As you know, the Folklife Festival just finished, and it was quite a ride this year. The Board of Directors will be conducting a serious re-evaluation of the festival in the next few weeks. If you have any comments or suggestions about what Folklife is doing well and how the festival could improve, it's extremely important to let them know right away. Everything is under review: programming, crafts and food vendors, sound, buskers, noise, crowds, hospitality, jamming, the special focus programs, and all the other parts of the festival including the intangibles like the spirit of the event and the way the festival does or does not fulfill its overall mission. If you have stopped attending or performing at the Folklife Festival, please let them know why.

It's extremely important to tell the Exectutive Director and the Board about your concerns before their evaluation meetings later this month. As part of your message, please tell them how long you have been coming to the Festival and what you have done -- attended, performed, been a volunteer or community coordinator, contributor and so forth. We want to make sure that the staff and board know that they're hearing from the festival's "core constituency."

Please pass this message on to your friends and ask them to send Folklife feedback, too.

I will be happy to share some of my own concerns with you (please let me know by e-mail to johnross@well.com), but it's more important that the people making decisions receive your own thoughts in your own words.

And just to be absolutely clear: I'm not a member of the Board. This is NOT an official request from Northwest Folklife; I'm a long-time participant who wants to make sure the Folklife Festival survives for many more years.

Please send your comments to: (and send me a blind copy if you like.)

        Folklife Executive Director:
        Robert Townsend (rob@tango.nwfolklife.org)

        Folklife Board President
        Margo Reich (margo@margoreich.com)

Thanks very much for your help.