Spokane Folklore Society

Letter From The President

Dear Folklore Society Members,
July and August are normally rather uneventful months for the Folklore Society, as it's too warm to dance at the Woman's Club and many people go on summer vacations, weekends, or other adventures. But this year we'll be trying an experiment: a dance at the air-conditioned East Spokane Grange on July 12. It should be lots of fun, since Ray Polhemus will be calling some extra-special contras as practice for his appearance at a dance camp in the fall, along with Out of the Wood. If there is a good attendance, we'll consider having more summertime dances. There is also a lot of behind-the-scenes activity during these months. The Fall Folk Festival committee is meeting regularly to accomplish the enormous preparation needed for that event. The Lady of the Lake committee will evaluate the completed June Week and finalize planning for Family Week. And the Society's board will be recruiting and training new board members, laying the foundations for next year's activities, and planning for the annual Labor Day Arts Preview.
Have a good summer, and get ready for some exciting events in the fall!
Sincerely,
Margie Heller
SFS President

Friends of the Festival 2008
Thanks to our very first "Friends of the Festival 2008" Fall Folk
Festival Donors. The following are the very first to send in their donations to
the 2008 Fall Folk Festival. We really appreciate it. We already have bills to
pay.
$200 - Scott and Robin Redman
$100 - Rick Singer Photography, Alicia Tschirhart
$60 - Mary C. Rudd
$50 - Don and Sue Bracken, Sylvia Gobel, Nora and Dennis Scott
$40 - Patrick and Vicki Marron
$25 - Lisa Brooks, Tyler Boys Ranch
$650 Torn Retina productions - Thanks to Ann Glynn and friends for donating
the profits from selling jewelry and fused glass made from recycled materials
during last years festival. Torn Retina Productions is a non-profit organization
whose mission is to provide support to community-based agencies
through art.

Fall Folk Festival Fundraising Team Needed
We need volunteers to join our Fundraising team to contact local businesses and
organizations to get donations. We need financial contributions as well as in-kind
donations. We need assistance in sending out fund raising brochures, following up
with phone calls and visits if requested.
If you have friends or know of businesses who might be interested in supporting
the festival, please let us know so that we can contact them. Donations from $25 to
thousand are appreciated and much needed. We lost money for the first time last
year due to rental increases . This year we also have increased rental fees as well as
increased fees for building supervisors and security. Donation forms are on our
website www.spokanefolklore.org or call 747-2640. Thank you for your support
\
WE NEED YOU AS A VOLUNTEER!
The Spokane Folklore Society's 13th annual Fall Folk Festival is Sat. and
Sun. Nov. 8th and 9th. Please consider donating at least 2 hours of your time
to help keep this Festival free, well-organized and oh, so much fun!
Here's what we need:
• Children's Crafts (just organizing materials and helping kids out (we
have crafters teaching the crafts so you get to learn along with the kids!)
• Bake Sale - help out distributing lots a goodies to our hungry hordes
• Greeters to hand out programs and smile nice and tell folks where their favorite
performer is performing.
• Stage Managers - this is a fun job for someone who likes speaking in front of an
audience to announce our wonderful performers and plug our sponsors and.... Saturday
is full up but we need folks on Sunday.
• Recycling Folks - help sort all those cans and bottles.
Please call Mary at 328-3829 or email her at peacenik49@msn.com to volunteer your
time.

An exciting contra dance on July 12th!
Miss contra dancing once we stop Wednesday dances for the summer? Never fear,
there's a great dancing opportunity on the second Saturday evening in July! Come dance in
air-conditioned comfort at the East Spokane Grange Hall from 8 to 11 PM on July 12th.
Perennial favorites on the Spokane scene, caller Ray Polhemus along with band Out of the
Wood, are booked at a dance weekend in Austin, TX called the Fire Ant Frolic later this
year. They've offered to “practice” with us on July 12th. As those of you who have attended
dance camps know, the dances called at camp are definitely on the interesting-andcomplex
end of the contra dance spectrum – so this Saturday dance will be a real treat for
experienced dancers...
Anybody remember “contramania” dances? Come relive the fun!
The East Spokane Grange Hall is just barely northeast of the corner of Park and
Mission. From the freeway, take the Broadway exit, heading west. Take a right on Park
(there's a streetlight), which will take you over the freeway to Mission (where there is another
streetlight). Continue through that light and pull into the first parking lot on the left
after it. See you there!

PhilHarmonica in concert at the Dahmen Barn
July 19
Phil Malberg of Pullman has become known as PhilHarmonica
because of his proficiency on this instrument. He will be playing a concert
at the Dahmen Barn on Saturday, July 19 at 7:30 pm. The cost is $5
at the door. Phil has been playing the harmonica since he was five years
old, taught by his mother who was a piano teacher. Some of their fondest
memories are playing songs around the camp fire. Phil also plays the
classical guitar and picked up playing the pan flute while living in Central
America for three years.
Phil has been composing music and lyrics since 1972. He plays
bluegrass, and Celtic music for contra dances and worked with a group
that played different styles of music from around the world. Phil’s
unique compositions are fusions of Gypsy style, Bluegrass , Celtic, Irish,
Blues, Rock, Country, Swing, Boogie Cajun, Spanish,
Mountain, Funk, and Cowboy Poetry.
Artisans at the Dahmen Barn is located in
Uniontown on highway 195 in the big white barn
behind the famous iron wheel fence. The art center is
open Thursday through Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm,
and the facility’s three levels are now fully handicap
accessible. For more information go to
www.ArtisanBarn.org or call 509-229-3414.

House Concert with Stephanie Labbe July 7, 7pm
In conjunction with the Otis Orchards Fiddle camp, there will be a
house concert with Stephanie Labbe on July 7th at 7pm. Tickets are $10, $15
the day of the concert. The concert is free for those individuals enrolled in the
Otis Orchards Fiddle Camp July 7-10. Call (509)496-4250 or 226-5283 for
more information.
Stephanie began playing violin at the age of 3. A dynamic performer,
she has performed extensively throughout Canada, Europe and Asia,
featured with artists, Edith Butler, Claire Pelletier, Renee Martel, Patrick
Norman, and many more, Stephanie is known as a versatile and exciting violinist
who is capable of captivating audiences in styles from classical to country
and back again. Stephanie has a great love for the traditional music of her
heritage. She has been featured across Canada in camps and workshops as a
teacher and representative of the best of French Canadian Fiddling. Stephanie
currently teaches at the University of Drummondville outside of Montreal and
it is an honor and privilege to have her in the Spokane area. For examples of
her artistry check out www.stephanielabbe.com

Butte, Montana hosts the National Folk Festival 2008 July 11-13.
It is a free event. Check out the website for info on performing applications, (Deadline March 31 for this year), see who has been accepted already etc. The festival will be in Butte for 3 years. http://nationalfolkfestival.com/ The National Folk Festival features performances and demonstrations by over 250 of the nation’s finest musicians, dancers and craftspeople.
It will feature 25 Artists/groups on seven stages including a dance pavilion dedicated to non-stop participatory dancing, a family stage with performances appealing to both the young and the young-at-heart, and a Montana folklife stage. In addition to the performance stages, there
are several themed festival areas: the Montana Folklife Area, the Family Area, two Festival Markeplaces and the Festival Food Courts.
The National Folk Festival is a large, FREE outdoor event. The Butte, Montana festival site will be located adjacent to, and partially within, the fascinating Uptown Butte Historic District. A mix of open air and tented sites will provide a variety of performance venues ranging from intimate stages to amphitheater size. The Amphitheater Stage, which offers a panoramic view of Butte and the surrounding mountains, is being developed on the site of the historic Original Mineyard, with its dramatic deep shaft mine head frame that is a remnant of Butte’s days as an underground copper mining center.
One of the country’s largest and most prestigious celebrations of the arts, the National Folk Festival, is coming to Butte for a three year tenure beginning in July 2008. First presented in 1934, it is the oldest multicultural festival in the nation. The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA), the organization that has produced the National Folk Festival since its creation, recognized Butte’s and Montana’s
unique natural resources, cultural assets, and strong community spirit.
A large-scale three-day outdoor event presented free to the public, the National Folk Festival celebrates the roots, richness, and variety of American culture. It features a broad array of music and dance performances, participatory dancing, workshops, children’s activities, regional and ethnic foods, storytelling, parades, craft exhibits and demonstrations, and more. A “movable feast of the deeply traditional folk arts,” the National brings a jubilant and dizzying array of offerings that appeal to audiences of all ages.
Historic Uptown Butte will be the site of the 70th, 71st and 72nd National Folk Festivals in 2008, 2009 and 2010. This is the first time the National Folk Festival has been held west of the Mississippi River in over 40 years*, and its first time ever in Montana. Music, Dance, and Tradition From Across America
Music and dance traditions from every part of the nation are represented, performed by the country’s very finest traditional artists.
Audiences are treated to authentic blues, gospel, jazz, polka, cowboy, bluegrass, klezmer, old-time, Cajun, rhythm and blues, mariachi, western swing, zydeco and more. Continuous performances on seven stages celebrate Native American, Celtic, Acadian, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, East Asian, Appalachian, Hispanic, Eastern European, African and Pacific Island cultures.
A Celebration of America’s Cultural Roots
Folk arts are those deeply held grassroots cultural expressions -- music, dance, crafts, stories and foodways -- passed down through time by families, communities, tribal, ethnic and occupational groups. The festival’s programming embraces the heritage and traditions of all Americans – from those whose families have been here for centuries to those of our country’s most recent immigrants. Legendary masters as well as the next generation of dynamic young artists celebrate the musical soul and cultural roots of America.

Volunteers Needed For Labor Day Event
Once again, the Folklore Society will host the Labor Day Arts Preview, at which
art and cultural organizations display their offerings for the coming season. This event
happens in conjunction with the Spokane Symphony's annual concert in Comstock Park on
Labor Day. We will need many volunteers that day, to set up tables, help other organizations
set up their displays, staff the SFS table, and help with tear-down. Also, SFS members
usually sit together to enjoy the Symphony concert and share in a picnic. It's a fun
event, and a meaningful service to the community. Your help will be appreciated!

Want the SFS to help sponsor your event?

The Folklore Society board has come up with a form (in acrobat pdf.format) to help you figure out what you'll need.
It will always be available at the SFS main index page.

Have You Got Mail? Your options for staying in the know and not missing any events! Are You on the SFS E-List? The SFS E-List is used to send e-mail reminder announcements about SFS events and other folk and international events in the community. The SFS EList has recently been updated to reflect the current membership. If you are currently a SFS member but are not receiving the E-List announcements, please send your email to dancer@moxxee.com. If you are not a member, this is a good reason to join. Or if you wish to be removed from the list please send an email to the same address.

Spokane Coeur d’Alene Dance Email List This email list is a valuable tool for finding out what the dance community in the Spokane -Coeur d’Alene area is doing. Dance groups, bands, instructors and individuals publish information about classes, events and where people are going to dance. No group membership is required. To subscribe, send an email to: dancelist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com You will get a return email with a URL. Go to that web site. Choose either option (join the dancelist or become a member of yahoo groups and join the dancelist), they both work. Carpool to Moscow? Anyone want to carpool to Moscow for the Palouse Folklore Society contra dances? Contact Linnea at linneagarlock@hotmail.com or 533-0225.

Free Want ad page. Looking for a way to start a band, join a band, or just play with some like-minded musicians? Got an instrument you want to buy, sell, or trade? Try posting a free ad at the SFS free want ad page. (Now listed near the bottom of every SFS web page on the SFS menu, or click here)

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