Professional fiddler, Erin Marshall, of Galax,
Virginia plays a GSC's Fine Arts auditorium.
When you don't have a seat, an instrument case will do
just fine. Well-known musician and instrument-maker Bob
Smakula, left, and Tom Hoffman play a tune in the Conrad
Hotel parking lot. Both are from Elkins, West Virginia.
By Drew Moody/Story And Photos
Bluegrass, Old-Time music, and square dancing were in abundance
at the annual West Virginia State Folk Festival in Glenville, last week.
A newly completed downtown pedestrian mini-park greeted visitors,
replacing what previously was a gravel parking lot eye-sore.
The annual event draws a mix of old and new musicians each year.
For many locals it's a county-wide homecoming of sorts.
The tradition of musicians gathering throughout the downtown area
to play traditional tunes is a feast for the ears. Walking from one
area to another one song fades, as the volume of another increases.
An informal poll of several veteran musicians found them in
agreement that Folk Festival attendance was significantly down.
The under-50 banjo and fiddle contest Saturday afternoon
drew only about 100 spectators, leaving Glenville State College's
Fine Arts auditorium looking mostly empty.
Square dance caller, Michael Ismerio, traveled from
Bloomington, Indiana to enjoy his first Folk Festival.
It was Michael Ismerio's first Folk Festival, traveling from his
hometown of Bloomington, Indiana, a place he proudly referred
to as a "lefty bubble."
What drew him to the Folk Festival were stories he'd heard
about the "great square dancing" here.
Ismerio is a fiddle player and professional square dance caller who
is often on the road more than at home.
"I just called square dances in Bejing."
More typically, Ismerio's calling turf is confined to throughout
the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
The West Virginia State Folk Festival is held annually, Thursday
through Saturday, of the third week in June.
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