Perspective on ...Return to Issue of Nov. 2, 2009 
Al Bartholet
The relationship between a university and its home community is unique. WKSU-FM, a powerful outreach tool for Kent State University, builds on these ties each year with the Kent State Folk Festival, a series of concerts and workshops taking place Nov. 5 through 14 that is a much-anticipated event that brings musical richness and diversity to Northeast Ohio. Programs begin this Thursday with a concert that represents the diversity of folk music. Puerto Rican roots legend Edwin ColÓn Zayas (a 2009 recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship) joins with local musicians and dancers, including Kent State graduate ethnomusicology student Noraliz Ruiz Caraballo, for an entertaining evening of spirited music. Zayas is internationally recognized as a master on the cuatro, a stringed instrument used in mountain music of his native land. The 10 days of Festival activities allow the university and WKSU-FM to expose our community – and truly throughout the state and beyond – to a musical art form with long and deep traditions. Historical roots of storytelling and the use of acoustic instruments can now be heard in works by singer/songwriters Greg Brown and Jorma Kaukonen (Nov. 6), bluegrass legend Del McCoury (Nov. 7), Americana collectives Old Crow Medicine Show (Nov. 11) and Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros (Nov. 12) and the Folk Festival closer, Banjo Dance. Along with the music, fans also come to Kent and spend money, making the event a significant economic driver in the city, Portage County and the region. The Kent State Folk Festival headliner concerts take place at the Kent Stage, steps away from Kent State’s Downtown Gallery. One estimate is that the Festival results in an economic impact of $400,000 through ticket sales, hotel stays, restaurant meals and stops at local shops. The city of Kent recognizes that foot traffic during the Festival is second only to Halloween. A musical celebration that grows in popularity each year, Folk Alley ‘Round Town (Nov. 13) puts artists (this year including Woodstock original Country Joe McDonald) in 40 venues for free concerts throughout the city. This “town and gown” event strongly impacts the community, bringing together generations of music lovers who buy meals and drinks at restaurants and bars, walk through galleries and visit stores that view the Festival as a way to connect with new customers. The next day, the community is invited to return for free workshops at the Kent Student Center, an annual tradition, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Folk Alley ‘Round Town takes its name from FolkAlley.com, WKSU-FM’s Web site that offers a folk music stream to the world over the Internet. Folk Alley, through the Web site and a new mobile recording studio, expands the reach of WKSU-FM and Kent State beyond the station’s radio signal – which covers 22 counties and is the largest in Ohio – to every continent on the planet. I invite you to take part in this grand tradition! The Kent State Folk Festival mirrors the heritage and cultural diversity of Kent State – now 100 years strong. To view the flipbook of the complete listing of Kent State Folk Festival events, click here . WKSU-FM’s unique position in the community gives us both the opportunity and the responsibility to enrich the region with outstanding cultural programs, as well as bringing economic benefits to the city and exposing Kent State University to a wider audience. We do this through our international reputation for folk music, as well as our sponsorship of events such as the Kent State Folk Festival. Please join us Nov. 5 through 14 and become part of the experience! Sincerely,
Al Bartholet Return to Issue of Nov. 2, 2009  |
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