanies her to make certain she doesn’t have to lift heavy things. She has had three brain aneurisms and, just recently, had her left knee replaced. How does this lovely woman cope? “The Bible says that laughter is the best medicine,” she says, her voice soft and determined. “I made a choice – I choose to laugh!”

Every craftsperson at the festival has a story to tell, whether working in fiber, clay, jewelry, photography, or another medium. Good crafts reflect the commitment of the artist to pay attention to construction, detail, form, and functionality. These, as well as original design, are key elements in the judging of each person’s work by our committee.

Please come join us to delight in both the music and the crafts. The Takoma Park Folk Festival will be “Woodstock Without the Mud,” but we wouldn’t be our festival without the crafts!

By Kevin Adler & Gina McNeal

Like many other people in Takoma Park, the Folk Festival was our first exposure to this wonderful town. We were living in Silver Spring in the early ‘90s, and we heard about the Festival. We visited, we loved it, and a year later we bought our first house here.

We like to think of our family as growing up at the Festival. Our kids, Eliza and Emmett, have been attending ever since they were infants. Now, they’re teenagers, and the Folk Festival remains highlighted on our family’s calendar. We know where we’ll be on Sunday, September 11.

When we had toddlers, we spent much of our day at the Grassy Nook Stage. We just followed our kids as they scuttled from the stage area to the old-fashioned carnival games to face-painting and back again. The music and storytelling at the Grassy Nook are great. All performers are teens and young adults, and they really connect with kids. The lineup is as varied as any stage at the Festival: Irish, Zimbabwean, vaudeville and hip-hop, to name just a few performances this year. Of course, Frank “Banjo Man” Cassel will come by eventually.

The games on the edge of the Grassy Nook are a major fundraiser for the Cub Scouts. Low-tech and simple, they attract kids even in our video-saturated era. Toddlers love the sponge toss, whether using the wet blob as a projectile or just pushing into the clown’s (or mom’s or dad’s) face. A few years ago, the Scouts added a rope-climb that’s strung between two trees. It’s a real test of balance and nerve—at about 12 inches above the soft ground.

Eventually, our children became too cool for kids’ stuff and too self-conscious for the family dance (a tradition that continues this year at the Lenore Robinson Dance Stage at 1 p.m.). But they still return to the Grassy Nook in the mid-afternoon because that’s when bands of Takoma Park teens take the stage. This year’s ultra-local entries are Ginger Chimes and Ladle Fight, with back-to-back shows beginning at 3 p.m.

While still in elementary school, our kids began to explore the Festival on their own. With packs of friends, they’d run up and down the hill by the Field Stage, or stare at the costumed and strutting Morris Dancers. They’d get a few dollars to buy ice cream. They’d visit Community Tables booths. Did they learn about environmental issues, public health, and other worthy causes? Frankly, they were on a search for candy and fake tattoos.

Yet, the experience gave them the rare luxury of independence. It was the first large public event where we felt our kids were safe when they were out of our sight. The Folk Festival was like a giant block party, and we felt like people were looking out for one another. We still feel that way. We love how our community can bring our family together for music, dance, and joyous play.

We’ll be at the Folk Festival again this year on September 11. We hope you and your family can join us.

Kevin Adler was chair of the Takoma Park Folk Festival from 2004 to 2008. Gina McNeal was chair of hospitality for the Festival from 2005 to 2009. Both coordinatied performance stages in 2011.

The Festival provides an opportunity for non-profit organizations in our community to share information and build their networks of supporters.

If you are interested in having a Community Table at the 2012 Festival and have not yet applied, send an e-mail message to tables@tpff.org.

Table spaces are 10′ x 10′ and include an 8′ table.

A $40.00 fee entitles non-profits to use the Community Table as a forum to educate the public about the organization and/or issues. Groups may request signatures for petitions, enlist volunteers, and distribute free literature. Groups selecting this application category may not sell items and may not collect money through donations or the sale of memberships.

A $55.00 fee entitles non-profits to use the Community Table as an information forum (as above), and also to sell memberships and request contributions. Groups may sell such items as t-shirts, literature, buttons, and bumper stickers directly related to their mission. Sale of jewelry, food, or crafts of any kind is prohibited because these compete with artisans and food vendors specifically chosen for the Festival through competitive procedures. Please include a proposed list of merchandise to be sold.

TPFF requests that individuals staffing the tables do not aggressively solicit Festival attendees. In addition, TPFF staff reserves the right to disallow the display of items deemed inappropriate.

Thank you for supporting the Takoma Park Folk Festival!

Last Year’s Community Tables

Adventist Healthcare (Washington Adventist Hospital)
Airshow Mastering
Amnesty International Group 297
Bah’a'I Assembly of Takoma Park
Barrie School
Beyond Nuclear
Birth Options Alliance
CASA of Maryland
Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County
Crossings Healing Works
Community Health & Empowerment through Education and Research (CHEER)
DC Green Festival (Coop America)
District 20 (Jamie Raskin, Heather Mizeur, Sheila Hixson, Tom Hucker)
Docs in Progress
emma’s revolution
Friends of Chris Staughton
Friends of Marc Elrich
Friends of Sligo Creek
Folklore Society of Greater Washington
God Glorified Church of God in Christ
Greenbelt Homes, Inc.
Hearts and Homes for Youth, Inc.
HFC (The HLC Diabetes Foundation)
Housing Unlimited
Howard University School of Law Fair Housing Clinic
Historic Takoma
Human Rights Campaign
Hungry for Music
Institute of Musical Traditions
Interages, Inc.
Interfaith Families Project
Jewish Federation of Greater Washington
Johrei Fellowship
Machar – Washington Congregation
Maryland Citizens Against State Executions
Maryland Citizens for the Arts
Maryland Insurance Administration
Maryland Satsang Society
Montgomery Citizens for a Safer Maryland
Montgomery Symphony Orchestra
NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland
Old Town Takoma Business Association
Peace Action Montgomery
PEPCO
Progressive Maryland
Progressive Neighbors
Rock Creek Free Press
Round House Theatre Education and Outreach
SAVE Our Votes
Shepherd’s Table
Shirat Hanefesh
Silver Spring Nursery School
Spring Knolls Cooperative Early Learning Center
Takoma Attachment Parenting
Takoma Foundation
Takoma Park Community Band
Takoma Park Cooperative Nursery School
Takoma Park Emergency Preparedness Committee
Takoma Park Friends Meeting
Takoma Park Police Department
Takoma Park Presbyterian Church
Takoma Park Recreation Department
Takoma Park Republicans
Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department
Takoma Voice
Ubuntu DC Local Community
Washington Adventist Hospital

Organizations with informational tables at other locations: Focus Music (Grove Stage)
Long & Foster Realty (at Dance Stage)
Strathmore (at 7th Heaven Stage)
Whole Foods (at Picnic Area)

Volunteer help is what makes the Festival possible.  It is a great way to enjoy the Festival, interact with your neighbors, and make a lot of people happy!

Volunteer shifts on the day of the Festival are generally for 2 hours, between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.  Pre-Festival help is also needed.  Volunteer roles include publicity, programming, sound, food, logistics, construction, parking, hospitality, recycling, fund-raising, and more!

A number of jobs are kid-friendly (for kids ages 5 to 17, with an adult), especially grounds-keeping and door monitors.  (For liability reasons, TPFF cannot have unsupervised minors volunteering for the Festival.  The “adult” does not have to be a parent; he or she can even be a teenager, 18 or older!)

The Takoma Park Folk Festival is approved for Student Service Learning.  Students MUST BRING THEIR SSL FORM WITH THEM to the Volunteer Sign-In Table.

To volunteer at the Festival, submit the following application to let us know your preferences.  The Volunteer Committee will be in touch with you shortly.  For questions, e-mail Volunteer@TPFF.org.

See you at the Festival!