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Folk forever
By JORGE SANCHEZ, Times Staff Writer © St. Petersburg Times, published May 26, 2000 WHITE SPRINGS -- This weekend, music, dance and cultural exhibits will flow from just about every inch of land at the 850-acre Stephen Foster State Folk Culture Center during the Florida Folk Festival. White Springs, as the festival is commonly called, is regarded as the mecca for Florida folk or "roots" performers. To entertain on its fabled Marble Stage can be the highlight of a folk singer's career. Presented on a big bend of the Suwanee River, the event is the nation's oldest continuous folk festival. The spirits of Diamond Teeth Mary, Will McLean and Gamble Rogers, all legendary folk and roots artists, endow the Marble Stage with mystique. A film tribute to Diamond Teeth Mary, who died this year, is the finale to tonight's blues and jazz tribute. The 20-minute video was produced at the University of South Florida, said Ken Crawford, festival organizer. "At the end, she'll sing Mary's Walkin' Blues and Amazing Grace, and the blues musicians from St. Petersburg and Tampa, her family, will come onstage and jam with her," Crawford said. This year's festival brings well-known regional acts to top off the massive offering of Florida talent. Headliners include Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band founders John McEuen and Jimmy Ibbotson, country singer Billy Dean and master fiddler Vassar Clements. "The integrity of festival is what is able to attract these performers like Billy Dean, a native of Quincy, and Vassar Clements, who play for expenses and don't charge their usual fees," Crawford said. "And they care about culture. They'll be doing unplugged-type acoustic sets, not the typical contemporary stuff they usually play at their concerts."
Florida performers include acoustic blues artist Roy Bookbinder, guitarist Sam Pacetti and singer Jeanie Fitchen. This will be Fitchen's 34 consecutive appearance at the Florida Folk Festival. She recalls its early days, when the performers rode to the site on a Greyhound bus and were greeted by its organizer, Cousin Thelma Bolton, at a convenience store that was the bus's only stopping point. "The women had to wear Scarlett O'Hara-type dresses and the men were forbidden to have beards," she said of the early years at White Springs. "So much has changed now. There are too many performers and too many venues," she said. "I wish it would go back to the simpler format." But changing times call for new methods, and the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, which produces the festival, decided to bring in national acts. The move has been successful, as crowds of 30,000 have packed the festival grounds. "The mission of the festival is about understanding, and secondly, showcasing Florida's folk talents," Crawford said. "Folk is more than just an acoustic guitar player singing Peter, Paul and Mary songs. It's music that is at the root of our cultures," he said. Performances by Latin, Caribbean, African, and South American bands will be featured, as will Irish and Swing music. With so many stages and performers, it's easy to be overwhelmed. Some planning by visiting the Web site at http://www.flheritage.com/folkfest will allow festival-goers to select bands and cultural exhibits of interest. "I call it stage-grazing," Crawford said. "It's visiting one stage, and on the way to the next, stopping by to get some Jamaican food or see a display of swamp culture." After 6 p.m. each day, the performances are confined to two main stages. A common practice is to catch a set at one, then head over to the dance tent for a two-hour set by reggae, swing or Irish bands. Other special events include a a Drum Circle from 10 to midnight Saturday and a Gospel performance Sunday morning at the main stage. Cultural exhibits will include "Florida's Swamp Ways and Wetlands" with demonstrations about airboats, frog gigging, everglades skiffs, beekeeping, quilting, swamp buggies, palmetto brooms and gator hunting stories. At a glance
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On Saturday, McEuen, Ibbotson and Clements will reunite on the main stage to perform many of the songs from their legendary Will The Circle Be Unbroken albums.
