>> THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY A GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.

[FIDDLE MUSIC] [BAND PLAYING] >> FOR THE LAST SHOW OF OUR SERIES WE'RE GOING TO A FOLK FESTIVAL, THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY 'FESS VEIL HELD IN 1985.

THIS BROUGHT TOGETHER A LOT OF MUSIC AND DABS AND STORY TELLING WE HAVE SEEN ON THIS SERIES.

EMENTZ BEST OF ALL, THOUGH, THE FESTIVAL FOCUSES ON TRADITIONS AS LIVING TRADITIONS.

THREE GENERATIONS OF PARTICIPANTS SWAPPING SKILLS, STORIES AND SONGS.

[FIDDLE MUSIC] [APPLAUSE] >> THE KINGSTON BAY FESTIVAL GREW OUT OF A PROJECT THAT WAS STARTED ON THE LAKE CHAMPLAIN REGION.

I HAVE TALKED WITH A NUMBER OF PEOPLE, BEGAN TO PREPARE A SLIDE TAPE OF THE LAKE CHAMPLAIN AREA FOR THE SCHOOLS.

THE NEXT STEP WE HOPE WOULD BE TO PUT ON A JOINT EXHIBITION, FOLK ART EXHIBITION, OF THE LAKE CHAMPLAIN REGION INCLUDING VERMONT, QUEBEC, AND NEW YORK STATE.

THE FESTIVAL GREW OUT OF THE RESEARCH DONE IN THE FIRST YEAR.

ONCE THE PROJECT WAS UNDER WAY, WE IDENTIFIED A NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WERE BOTH FOLK ARTISTS, MUSICIANS AND SO FORTH, AND WE BEGAN TALKING WITH PARKS AND RECREATION.

THEY WERE INTERESTED IN HOLDING A FESTIVAL.

MARK SUSTIK AGREED TO HELP PUT ON THE FESTIVAL.

SO IT WAS A COORDINATED EFFORT BETWEEN THE VERMONT COUNCIL ON THE ARTS, THE CHAMPLAIN FOLKLORE COOPERATIVE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION.

>> THE NICE THING ABOUT THE FESTIVAL, SOMETHING I REALLY TRY TO FOSTER IN PROGRAMMING, IS TO MAKE SURE THERE'S A LOT OF CONTACT BETWEEN THE AUDIENCE AND THE PERFORMERS AND THE DEMONSTRATORS.

SO WE DON'T HAVE AN AREA ROPED OFF FOR PERFORMERS AND PEOPLE TO GO EAT AND STUFF.

EVERYBODY SORT OF DOES EVERYTHING TOGETHER.

I THINK THAT HELPS FOSTER THAT WHOLE PARTICIPATORY THING.

PEOPLE INTERACTING WITH THE ARTISTS, TALKING TO THEM.

[FIDDLE MUSIC] [APPLAUSE] >> A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THERE ARE FRIENDS OR FAMILY OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE PRESENTING AT THE FESTIVAL.

OTHER MUSICIANS, THAT GOES A LONG WAY TOWARD GETTING OTHER PEOPLE TO FEEL MORE LEFT OUT INITIALLY TO GET INVOLVED.

[FIDDLE MUSIC] [APPLAUSE] >> THE FESTIVAL ATTRACTED A WIDE VARIETY OF PEOPLE, BOTH FROM THE REGION AND FROM OUTSIDE THE REGION, PEOPLE WE DON'T TYPICALLY SEE AT CONCERTS.

RELATIVES, FRIENDS OF THE MUSICIANS AND CRAFTS PEOPLE AT THE FESTIVAL.

PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING SOME OF THE MUSICIANS AND CRAFTS PEOPLE IN THE AREA FOR SOME TIME AND KNOW ABOUT THEM THAT WAY.

I THINK MORE THAN ANYTHING THAT'S PROBABLY WHAT ATTRACTED THEM.

IT ALSO ATTRACTED A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM THE FERRISBURG AREA.

BECAUSE IT WAS A LOCAL EVENT IT WAS UNIQUE IN THAT NOT TOO MANY THINGS HAPPEN DOWN THERE LIKE THAT AND PEOPLE ARE CURIOUS ABOUT IT.

I THINK FINALLY PROBABLY BECAUSE WE HAD A FIDDLE CONTEST, WE HAD A HORSESHOE TOURNAMENT, SOME OTHER THINGS THAT ARE PRETTY TYPICAL OF RECREATIONAL TYPE THINGS GOING ON IN VERMONT AND THAT AREA FOR A VERY LONG PERIOD OF TIME ATTRACTED PEOPLE THAT WE DON'T TYPICALLY SEE AT A SIT-DOWN CONCERT WHERE PEOPLE JUST COME AND WATCH.

>> IF YOU'RE TRYING TO GET INTO A-IT SCARES THEM.

THEY WILL CLEAR OUT SO YOU CAN GET IN.

THIS IS A YOU CAN WEAR A VEIL, L THAT.

>> YOU GOT IT.

YOU PRACTICED BEFORE.

TELL ME.

COME ON!

THAT'S A VERY FUNNY STEP TO DO IT WITH THE BREAK DANCING.

GO FOR IT, A BIT FASTER!

YOU GOT IT.

YEAH!

ELECTRIC FEET!

>> WHEN MARK ASKED ME IF I COULD WORKSHOP I SAID YES.

I WOULD LOVE TO DO ONE.

WE HAD BEEN ON TOUR EIGHT, NINE YEARS, ON AN EIGHT-DAY TOUR.

HE WAS IN THE GROUP THEN.

THERE WAS A GROUP THAT HE WAS IN.

I THINK HE WAS DANCING WITH.

WE SWAPPED A LOT OF STEPS THEN, BUT THEN WHEN I FOUND OUT WE WERE DOING A WORKSHOP TOGETHER I WAS REALLY NERVOUS.

I REALLY THOUGHT AT ONE POINT THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO GO UP ONCE I GOT THERE BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK I HAD IT ANY MORE.

I MEAN I DANCE A LOT BUT NOT IN A WORKSHOP WITH SOMEONE THAT DANCES ALL THE TIME.

SO I HAD TO HAVE SYLVIA WORK ON IT TO GET MY EGO BUILT UP.

SO I GOT UP ON STAGE AND STARTED THE DOING THE BREAK DOWN IN THE WORKSHOP.

HE SHOWED ME A STEP.

I HAD HIM GO FIRST.

HE DID A STEP AND ANOTHER STEP.

THEN IT WAS MY TURN TO TEACH A COUPLE STEPS.

>> WE'RE GOING TO START OUT WITH SHUFFLE STEP SHUFFLE STEP SHUFFLE STEP.

THEN GO INTO THE TOE.

THEN THIS.

WE'LL START OFF SLOW.

READY?

PUT A LITTLE HOP INTO IT!

BY THEN I FELT LIKE, ALL RIGHT, I WAS LOOSENED UP, READY TO GO FOR IT.

AND HE ASKED WHAT I WANTED TO DANCE.

I SAID LET'S DANCE TOGETHER AND WE'LL GO BACK AND FORTH.

ONCE WE STARTED INTO THE STEP, WE STARTED LOOKING AT EACH OTHER AND WE STARTED DOING STEPS THAT WE HAD SWAPPED LIKE EIGHT YEARS BEFORE.

THEN WE FELT REALLY COMFORTABLE THEN, THEN WE JUST WENT TO TOWN.

[ACCORDION PLAYING] [APPLAUSE] >> WELL, THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT.

>> THE PROOF IS THERE THAT THE MUSIC REALLY IS HELPING.

HERE'S THIS WHOLE NETWORK OF MUSICIANS AND FAMILIES THAT WAS REALLY GOING STRONG.

SO THAT TO ME IS THE PROOF THAT THE MUSIC IS IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE.

FINDING MYSELF AND OTHERS, THE DANCERS, OTHER MUSICIANS, FINDING YOURSELF IN AN AREA LIKE VERMONT THAT DOES HAVE AN INDIGENOUS, A STILL LIVING, TRADITIONAL MUSIC OR DANCE CULTURE IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.

IT'S HARD FOR ME TO IMAGINE LIVING IN A PLACE THAT DIDN'T HAVE A STILL VITAL THREAD OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC AROUND.

>> PEOPLE COMING FROM OUTSIDE THE TRADITION AND SEEING THE TRADITIONAL MUSICIAN ON STAGE AND THEY ARE MAYBE A LITTLE SCRATCHY SOUNDING, A LITTLE BIT NOTES NOT EXACTLY RIGHT OR NOT EXACTLY TUNED TO THE SORT OF THING THAT YOU'RE USED TO ON POP RADIO OR WHATEVER, IT SOUNDS A LITTLE ROUGH.

PEOPLE ADOPT GET THE FEELING FOR THE MUSIC AND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE THAT KIND OF LIFE, AND WHAT THAT MUSIC REPRESENTS TO THEM.

YOU JUST DON'T GET THAT IN A CONCERT SETTING.

IF THAT'S THE ONLY THING AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE THEY ARE NOT GOING TO GET EXCITED ABOUT THE MUSIC.

YOUNG POPLE ARE NOT GOING TO KEEP PLAYING IT.

WHAT YOU NEED IS MORE -- I THINK OF A FESTIVAL BEING A AGAIN OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT KIND OF THING IN A VERY LIMITED WAY BUT A BETTER OPPORTUNITY THAN A CONCERT SETTING.

PEOPLE GET TO WORK WITH TRADITIONAL PLAYERS IN A WORKSHOP SETTING REALLY INFORMALLY JUST WALKING AROUND THE FESTIVAL GROUNDS, GETTING A CHANCE TO TALK TO THEM.

IT FACILITATES THAT CROSSOVER THAT JUST ISN'T AVAILABLE IN A CONCERT SITUATION OR IF THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES SET UP FOR THAT INTERACTION THAT HAPPENS.

[SQUARE DANCE CALLER] >> THIS IS ONE OF THE NICEST EVENTS I CAN THINK OF TO BE A PART OF LOCALLY.

IT WAS A REAL NICE COMING TOGETHER OF MUSICIANS THAT HAD PLAYED TOGETHER AND MAYBE HAVEN'T SEEN EACH OTHER FOR A LONG TIME.

PEOPLE YOU HAD HEARD OF AND ADMIRED FOR A LONG TIME AND GET A CHANCE TO MEET.

IT'S JUST WHAT A FESTIVAL SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

>> FILIPE BETTER NOT SAID I THINK GOD WAS HERE TODAY.

I THOUGHT THAT WAS A GREAT WAY TO SUM UP THE DAY BECAUSE IT WAS ONE OF THOSE SPECIAL DAYS.

WE COULD HAVE PUT TWICE AS MUCH WORK INTO IT IF WE HAD HAD TEN OTHER PEOPLE BECAUSE I DON'T THINK I COULD HAVE WORKED ANY HARDER ON IT BUT WE COULD HAVE WORKED TWICE AS HARD ON THE FESTIVAL AND IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN NEARLY AS GOOD.

THERE WAS SOMETHING MAGICAL.

>> LAST YEAR I FELT IT REALLY GOT OFF THE GROUNDS.

THIS YEAR WE HOPE TO ATTRACT THE SAME KIND OF AUDIENCE, LOCAL AUDIENCE, FAMILY AUDIENCE, AND WE HOPE IT WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE ITS REGIONAL FOCUS.

WE LIKE THE FACT THAT IT IS MORE OF A TRADITIONALLY ORIENTED FESTIVAL.

I HAVE GREAT HOPES FOR IT.

I'M VERY PLEASED WITH HOW IT'S BEEN GOING.

[FIDDLE PLAYING] [APPLAUSE] >> I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED BEING WITH US FOR THE SHOW.

IF YOU'RE A NEWCOMER TO THE STATE, THEN I URGE YOU TO LOOK BEYOND THE SILK SCREEN TEE SHIRTS AND UNQUILTED QUILTS IN THE CRAFT GALLERIES AND FIND WHAT A RICH CULTURE VERMONT HAS.

IF YOU'RE FROM HERE I HOPE YOUR PRIDE HAS BEEN RENEWED.

I'M GOING TO START WORKING ON MY SUMMER FESTIVAL TAN FOR NEXT YEAR.

I'LL SEE YOU THERE.

>> THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY A GRANLT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.

L.

>> FOR MORE CLASSIC PROGRAMS, VISIT VERMONTPBS.ORG/FROMTHEARCHIVES.