Festival

Festival Monthly Report

Dear Board of Reflectors,

The Festival Committee is busy negotiating acts

for the spring and fall festivals.

Members have evaluated an alternate site for 2014.

Like all sites in our price and size range,

none were designed specifically for the Folk Project Festival

and all feature the good, the bad and the ugly.

Upcoming festivals will be:

Memorial Weekend, May 24-26, 2013

and Columbus Weekend, October 11-13, 2013.

Yours in song,

Mark & Robin

Festival Yearly Report

2013 ANNUAL FESTIVAL COMMITTEE REPORT

We just finished is our first year as Festival Chaircouple.

We had two great festivals.

We made money and we learned a lot.

Our marriage survived.

FINANCIALS:

We made almost $2,000,

And we’ll be devoting that to next-years budget.

We keep the basic cost below $200 all-inclusive.

That is an extremely reasonable price,

but it’s still a burden on some of our community that loves and belongs at festival.

Therefore,

We started a donation fund and collected hundreds of dollars (7).

That, plus a very generous anonymous donor, allowed us to create staff positions for members of our community who would not otherwise have been able to afford festival.

We’re very proud of the Project’s generosity and inclusiveness.

THE CAMP:

We moved to Camp Bernie.

As expected, it took a festival-plus to work out some of the kinks.

The most comforting news for spring is we will have a concert stage next year.

We’re also adapting the schedule this spring to limit some of the distances people are carrying instruments.

At this point we’re committed for 2013,

but we continue to explore new camps.

STAFFING

This is a community run festival.

There is a very high participation by guests who chip in.

We continue to work closely with Pat Brangs and Elizabeth Lachowitz in central festival planning.

We staffed a lot better at our second festival, and things went smoother

We’ve had three festival meetings opened to the general membership and collected a lot of input and feedback.

These meetings were very helpful and we collected a lot of information and solutions.

.

PERFORMERS

We select performers from a mix of styles similar to the Minstrel and as expressed on our FP “about” web page: “We present music styles that go well beyond what you may consider traditional American folk music, including blues, swing, gospel, jazz, sea chantey, Irish, vaudeville, doo-wop, gypsy, jugband and rock ‘n’roll.”

This year we featured:

Matt Broady, Julie Edelston, Annie & the Hedonists, Jay Ungar & Molly Mason, Bob Andrews, Diane Perry, Toby Fagenson & Jane, The Shockenaw Mountain Boys, Jon Kelly, The Lords of Lichtenstein, The Jeremy Kittle Band, Little Toby Walker, Rachel Marie Schachter, and our newest board member, Grover Kemble.

Add to this illustrious list the Vocalotto and the Learn It, Sing It Choruses.

We heavily emphasize guest participation on stage and the high quality workshops as an important focus and success of the committee.

We are still looking for solutions to the contra dance and renewing the skit.

Thanks to all those who support and encourage us. And thanks to all of you who enjoy and attend our marvelous festival.

Mark & Robin Schaffer

Festival Chaircouple

(Amendment to Yearly Report)

Dear Board,

The festival committee needs to amend its profit figures for the year.

Our $2,000 estimate inadvertently did not include $2672 from the Agranoff Fund.

Our actual profit for two festivals is $5285.

Expect improved future festivals as a result.

Yours in song,

Mark & Robin

Festival Chaircouple