Viper - Posted - 09/28/2018:  12:11:05

Hello Fiddle Hangout crowd, I'm putting together a history on the Kent State Folk Festival (1968-2013). I've been in touch with a number of locals and former organizers, but I was wondering if there was anyone from the wider old-time/traditional/folk/bluegrass world here who had any stories to share.



I grew up in Kent, Ohio, and attended a few times in my youth and then started going again in its final years after I picked up the banjo to attend the free workshops with Mark Olitsky. I met some great people there, but it wasn't until a few years later that I realized the incredible cast of former performers who once played the festival.



Here's quick list:

• Tommy Jarrell


• Melvin Wine


• Mike Seeger


• Highwoods String Band


• Dan Gellert


• Red Mule String Band


• Doc Watson


• Rev. Gary Davis


• Hotmud Family 


• Lisa Ornstein 

You get the picture ... some major names in our world. Did you go? What made it a good festival? Other memories? Thanks! I'll hang up and listen. 

Viper - Posted - 10/02/2018:  06:05:33

Just wanted to bump this up for anyone who may have missed it. FYI, this would be for my blog glorybeamingbanjo.blogspot.com/

groundhogpeggy - Posted - 10/02/2018:  13:29:38

Sounds like some greats there...you guys got the best.

DougD - Posted - 10/04/2018:  03:23:17

As you noted, we played the festival back in the 1970's. It was a great festival, held in a hip town with maybe a little grittier "edge" than some similar places.
One thing I remember was eighty year old Nimrod Workman doing his "crab walk" across the stage. That guy was a force of nature.
Another, unfortunate incident happened when our band was coming down the stairs from the dressing room to peform. A member of another band, in an exaggerated show of making way for our bass player, backed into a fire alarm box, setting off the alarm. Poor Howard, a solo singer/guitarist was onstage, and the show eventually had to be stopped till the fire department could get there and turn off the alarm.
I think what made it a good festival was the organizers and local people who were involved. I was stting in the hall watching a show and at intermission turned around to see a big blonde girl with a half pint of Jack Daniels tucked into her belt. I thought "i'll bet this would be an interesting person to get to know," and that proved to be the case. The walls and ceiling of her kitchen were decorated with strands of spaghetti that had been thrown there to see if they were done - souvenirs of memorable meals. This was also where we first met Kerry Blech, another longtime friend. I'm attaching a photo of us in later life.

Old Timers

 

groundhogpeggy - Posted - 10/04/2018:  04:36:34

Great stories, Doug. I'm guessing you are the middle guy in the photo?

DougD - Posted - 10/04/2018:  04:51:32

No, John Harrod is in the middle. I'm the young one on the left. If you click the thumbnail it should enlarge, and I think there's a caption. That was a fun festival - makes me want to get out my old LP. Do you have that one, Brad?

Edited by - DougD on 10/04/2018 04:58:59

ChickenMan - Posted - 10/04/2018:  05:50:51

quote:

---

Originally posted by groundhogpeggy

Great stories, Doug. I'm guessing you are the middle guy in the photo?

---

He's the one with the awesome mustache! Same one he's wearing in so many of those black and white photos I've seen. 

groundhogpeggy - Posted - 10/04/2018:  07:28:22

Oh, you got the beer then...lol. Nice photo of y'all.

Viper - Posted - 10/04/2018:  10:16:17

Doug,
Thank you for the great story and photo. No, I don't have that LP, but it's on my want list.

Kerry has been indispensable to me in my quest to learn more about the old-time scene in Northeast Ohio. We've been emailing pretty frequently throughout the year. He's put me in touch with a lot of good people for this particular research project.

DblStop - Posted - 10/24/2018:  14:21:41

I went there after I decided I wanted to play clawhammer in my late fifties to search out Mark Olitsky. I found him, and he graciously found an empty classroom. I played for him, and we played a few tunes together, and then he took me on as a student. Forever grateful to this venue for that and for all the other talented people I met through that festival who still fuel my Oldtime desires.