Champlain Valley FF - congratulations

Subject: Champlain Valley FF - congratulations
From: Tedham Porterhouse
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 03:11 PM

The Champlain Valley FF was a wonderful experience. I sent the following message to the organizers:

To all the folks at the Champlain Valley Folk Festival,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for a great folk festival last week. Since the sixties, I have attended dozens and dozens of folk festivals and am prepared to say that the 2001 Champlain Valley Folk Festival ranks high on my list of all time great festivals.

I thought that the big concerts on both Friday and Saturday evenings were excellent. All of the performers both nights were excellent and the order of presentation was flawless.

I was also very impressed with the daytime concerts and workshops. With so many stages running simultaneously it was impossible to take it all in, but I would like to commend you for seeming to allow concert spots for all of the performers as well as interesting and informative workshop sessions. The mixing and matching of workshop participants was very well done.

Among the artists that I particularly enjoyed were Jane Voss and Hoyle Osborne, RIG, Finest Kind, Anne Hills, Tom Paxton, Joel Mabus, Michael Jerome Browne, Steel Rail, Scott Alarik, Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, Scuttlebutt and Liz Carroll.

My favorite workshops were the Tribute to Woody and Pete and Songwriters on Saturday and the Gospel Sing and Fiddlers Convention on Sunday.

There were very few performers that I disliked. However, I did think that Deb Flanders style would be more suited to classical music than to folk music. My only other criticism pertains to the man acting as emcee for the concerts in the Recital Hall. He should not keep talking when he has nothing to say. A few minutes without his droning would have been nice. That was not a problem at any of the other stages I visited during the festival. On Sunday, I took to arriving a few minutes late for concerts in the Recital Hall in order to avoid him.

I would also like to say that the festival finale was wonderful. Looking around the people near me, I saw tears in many eyes, mine included.

I am looking forward to the 2002 festival by the lake. This was only my second year at Champlain Valley, so I have never been to your old festival site.

By the way, I first learned of the Champlain Valley Folk Festival a couple of years ago through the folk music radio programs of Mike Regenstreif on CKUT and Robert Resnik on Vermont Public Radio. I now know that Mike and Robert are also the programmers of the festival and would like to say that its obvious to me that the same quality of programming that they put into their radio programs was reflected in their festival programming. Mike and Robert are a tremendous resource.

Ted

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley FF - congratulations
From: kendall
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 04:50 PM

I arrived on Saturday morning, and the first thing I heard was "Abba Dabba Honeymoon. I almost left! Then, I bumped into old friend Scott Alarik, then, Animaterra, Bob Zentz, the Patons, Tom Paxton, Rick Lee and finally, Bernie and Alice Houlahan from Moncton N.B. It was like Old home week, and I'm glad I stayed.

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley FF - congratulations
From: bigchuck
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 05:33 PM

So where in hell were you on Sunday, Kendall? I was there all day and didn't see you.
Sandy

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley FF - congratulations
From: kendall
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 07:52 PM

I wasn't in hell at all sandy. After the Shaws kept me up all night on Friday at Pemi Valley festival, and, I was on the road at 5:30 am on Saturday, by the time I got to Burlington VT. I was wiped out. I left Saturday evening, went to Montpelier, got kept up late again,left at 6 am, so, by the time I got home on Sunday, there was nothing left of me. Sorry I missed you.

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley FF - congratulations
From: bigchuck
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 09:01 PM

Sorry I missed you too. Somewhere down the road, I suppose.

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley FF - congratulations
From: Susan A-R
Date: 12 Aug 01 - 01:21 PM

RATS!! The Susan A-R Champlain Festival curse was at work again this year. I found out mid week that my brother was coming to Vermont for three days and my only opportunity for a visit was Saturday morning. then I found out that there was a memorial service for a very good friend of mine that afternoon and Sunday was booked with a performance at 4. Maybe if it is back by the lake again, I'll have a chance, but the Redstone site doesn't work.

Sorry to have missed you in Montpelier Kendall, and to have missed everyone else, in general.

Anyone coming to the New World Festival in Randolph on labor day weekend??

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley FF - congratulations
From: Barry Finn
Date: 12 Aug 01 - 04:53 PM

Hi Susan, was there camping at the Redstone site? We went a few years back & found the festival to be a really nice one but we probably won't go back for the lack of on-site camping. By the time the last act is done with & the music is going to sleep most of my family is up & about ready to give the owls a run for it. We did end up at a session that time but we still need that late night stuff around the campfires. Barry

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley FF - congratulations
From: Tedham Porterhouse
Date: 12 Aug 01 - 05:16 PM

This was the last year for the Champlain Valley FF in Burlington. Next year they're moving back to Kingsland Bay State Park and they did say there was on-site camping.

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley FF - congratulations
From: kendall
Date: 12 Aug 01 - 06:34 PM

That is a better site all around, rustic, but nice. (like me)

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley FF - congratulations
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 12 Aug 01 - 06:52 PM

The on-site camping is for staff only. The other campsite is about 7 miles away.
Yes, Susan, I'm planning to go to the New World Festival! See you there!

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley FF - congratulations
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 13 Aug 01 - 08:54 AM

I was relieved to read this thread and hear that Kendall made it to Vermont, after keeping us up all night at Pemi Valley!

Wish I could have been at both festivals. I'd love to hear Jane Voss, who wrote "Still My Thoughts Go Back to You." I've never heard her, but the song is beautiful, as done by Stecher and Brislin.

Kendall, rest up. Thomas Point Beach is coming soon . . .

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley FF - congratulations
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 13 Aug 01 - 08:55 AM

I was relieved to read this thread and hear that Kendall made it to Vermont, after keeping us up all night at Pemi Valley!

Wish I could have been at both festivals. I'd love to hear Jane Voss, who wrote "Still My Thoughts Go Back to You." I've never heard her, but the song is beautiful, as done by Stecher and Brislin.

Kendall, rest up. Thomas Point Beach is coming soon . . .

Subject: RE: Champlain Valley FF - congratulations
From: Art Thieme
Date: 13 Aug 01 - 06:02 PM

Sounds great. So many old friends; it would've been fun.

Art