Folkways Tent

Saturday, September 20

11 AM Irish Dance With Madalyn Higgins

Jump into Irish dance with Madalyn Higgins! Dancers of all skill levels, backgrounds and ages will enjoy this workshop as Higgins cover the basics of Irish step dance and céilí dance. You can wear soft-sole shoes, leather-bottom shoes or light sneakers. Participants will learn how to glide across the floor, take a few leaps, partner dance and bring it all together with a céilí (social dance) at the end. Higgins will be accompanied by Jeff Thomas on concertina and Myles Thomas on fiddle for an authentic and lively session.

Noon Jay Smar

Armed with two guitars, baritone vocals, claw-hammer banjo and fiddling, singing and flat-footin’ (a form of clog dancing), Jay Smar serves his audience an “acoustic buffet” of traditional American and original folk, old-time mountain music, bluegrass and gospel tunes, as well as the coal-mining songs of Northeast Pennsylvania.

1 PM Folkways and Traditions of Plant Medicine in Appalachia

Andrea Koutras Lay With the Nettle

The Appalachian region is rich in botanical diversity and resources and has a rich history of using wild plants for food, health and healing. Samples of a variety of local medicinal plants will be shared, as well as identification and growing tips, and the concept of “medicine of place” will be discussed. The session will also include a demonstration of making herbal teas and other extracts.

2 PM Dulcimer Workshop With Anne and Amy Lough

Mother-and-daughter duo Anne and Amy Lough invite festival attendees to come try their hand at playing a tune or two on the beautiful Appalachian mountain dulcimer. No musical experience is necessary to be able to play a tune and sound great from the beginning. With more than 35 years’ experience in performance and education, Anne’s excellence as a performer, her artistic interpretation, sensitive playing style, versatility, creative arranging and skill as an instructor have earned her international acclaim. She’s shared that love of music with her daughter, Amy, who has become a talented dulcimer and singer in her own right.

3 PM Roots and Rhythm – Appalachian Music and Dance

Join Footworks as they take you on a journey through the roots of Appalachian music and dance in this performance/workshop. You will learn about the many influences that helped to create this genre, see and hear some great dancing and music, and get up and dance and sing along with Footworks in this easy, fun, informative and entertaining workshop/performance.

4 PM Folk Punk: A Round Table

Savage Mountain Punk Arts presents a round table of Appalachia-based independent record label coordinators, discussing the DIY nature of releasing music, alternative music in Appalachia, and the role of small record labels to getting local music out there.  Labels include Yellow K Records (Frostburg, MD), Allegedly Records (Southwest, PA), This is Not a Record Label (Youngstown, OH). Moderated by SMPA President Gerry LaFemina.

On Friday night, September 19, The Deep End in Frostburg will host a punk show.