2010 Summer Traditional Music Festivals
Alaska and the Yukon
in progress
April 5-11, 2010 - Alaska Folk Festival - in Juneau every April. This is one of the best of any folk festival I've been to - a real musician's festival. It takes over the town. Broadcasts on the radio every evening. Dances from Thursday through Saturday nights concurrent with performances. Workshops. Jam sessions all night for any kind of folk music. A crammed weekend at the end - a physical discharge and a musical recharge for all. Musicians come from all over the Northwest. Not to be missed. Call 907-463-3316 or check the website above for further info. For those of you who like to plan ahead, dates for future years: AFF 36 April 5-11, 2010, AFF 37 April 4-10, 2011, AFF 38 April 9-15, 2012. In case you wonder why the dates rotate around, the historic criteria for scheduling AFF dates is usually First full week in April if it does NOT end on Easter, or the Second full week if the First full week does not work. With the advent of the rotary Pillars series, they ALSO try to avoid the Third Wednesday in April. As long as THEY can figure all this out and let us know, I'm pleased.
Guest artist this year is bluesman Guy Davis, a most personable and talented multi-instrumentalist, storyteller, vocalist, actor. The guest dance band is the Tallboys from Seattle
Sat. June 12, 2010 - Fairbanks Summer Folk Fest - 22st Annual - at the Borealis Pavilion at Alaskaland/Pioneer Park. Contact fairbanksfolkfest@gmail.com for further info. Future scheduling through 2018 puts this festival always on the second Sat. of June.
2009 Summer Traditional Music Festivals
Alaska and the Yukon
April 13-19, 2009 - Alaska Folk Festival - in Juneau every April. This is one of the best of any folk festival I've been to - a real musician's festival. It takes over the town. Broadcasts on the radio every evening. Dances from Thursday through Saturday nights concurrent with performances. Workshops. Jam sessions all night for any kind of folk music. A crammed weekend at the end - a physical discharge and a musical recharge for all. Musicians come from all over the Northwest. Not to be missed. Call 907-463-3316 or check the website above for further info. For those of you who like to plan ahead, dates for future years: AFF 36 April 5-11, 2010, AFF 37 April 4-10, 2011, AFF 38 April 9-15, 2012. In case you wonder why the dates rotate around, the historic criteria for scheduling AFF dates is usually First full week in April if it does NOT end on Easter, or the Second full week if the First full week does not work. With the advent of the rotary Pillars series, they ALSO try to avoid the Third Wednesday in April. As long as THEY can figure all this out and let us know, I'm pleased.
May 22-24, 2009 - Trapper Creek Bluegrass Festival at the Boots Bison Ranch. Directions: between mile 114 and mile 115 of the Parks Hwy. Take Susitna River Road East and then turn right on Bradley Road. Go to the very end of the road after the bridge and you are there. Contact Scot Dunnachie, Falkirk Productions, falkirk@clearwire.net, 1241 West 27th Ave, Suite #421, Anchorage, AK 99503, 907-229-5398 cell, 907-495-5511 fax for further info. A tribute webpage from the former promoter of Hunter Creek and other Railbelt festivals, Ken Terry, is for the moment at www.americanbluegrass.com
June 12-13, 2009 - Chickenstock Music Festival - this one just popped up for a small community just south of Eagle, Alaska. Cluck.
Sat. June 13, 2009 - Fairbanks Summer Folk Fest - 22st Annual - at the Borealis Pavilion at Alaskaland/Pioneer Park. Contact fairbanksfolkfest@gmail.com for further info.
June 13-16, 2009 - Alaska Midnight Sun Song Camp at the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer. Further info from Rick or Sheila Miller, 907-243-5758 or email rdmiller@alaska.net.
June 19-20, 2009 - Seldovia's Annual Music Festival featured Outside and Alaskan artists and a beautiful setting. further info Susan Mumma, Festival Director, 907-234-7614 or via email.
July 3-5, 2009 - Girdwood Forest Fair just south of Anchorage, has a bunch of music, not exclusively folk styles, but a healthy potpourri. Info on the music, contact Andy Mullen mullen@ak.net.
July 17-19, 2009 - Dawson City Music Festival, held the second to last weekend in July, bringing a large influx into this small Yukon community. Contact: info@dcmf.com or 867-993-5584.
July 19-25, 2009 - 31st Annual Convention / Festival of Russian Music - a major Russian music folk music convention there Held annually in North America, this year in Sitka.
July 19-August 2, 2009 - Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival is broadening its reach into more trad music with a first week of an American Roots Series and also Slovenian accordion classes. Actually, there is quite a diversity of music and arts at this two week long event. http://www.fsaf.org/classes.htm Trad performers include Joe Hermann, Caitlin Warbelow, Doug Cox, Radim Zenkl, Emily Crews, Danny Knicely, and more.
July 31-August 2, 2009 - Anderson Bluegrass Festival - near Clear Air Force Station off the Parks Hwy mile 283. They usually have guest artists. This is a wonderful family affair, minimal entrance fee, plenty of camping space, even running water! Further info andersonbluegrass@yahoo.com. For musician scheduling, contact Trudy at: trudy@acousticadventures.com or 907-488-0556.
July 25-26, 2009 - Homer Concert on the Lawn - a two day affair the last weekend of July with Sunday's concert broadcast live over KBBI. Further info from radio station KBBI or Paulette Wellington - Music Director paulette@kbbi.org. For musician scheduling, it is kbbicotl@hotmail.com
July 31-August 1, 2009 - Talkeetna Bluegrass and Music Festival, (South of Talkeetna Jct, Parks Hwy). Their website will have lots of info, so check it out. Contact: 907-495-6718 (Olive) / 907-488-1372 (Ernie or Gia). The opposite of Anderson Festival in a number of ways. There hasn't been much bluegrass music at Talkeetna since the mid-1980's when the festival outgrew the town of Talkeetna. It is a mammoth sybaritic party where the bikers keep the peace. Reminiscent of Altamont, which I was at, and the Hell's Angels were the security, although there were 375,000 people at Altamont. I don't expect quite that many at TBGF, but they definitely try! With music going 20 hours out of 24 in a day, don't expect to get sleep. Also, they do have the best festival posters, IMHO.
July 31-August 1, 2009 - Deltana Fair Music Festival runs in conjunction with the Deltana Fair in the Delta Junction. The festival advertises mostly acoustic music from musicians within a 150 mile radius. Contact Andy Payne at paynes@wildak.net for further info.
Sat. Aug. 1, 2009 - Galway Days on G St. in Anchorage is an Irish Music Fest going on all day. Why it is not just Galway DAY was open to question. So I got The Answer from Ben Alexander, "The reason for Days is we always start the party the prior Thursday with an Irish session, then Friday with another session @ Suzi’s Woollies (which has a new web site www.suziswoollies.net ) Then the BIG day Saturday followed by Musicians only Sunday" 907-277-9660, 420 G Street Anchorage, Alaska 99501 or woollies@alaska.com.
Sat. Aug. 4-8, 2009 - Alaska Traditional Music Camp, PO Box 90566, Anchorage, Alaska 99509. 907-830-4488
For more information e-mail: info@aktradcamp.org
Aug. 27-28, 2009 - The Richardson Highway Rendezvous will be at Tonsina Lodge on Friday August 27th and Valdez Saturday August 28th. It's a benefit for public radio in Valdez and the Copper Valley, as well as for the Valdez Animal Shelter and Kenny Lake volunteer EMS and Fire squads. The Tonsina event can host many many campers. We have lots of land, and camping is free all summer. Tonsina will have a nice bonfire. The Valdez event is the "main" event, but can't host camping because it's in downtown Valdez. Further info contact Joshua Howitt shwazam@gmail.com or 907-822-3000. He's talking about other festivals on subsequent weekends at the Tonsina River Lodge as well.
Aug. 30-Sept. 5, 2009 - Acoustic Alaska Guitar Camp
to be held in Wasilla. More info: Joe Becker, Acoustic Alaska Guitar Camp, 2674 S Patton Court, Denver, CO 80219, Toll Free 1-866-293-6827 or 1-303-937-1787 OR via email camp@acousticalaska.com
Other Alaska events that include music
Yukon / Western Canadian music festivals, courtesy of the Dawson City Music Festival folks.
Annual affairs none-the-less
Folk and other music can also be found at various "county" fairs
around the state. The two fairs claiming to be the "official" state fairs are:
Tanana Valley State Fair, Fairbanks. Usually in early to mid-August. 907-452-3750.
Alaska State Fair, Palmer (just north of Anchorage), 4th Friday of August through Labor Day, 907-745-4827 or 907-766-2476.
Other fairs in the state with acoustic music are:
Salcha Fair, just south of Fairbanks on the Richardson Hwy tries to have local banks. Usually the 3rd week of June. Peggy Burns at salchafair@alaska.net
Sutton Summerfest over the July 4 weekend.
Deltana Fair, Delta Junction (100 miles south of Fairbanks), late July, 907-895-3247 or 895-FAIR.
Southeast Alaska State Fair mid-August. 907-766-2476 or seakfair@aptalaska.net .
Kenai Peninsula State Fair in Ninilchik mid-August. Ninilchik Fair Association, Box 39210, Ninilchik, AK 99639. Contact (907) 567-3670 kpsfair@gci.net.
Kenny Lake Fair mid-August. This is a small community 7 miles down the Edgerton Hwy. From Glennallen, go south on the Richardson Highway to Mile 82, turn left on Highway 10 going toward Chitina. Turn left at mile 11.1 by the black mailbox. Further info contact Pete Peschang - ppeschang(at)yahoo.com or 907-822-5471 / fax 907-822-5472.
Kodiak State Fair, 487-4440, may also offer music.
A list of western Canadian festivals can be found on the Dawson City Music Festival links page.
If you can update me on any of these festivals or have links with
more information, email me at gary(at)alaskafolkmusic.org