Attention food connoisseurs! The San Francisco Folk Festival Committee is seeking a catering coordinator for this year's event. Responsibilities include contacting and coordinating with caterers as well as seeking out additional food vendors. For more information, please contact Donna Hyatt at (415) 321-0835.
The San Francisco Free Folk Festival will take place June 24th-25th, 2006--two full days of free dances, workshops, concerts, open mic, music, a crafts and music marketplace, and food on site. Join us for continual fun with all styles of music and FREE admission. The festival surrounds you with smiles, new friendships, music, dance and a wonderful community!
The festival is held at Roosevelt Middle School (Arguello at Geary). Onsite parking is limited, but street parking is available within walking distance. The festival is easy to reach by public transportation, using the MUNI lines 1, 2, 4, 33 or 38. The site is wheelchair accessible.
More than fifty workshops run the gamut of beginning to advanced and are led by experienced teachers from our local community and beyond. Instruments covered include fiddle, guitar, harp and more. Vocal workshops include song circles and harmony singing.
More than thirty dance workshops cover basics such as waltz, hambo, contra and International dance. There may also be swing, Irish, Scottish, English and more--many with live bands.
Concerts include locally, nationally and world renowned artists. There are also open mic sessions where anyone may sign up.
Family activities include a concert, crafts, storytelling and children's workshops. If you have ideas for these family shows, crafts, or other family-oriented activities, please contact the festival director,
In late March, check out the festival web page: www.sffolkfest.org. We update it continually as performers and workshop leaders confirm. Currently you can view last year's web page for pictures and memories.
We need workshop leaders in instrumental music, singing, and dance. Contact or
There’s always a need for leaders of children’s or family-oriented activities, such as sing-alongs, dance/movement workshops or hands-on craft activities. Be creative and ask your kids and teens to participate. Contact or
We have located a new place for Memorial Day Campout this year—a site among the redwoods in Santa Cruz County on the way to Big Basin State Park—about two hours from the Bay Area. We can have the usual campfire sings and jams—without the usual 10:00 p.m. curfew imposed by state parks.
Registration: Everyone is encouraged to make reservations ahead of time in order to get directions and to give us an estimate of the number of vehicles and people attending. We are camping on land owned by SFFMC member Mark Levy, and parking space is somewhat limited—about 20 vehicles. Car pools are advisable. The registration blank is below. It is not necessary to be a folk club member to attend.
Facilities: There are spaces throughout the 7½ acres of woods for parking and tents, including two spaces where RVs can connect to electricity, plus a shelter 30 feet in diameter with a roof and walls, which we can use in case of inclement weather. Portable toilets will be provided. Water is available. Bring your own tables and chairs. Garbage can be recycled, burned, used for compost or carried out. We may organize a work party to help get the site ready about a week or so before the campout. Keep an eye on the next folknik for more news.
Maps: People who pre-register will receive a
confirmation sheet with a map and directions to
the site. Deadline for registration by mail is Friday,
May 19. Click here for a registration
form.
September 14-17 will be this year’s Berkeley Old
Time Music Convention, featuring the New Lost City
Ramblers (Mike Seeger, John Cohen, Tracy Schwarz),
Ginny Hawker, Hank Bradley & Jody Stecher, plus
other acts too numerous to mention!) We’ll have
concerts, the Farmers Market String Band Contest, a
Saturday night square dance, workshops, open mic
Cabaret, etc.
Visit
www.berkeleyoldtimemusic.org
for complete info.
Chantey singer from Maine, Alison Lee Freeman,
will be singing at The Cannery, 2801 Leavenworth
St., San Francisco, on March 14th, 15th and 16th.
Concert times are 11:00-11:45 a.m. Tuesday, March
14th; 11:00-11:45 a.m. Wednesday, March 15th; and
11:45-12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 16th.
For more information about Alison and her music
visit her web site at www.alisonleefreeman.com.
A cappella singing group In Harmony's Way is
starting a monthly singing session for anyone and
everyone who loves a rousing chorus. We
meet the first Wednesday of every
month, 8:00-11:00 p.m. at the Epic
Arts Center, 1923 Ashby Ave (at
MLK), Berkeley. The next meeting
is March 1.
If you love singing in pub or
sea shanty sessions, or at Shape
Note conventions, or with the evening
singing that happens at Camp
Harmony after the concert, then this
session is for you! Our inaugural session took place
in February and was a resounding success! Thanks
to all (sixty odd or thereabouts) who attended.
This is an absolutely FREE event--with tip jar in
the corner to help support the Epic Arts Center,
our fine hosts. The Epic Arts Center is a wonderful
venue that presents music concerts of all kinds,
theater, art and more. They have a living-room like
space and sell beer, wine and goodies. The center
is accessible by public transportation--directly
across Ashby Ave. from Ashby BART. More information
on the Epic Arts Center at
www.epicarts.org. More info on In Harmony's Way
at www.inharmonysway.com.
Dance around the Christmas Tree?
My friend Ulla Skolk tells me that in Sweden,
January 13 is throwing-out-the-Christmas-tree day.
There are parties where the kids dance around the
tree one last time and are given sweets. The tradition
in her town of Vara is that the party will be
in the town square. A fellow from the fire brigade
will come driving their oldest truck and bringing
the sweets.
Can we get something like that started over here?
—Faith
Save the date: Old Time Convention
Cannery Concerts
New Monthly Singing Session