Carl Sandburg Folk Music Festival May 30
Published 9:38 am Thursday, May 26, 2011
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site will host the annual Carl Sandburg Folk Music Festival on Monday Memorial Day, May 30. This free festival offers live music performances from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The folk festival honors Carl Sandburg and his preservation of traditional folk music as found in his collection, “The American Songbag.” The festival’s performers each demonstrate the tradition of performing live music to tell stories while capturing the heritage of America through song.
At 10 a.m. Jhon Akers, who performs at many local venues, will present “Carl Sandburg and the Spanish Guitar.” At 11 a.m. Lucy Allen & Marshall Goers will sing and play folk music on the guitar, banjo and mandolin. At noon the Buddy Davis Band will play folk music from Sandburg’s “American Songbag” on guitar, autoharp and dulcimer. At 1 p.m. The Possum Creek String band will play old time music on guitar, bass and fiddle. At 2 p.m. America’s Balladeer, John McCutcheon, performs on hammered dulcimer, autoharp and guitar. Steve Smith will be performing hammered dulcimer music at the historic barn area from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Sandburg began playing the guitar in the early 1900s to enhance his lectures. He played the guitar, banjo and harmonica and collected a series of folk songs, which he published in his book, “The American Songbag.” Sandburg performed during the era of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrey and was the mentor for Burl Ives. This event is free.
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site is located four miles south of Hendersonville off U.S. 225 on Little River Road. The park is open from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily, except Christmas Day.
For further information, call 828-693-4178, or visit www.nps.gov/carl.
– article submitted by Connie Hudson Backlund