Maybe I've had my sunglasses on and missed it, but I can't think of any folk festival I've ever been to that's had a 'fringe' element. Could you please describe this idea more, M of H, and explain how it 'fixes' things?

I don't think we're defeatist, we up here in Ontario. We are tough and gritty, dealing with blackflies and Oak Ridges developers and insidious viruses as we do. I think that what we're doing here is describing a tendency/problem in a certain part of the country. If an issue can be described and discussed, there is hope for change; I think that the bulk of this thread isn't defeatist at all. I think we're comparing notes...seeing if we're on the same page with this issue. It's cheaper than long distance.

~b.w.