Folks, Get Hyped for Folk Fest

By Alex Karges and Tegan Anderson Last updated Apr 20, 2023

Not to be overshadowed by SpringFest, Folk Fest offers good music and so much more. Photo credit: NCPR

Hi! Greenhouse here. What are you doing this Saturday? We’ll be on the Java Quad for the eleventh annual North Country Folk Festival, and we really want you to come. It’s free, there’s going to be great music and food, and it’s Earth Day too, so come support the Greenhouse.

Festivities start at noon when we set up vendors, and some student bands are going to take the stage to show us what they’ve got. We’ve got some familiar faces who’ve played in the past, such as Grace Gargan, who is back from the Adirondack semester with some new material. Grace says, “I love playing at Folk Fest because I get to play the songs I write somewhere with awesome energy. Everyone is outside and its warm; it really feels like we’re coming together as a community.”

Folk Fest is also an opportunity to buy things if you so choose. A lot of your fellow SLU students will have tables set up where they’ll be selling all sorts of cool stuff, whether it’s food, jewelry, or art. We’ll also have vendors from the local community. Balsam Springs Soaps are coming back. Last year they helped me pick out a scent that was right for me and my personality.

After the student bands wrap up, we’ve got some local bands that we’re really excited about. Richard Hayes Phillips will be there. Need I say more? We’re also pumped for the return of Nicholfalls and the contra dance, which gets everyone moving and smiling. The local bands show up every year and kill it, so don’t miss out.

Starting at 5:45 p.m. are our headlining bands, Damn Tall Buildings from New Jersey and Oshima Brothers from Maine. Damn Tall Buildings has a unique take on bluegrass that we can’t wait to bring to SLU. After that, it’s time for the Oshima Brothers. They’re going to slow things down a bit as it gets dark—the perfect way to end the day. Listen to “These Cold Nights.” Trust me.

The Greenhouse has been working hard all semester to make this happen. It has been a long but rewarding process bringing together so many passionate people for one day of music and mayhem. See you there!