Kent’s Folk Festival Makes it 37

To many the Kent State Folk Festival is like a reunion. Hundreds return to Kent, Ohio yearly to take in a concert, ask questions at a workshop, learn to clog dance, or visit in the halls. At an event like this suddenly you find yourself surrounded by others with your interests and even if they’re not your friends, they very well might be at the end of the day. The same spirit is the motivating force behind folk festivals large and small throughout this country – and around the world. If you can make it to Kent, you can sit in on a workshop on “Song Delivery” led by Saturday night headliner Maura O’Connell and learn how jazz, classical, and original music can expand the horizon of the hammered dulcimer from the unsurpassed Tina Bergman. Or, if you’re willing to take a chance, John Reynolds and Tim Wallace are reviving some turn of the century “passed over” selections in “Bawdy Songs.” If that’s not enough, a dozen clubs and coffeehouses around town will feature folk performances on Friday night. And check out festivals in your area. You might just learn something…and make some new “best friends.”