CHANGE OF PLACE FOR FOLK FEST.

Byline: Matt Cooper The Register-Guard

36TH ANNUAL WILLAMETTE VALLEY FOLK FESTIVAL Today: Noon to 6 p.m. Where: Cuthbert Amphitheater, Alton Baker Park, east of the Ferry Street Bridge on the north bank of the Willamette River Who's playing: Local singer/songwriter competition winners; singer/songwriter Mark Harris; Halie Loren, jazz-infused piano rock; Lauren Sheehan, folk ballads and Memphis blues; Hot Buttered Rum String Band, folk/bluegrass with rock and reggae Cost: Free

After 35 years at the University of Oregon, the Willamette Valley Folk Festival changed its stage Saturday, debuting in the tree-lined confines of Eugene's Cuthbert Amphitheater.

The move received mixed reviews, some praising the beauty of a legitimate concert venue while others longed for the crowded, communal feel of campus. Organizers are sure to listen closely to the reactions as they decide whether to keep the festival at the Cuthbert or return to campus next year.

"I think it's great that it's here," said David Jacobs-Strain, Eugene's own blues prodigy, minutes before taking the stage Saturday afternoon. But, he added, "it's a real loss for the university."

University student fees pay for the two-day festival, so moving the event off campus may hit a sour note with some. But festival coordinator Lisa Andrews, also a student, said testing the Cuthbert venue made sense, in part because the 4,500-seat amphitheater offers more space for the growing festival.

"It's much bigger for spectators, artists and vendors," Andrews said. "It has a huge potential to grow."

But potential, where the 21-year-old Cuthbert is concerned, hasn't translated to success lately.

Attendance was strong for years but has faltered since 2001. There was a precipitous drop last year, when Cuthbert hosted just four shows that drew a total attendance well below the capacity for one show.

A new private partnership now operates the city amphitheater and hopes to breathe life into it this summer, with blues stars Bonnie Raitt and Keb' Mo' in a joint performance Sept. 6, as well as Lyle Lovett, Buddy Guy, Widespread Panic and String Cheese Incident.

One of the partners in that effort is Kit Kesey, nephew of the late Ken Kesey and president of Kesey Enterprises Inc. He said opening the Cuthbert to the free festival was the perfect way to kick off the amphitheater's revitalization and to encourage both first-timers and long-timers to return later this summer to pay for the big-ticket acts.

"We're just welcoming people back to the venue," Kesey said, adding that he was encouraged by an early-day crowd of 500 or so. "I was happy to start with a free event."

However, Jacobs-Strain and others familiar with earlier festivals said it will be difficult, amid the concrete and bench seating of the Cuthbert, to re-create the energy of the university's grassy, crowded setting.

The Cuthbert "is an awesome place to see a concert," Jacobs-Strain said. "I don't know if people will dance as much."

"I liked the University of Oregon better," 22-year-old Brad King of Eugene added. "It was closer to downtown and more people everywhere just passing through. And dancing - there was more dancing over there. There's way too many benches - that's the biggest problem here."

Partners Jessie Faulkner and Michael Carpenter of Salem, 29 and 45, respectively, said they preferred the university setting for its intimacy, with diverse groups packed in tight.

Carpenter, recalling the 2004 festival on campus, said, "When we got there, my feeling was, wow, this is a real tight community." Gesturing to the amphitheater around him, he added, "I feel I could be anywhere right now."

But others praised the Cuthbert's idyllic setting in the woods of Alton Baker Park, reached after a stroll along a wood-chip path.

Many people new to the folk festival saw only advantages to the amphitheater and its spaciousness.

Among them was Calvin Birman, 36, of Brownsville, who ate a fajita wrap and drank tea while reclining with his girlfriend on the grass opposite the stage. "I like to chill out and be able to put our blanket out," Birman said. "You couldn't ask for a nicer spot."

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David Jacobs-Strain performs Saturday at the Cuthbert. Thomas Boyd / The Register-Guard Catherine Burke-Maher dances with a scarf Saturday at the Willamette Valley Folk Festival. The music continues today with performances by local and national artists.