Champlain Valley 2007

Subject: Champlain Valley 2007
From: john f weldon
Date: 29 Jul 07 - 02:09 PM

This is a great Festival, only a few days away. You can swim and still hear the music. Lots of choices (frustratingly many at times).
http://www.cvfest.org/
About 2+ hrs from Montreal.

A personal favourite group: Lou & Peter Berryman. Funny, funny songs! You hear a lot of pain and loneliness at Folk Fests, how often do you really get to laugh?

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: kendall
Date: 29 Jul 07 - 04:38 PM

It's a beautiful spot. The only drawback to me is the fact that you can not camp overnight. There is a private field about a mile away which can be muddy.

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: MaineDog
Date: 29 Jul 07 - 05:09 PM

I remember about 20 years ago someone rented a houseboat from Burlington and anchored just offshore from the festival. Dancing and swimming were indeed close to each other!
MD

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: Susan of DT
Date: 01 Aug 07 - 09:57 AM

Anyone want us to bring mudcat tee shirts?

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: GUEST,Pamela from Ithaca
Date: 01 Aug 07 - 10:51 AM

Finally, I'm going to make it to this one!
I've been waiting about 20 years for the time to be right.
Looking forward to Matapat, Jeff Warner, and Peggy Seeger.

I'll be hanging around the Folk Legacy table at least
some of the time. Say "hi" to the redhead.

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: Midchuck
Date: 01 Aug 07 - 11:06 AM

An excellent festival, and within day trip distance from me; but I haven't been in years, because I always seem to go to Montana about then. And this year is no exception.

If you get to see the Berrymans, make sure you write down the lyrics when they sing. (Joke - you have to have heard their songs to understand it.)

Peter.

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: john f weldon
Date: 01 Aug 07 - 11:36 AM

Peter -

I agree you have to hear the Berrymans, (and their introductions) to achieve full comprehension; but they do sell songbooks, and it's also fun to read, with amazement, the complex wordplay.

Another favourite: John Roberts and Tony Barrand.

The best part about this festival is that I always hear someone I've never heard before, who quickly joins my list of favourites. Every year!

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: Midchuck
Date: 01 Aug 07 - 01:07 PM

I agree you have to hear the Berrymans, (and their introductions) to achieve full comprehension; but they do sell songbooks, and it's also fun to read, with amazement, the complex wordplay.

Oh, I know they sell songbooks, we have bought one or two. I just thought the idea of someone trying to write down lyrics as they sang was very funny. If anyone still did shorthand, it could be the Master exam at a secretarial school.

P.

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: john f weldon
Date: 01 Aug 07 - 01:37 PM

...right, especially "History of Language", where they take English all the way back to the stone age... ...a cruel assignment indeed!

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: GUEST,Meadowmuskrat
Date: 01 Aug 07 - 02:31 PM

.... not to mention their song about the animals that didn't make it to Noah's ark.

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: GUEST,psg
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 05:05 PM

so, who else will be there this weekend?

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 06 Aug 07 - 06:45 PM

A crying shame that this festival gets so little attention (and attendance). It's got to be one of my favorites. The music was fine, with a nice mix of trad (Peggy Seeger, Jeff Warner, George Ward, The Mayflies, Roberts and Barrand), Contemporary (again Peggy Seeger, along with Lou and Peter Berryman), Regional representatives (featuring Matapat and Serre L'Ecoute, the MacArthur Family), good food at reasonable prices, and an ambience that's up there with Mystic as being a feast for the eyes and spirit (all this and swimming, too.)
   To quote Sandy Paton, some years back, "If I were a folk festival, this is where I'd want to live. "

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 12:18 PM

Any hotel/motel recommendations - or ones to avoid? I'm thinking of coming up, although it might be too late to book a room.

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: GUEST,BB
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 12:45 PM

Oh, darn, Ron! Ya missed it!! It was the 3rd to 5th of August. The weather was lovely, the lake refreshing, the food good and reasonably priced, just as Dick says above. And the music was very good - an interesting mix of very trad and trad-inspired. As for motels for next year (should you be interested), I don't know of any, since I have friends living nearby with whom I can lodge.
Maybe by next year, you'll be able to find something appropriate and come on up!
~Barbara

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 01:26 PM

Oops!!   Well, I'll just wait until next year!   I've been saying that for too many years now.   This festival usually falls on the same weekend as a family vacation that we plan with my in-laws. Perhaps next year I will try to coordinate better.   I've heard so many glowing reports of this festival.

If anyone can recommend a decent hotel for NEXT year, please let me know!   :)

Ron Olesko

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: john f weldon
Date: 07 Aug 07 - 11:46 PM

I've almost always camped out at Button Bay for this fest.

It was a great year; there were several excellent song-swap formats going on involving John Roberts & Tony Barrand, the Berrymans, Peggy Seeger, Jeff Warner etc.

A surprise for me (I'm not sure why it was a surprise) were the Whippersnappers. I've seen them all before, but not recently, and they were high-energy and versatile; and seem to improve with age. George Wilson; amazing!

The Powder Kegs were the young up-and-comers in the old-time folky department, with lots of original songs; fast and furious; a lot of harmonica-fiddle leads.

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 08 Aug 07 - 09:34 PM

Ron-
There's a bunch of motels some 15 or so miles North of the Festival on route 7.