Anyone going to the Festival of

Subject: RE: Anyone going to the Festival of
From: Charlie Baum
Date: 06 Jul 99 - 12:25 AM

Next year, the region of America will be the District of Columbia. In 2001, it'll be New York City. Not sure about the countries.

--Charlie Baum

Subject: RE: Anyone going to the Festival of
From: Dani
Date: 05 Jul 99 - 09:35 PM

Thanks, Charlie.

This festival was even more magical than most. It's hard to describe, but there are so MANY stories I could tell !!! The cultures of New Hampshire, South Africa and Romania were represented - each year is different.

Two of my favorite impressions:

Anthony Seeger (with a perky "Tony" namebadge) selling Smithsonian Folkways music - bargain basement favorites, examples of the cultures represented at this year's festival, and all the Guthrie/Seeger/Cotton/Johnson-Reagon you could feast your ears on. He looked like your average Wal-Mart clerk, if more alert. It was good to meet him if only to thank him for bringing so much of this stuff to all of us.

A gorgeous Chinese woman in Indian garb sitting on a Romanian church pew fixing her makeup for her African partner. Whew!

And the music, the dancing, the singing, the food, the spirit, the people, the the the... I could go on for hours. Put this festival on your calendar if you can.

Subject: RE: Anyone going to the Festival of
From: Charlie Baum
Date: 02 Jul 99 - 03:10 PM

The Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife is on The Mall in Washington, D.C. This Mall has no boutiques, only museums and monuments, and runs from the U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. The Festival is on the Mall between 9th and 14th Streets, N.W.

It's been going since June 23rd, and it runs through Sunday July 4th. Every day (except last Monday and Tuesday) from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with evening events until 9:00 p.m.

The website:
http://www.si.edu/folklife/fest99/announce.htm

--Charlie Baum

Subject: RE: Anyone going to the Festival of
From: annamill
Date: 02 Jul 99 - 01:31 PM

What festival? What mall? Where? When? What web site?

annap

Subject: RE: Anyone going to the Festival of
From: Bert
Date: 02 Jul 99 - 01:19 PM

Seen one you've seen a mall

Subject: RE: Anyone going to the Festival of
From: Dani
Date: 02 Jul 99 - 09:32 AM

This festival is a national treasure. I'm amazed more folks don't know about it. They also have a website that's a fabulous jump-off point.

I'll be there Saturday with plenty of water.

Subject: RE: Anyone going to the Festival of
From: Charlie Baum
Date: 02 Jul 99 - 12:38 AM

Last week I saw the Romanian Music program on Wednesday night and the Ralph Rinzler Memorial Concert on Thursday, featuring the Yuri Yanakov Ensemble doing "Bulgarian wedding music" and the Ensemble Tereza, who performed wedding music of the Mountain Jews of the Caucasus. This week I made it on Wednesday evening in time to do some New Hampshire-style Irish celidh dancing (I missed the contradancing--balme it on rush hour traffic or trouble finding a parking spot) and the South African Stellenbosch Libertas Chorus.

I'd like to get down to the Mall on Saturday and/or Sunday, but the weather forecast calls for it to be beastly hot and humid, so we'll see.

--Charlie Baum

Subject: RE: Anyone going to the Festival of
From: Bill D
Date: 01 Jul 99 - 09:19 PM

well, maybe...I used to do it every year...but so durn much eating at my time....and here it is the last week..

Subject: Festival of American Folklife, anyone?
From: Dani
Date: 01 Jul 99 - 08:28 PM

Making a pilgrimage to the Mall. Anyone else?