There is so much dsiscussion in the earlier postings in this thread about the way guests were invited to the Indian Neck Festival that I've been trying to recall how we put it together for the first festivals. To my surprise, I have absolutely no memory of that process, even of discussions about it This is probably because although I was on the Board of Directors I didn't have a great deal to do with that part of the planning.

The partial list of people who went in those early years that Allan S. provided from the New Havn Register is really interesting. I do also remember Carolyn Hester coming there one of the early years. Things were loose enough at that time that I think she came with her big dog (but the dog might have been with Judy Collins).

I do remember clearly that there were a lot of people there who were obviously amateurs, people who loved the music but who were not primarily performers. There were also leaders in the New York folk music community such as Izzy Young who weren't there.

Allan S's newspaper mentioned Alan Bloch being there. I don't remember that but in the years I was working with Julian Beck and Judith Malina at The Living Theatre Alan his leathercrafters provided some real atmosphere on the streets of Greenwich Village. Alan Bloch is (was?) a sandalmaker. His sandals were highly prized and although somewhat expensive, people were willing to wait the six or more months it took to have a pair custom made.

The reasons for the long wait were dual. Alan did have a long list of people waiting but he was never in a real hurry. Apparently, he wanted to just keep enough money coming in to support his way of life. He and his other leather artisans used to move out onto the sidewalk on summer days and spend and hour or two playing old-time music led by Alan on his banjo. Then when Alan, his staff and the neighborhood felt refreshed, they'd go back to work. At some point, I think in the 60s, Alan took his orders, instruments and leathecrafters to Vermont and set up shop there. Allan Bloch's mentioning of Odetta borowing his guitar at an Indian Neck concert because she was having a tuning problem reminded me of a long forgotten evening. I went down to the VIllage Gate in New York to record some performances for later broadcast from WYBC, the Yale FM station. I think Theodore Bikel was the featured act. Our Village Gate trip had two purposes. In addition to the broadcast, we were auditioning Theo Bikel's protege, Odetta Felious for performing at an Indian Neck Concerts that we ran to raise money to pay for the expenses of the people, food drink and lodging during the Indian Neck Festival weekend. What reminded me of that trip to the Village Gate was how suprised I was when I was told that even with Odetta's powerful voice and vocal musicianship as well as her poweful guitar playing, she needed her bassist, a fellow named Crow, to tune her up for performance.

Those Indian Neck Festivals on the Connecticut Shores are my favorite memories of people getting together for the sheer love of sharing the music. It has been really enjoyable, dredging up memories form that period. Are there any more out there?

Sourdough