Corinne Dedrick dances in front of the main stage at the 2019 Philadelphia Folk Festival, North America's oldest music festival. Photo by Media News Group.
Singer John Oates, a North Wales Borough native, to headline list of performers.
The legendary Philadelphia Folk Festival is set to return to the Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township on Aug. 16.
Organized by the Philadelphia Folksong Society, this year’s festival will feature performances by dozens of folk acts across six separate stages throughout the weekend, with thousands of campers and day pass holders expected to attend.
Kids sang and danced along with music by Ms. Rachel during Friday’s the Philadelphia Folk Festival.John Oates will make a return to his Lansdale area roots as the festival headliner on the main stage Saturday, Aug. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Oates will be accompanied by his band, performing music from his vast catalog, along with tunes from his latest recording project, “Reunion,” according to the folk festival website.
A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Oates was cofounder with Pottstown-area native Daryl Hall of the iconic Hall & Oates, considered the most successful pop duo of all time. After touring for decades as a duo, the pair split and are currently performing as solo acts amid a legal dispute.
Oates has been inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame, and is the recipient of the prestigious BMI Icon Award as well as numerous American Music, MTV awards, and multiple Grammy nominations, according to the Folk Fest website.
This year’s festival will feature performances by a diverse range of folk acts, from singer/songwriters to old time and blue grass to blues.Fundraising brings back festival
First held in 1962, the festival was an annual tradition in Upper Salford until the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation in 2020 and 2021. The event returned in 2022 but was suspended the following year due to financial difficulties. Now, after an “extraordinary” donation and membership drive by the folksong society, the festival is back.
“The current board of directors has done a remarkable job of bringing the organization back from the brink of financial doom,” said festival director Andy Braunfeld. “It is because of them that this festival was kept alive, that it did not fade away into oblivion.”
With planning for this year’s festival beginning belatedly in January, Braunfeld concedes that this year’s event may “lack the smoothness” of previous festivals. Organizers are currently in the process of preparing the grounds for the festival, which Braunfeld described as an arduous task.
“This is not a show that is put on in an existing venue where the infrastructure is there; this is a hay field, which we make into a folk festival venue,” said Braunfeld. “It takes about two months of work to get the farm into position to do that, and by Labor Day, it’s all gone. That’s a very difficult task.”
Meghan Cary with Analog Gypsies performed at the 58th annual Philadelphia Folk Festival in 2019.Township involved in planning
Throughout the planning process, the Philadelphia Folksong Society coordinates closely with Upper Salford Township to ensure public safety. Local first responders will be on-site, as well as an emergency management center, message boards, drones and other equipment donated by Montgomery County Emergency Management, said Upper Salford Township Supervisor Kevin O’Donnell.
“All of that is put in place to ensure public safety and our ability to respond should an emergency happen, including medical emergencies. Weather is a particular concern during the month of August. People inevitably might have splinters or stress or any kind of a wide range of medical concerns,” said O’Donnell.
Rather than charging the Folksong Society to use the venue, the township imposes a $10 community service fee per adult ticket to fund first responders and other township services, said O’Donnell.
“It’s a minimal fee, but it does help pay for any expenses, so there’s no direct expense put on our local taxpayers,” said O’Donnell.
Braunfeld noted that this year’s festival will resemble earlier folk festivals, scaling back the glitz and glamour of more recent events, including the smoke machine.
“We will be lacking some of the really pricey talent that we’ve had on occasion in the past, and much more of the production itself will be done by volunteers, the way it used to be,” said Braunfeld. “The festival may look a little bit more like something you’ve seen 15 years ago, which in most people’s minds, is a good thing.”
Lots going on
Attendees can expect to be dazzled by a variety of folk performances throughout the farm, said Braunfeld, from singer/songwriters to old-time and bluegrass to blues. The festival will also include a culture tent, craft vendors, impromptu jam sessions, children’s activities, a guitar symposium and more.
Dozens of hammocks cradled relaxed guests between stages at the 2019 Philadelphia Folk Festival held in Upper Salford.“There’s so much going on. We actually get complaints from people saying, ‘You’ve got so much going on that we can’t get to it all,’” said Braunfeld. “I don’t think that’s much of a criticism, I tell them, ‘Well come back next year and see the rest.’”
Braunfeld anticipates a crowd of 5,000 to 6,000 people, with a peak of 10,000. He concedes that attendance has declined over the years due to the aging crowd and competition from other venues.
“We have a lot of competition for the audience that we didn’t use to have in the 1960s and the 1970s,” said Braunfeld. “You’ve got a lot of venues now that play our kind of music or similar enough to fight us for tickets.”
Despite the challenges, both Braunfeld and O’Donnell expressed delight at the return of the festival, underscoring its importance to both the local community and the folk music scene.
“It is a unique festival, it’s one of the oldest continually run festivals, and it’s an opportunity for us to share the beauty of the community with people for the weekend,” said O’Donnell.
Guests made themselves comfortable on chairs and blankets at the 2019 Philadelphia Folk Festival.“We have educational and historical roots in this country. The heritage is worth preserving. We’re not the only ones, but we’re a major event in the folk scene in North America,” said Braunfeld.
“I am hopeful that the public will be as happy to see us back as we are to be back,” Braunfeld concluded. “The financial risk that we’re taking is huge, and all of us are working very hard to make it pay off.”
The Philadelphia Folk Festival will kick off on Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. To purchase tickets or to find more information, visit folkfest.org.
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit www.thereporteronline.com.
