Festival squeaks by again.Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard Like clockwork, the Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley (pronounced [wɪˈlæ.mɪt], with the accent on the second syllable) is the region in northwest Oregon in the United States that surrounds the Willamette River as it proceeds northward from its Folk Festival A Folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music. Regional Denmark
The annual spring celebration starts today and runs through Sunday on the east lawn of the Erb Memorial Union at the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. . Despite appearances, however, the campus folk festival is not exactly running like a Swiss timepiece. Organizers say the event is becoming more difficult to put on. This year, producers faced a stagnant budget of $15,000 (for an event that costs roughly $50,000), new internal policies that made fewer dollars available from other departments, rising security costs and an April fund-raiser that failed to raise any funds. "Nobody's canceling it, but it has obviously grown out of its budget," said Amy Bowers, the festival producer. "It's been a really big challenge, and I feel like we made a lot happen with a little money." This year's headliners are Solo Dos en Tijuana, a bilingual punk-folk group led by Venezuelan-born romantic Jorge Alvarez Jorge Alvarez may refer to:
Other highlights include a performance by the Kathak Indian Dancers, a group specializing in classical dance from Northern India; the thunderous Jamaican drum ensemble Mabrak; and a tribute to the Eugene folk singer Peter Wilde. The tribute, which coincides with the release of an album of Wilde covers, will feature local and regional stars - and Wilde himself - all performing Wilde originals. Now in its 33rd year, the folk festival is put on by the University of Oregon Cultural Forum, a campus arts organization funded largely by student fees. Intended as a thank-you to the community, the free event started as a one-day festival outside the UO Music Building. Initially sponsored by the music department, the event ballooned into a three-day gathering with national headliners, including Queen Ida Ida Lewis "Queen Ida" Guillory (b. January 15, 1929 in Lake Charles, Louisiana) is an American accordionist. She was the first female accordion player to lead a zydeco band. , Richie Havens and Laura Love Laura Love is an American musician born in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. She describes herself as a "light skinned Black" woman. Laura Love had a difficult childhood, raised by a mother with schizophrenia and in foster homes. . In recent years, fewer big-name national acts have performed, and local and regional musicians have kept the event alive. Without actually charging for admission, organizers have grown more aggressive about asking for donations; however, no more than $200 in donations has ever been raised during an entire festival, Bowers said. "A lot of people have a lot of ownership of the festival. We've gotten e-mails and letters and phone calls about how much the community loves this event, but we don't have any kind of financial support.' A year in the hole The 2003 festival already is more than $4,000 in debt. Organizers will receive a cut from food and T-shirt sales, but it's unclear whether they'll recover all the money they've lost. An April fund-raiser at the Vet's Club with the Sugar Beets, Jackstraw jack·straw n. 1. jackstraws (used with a sing. verb) A game played with a pile of straws or thin sticks, with the players attempting in turn to remove a single stick without disturbing the others. 2. , Joe Ross Joe Ross may refer to one of the following:
"I think it (the festival) has been perceived as a cash cow Cash Cow 1. One of the four categories (quadrants) in the BCG growth-share matrix that represents the division within a company that has a large market share within a mature industry. 2. in the past," said Justina Parsons-Bernstein, the Cultural Forum's program adviser. "People don't realize that the Cultural Forum doesn't have deep pockets. ... `Also, I don't think people realize how expensive acts are anymore." Parsons-Bernstein cited mandolin mandolin (măn'dəlĭn`, măn`dəlĭn'), musical instrument of the lute family, with a half-pear-shaped body, a fretted neck, and a variable number of strings, plucked with the fingers or with a plectrum. master David Grisman's $16,000 fee as an example of the high cost of booking big-name performers. Grisman was briefly considered as a headliner head·lin·er n. A performer who receives prominent billing; a star. Noun 1. headliner - a performer who receives prominent billing star for this year's festival. Parsons-Bernstein says there are community partnerships that have endured, such as the one with KLCC-FM. The station will promote the festival and do a live event broadcast. Other in-kind donations came from musicians themselves, many of whom were willing to play for reduced rates or nothing at all. One of the most outspoken supporters of the festival has been this year's Saturday headliners, the Sugar Beets. "For me the folk festival is the annual celebration of music and sunshine in the heart of the village," said Marty Chilla, the group's acoustic guitarist. "It's a communal rite of passage rite of passage n. A ritual or ceremony signifying an event in a person's life indicative of a transition from one stage to another, as from adolescence to adulthood. that's too precious to put a price on. It's gotta happen, and we're really glad to be a part of it." Parsons-Bernstein believes the folk festival will continue. There are, she said, other issues to resolve including the eventual relocation of the event to a different venue because of the impending im·pend intr.v. im·pend·ed, im·pend·ing, im·pends 1. To be about to occur: Her retirement is impending. 2. EMU renovation. In the past, the festival has dipped into other Cultural Forum budgets. Parsons-Bern- stein would like to see the event become a stand-alone event produced by the Cultural Forum and supported by the local community. `Education is being cut, cut, cut, and there's no way we're getting more money from the university for this, so now is the time to step up and say, `Hey I'd like to partner up,' ' Parsons-Bernstein said. "I would like to see some partnering coming forth from the community, because this has been a wonderful gift that has been given to the community for 33 years." FESTIVAL PREVIEW Willamette Valley Folk Festival When: 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. today and Saturday; noon to 8 p.m. Sunday Where: East lawn and elsewhere in the Erb Memorial Union complex, 1222 E. 13th Ave. How much: Free, with a suggested donation Radio: KLCC-FM will broadcast the festival starting at noon today GuardLine: To hear music from the Peter Wilde tribute CD, call GuardLine at 485-2000 from a touch-tone phone and request category 3475 CAPTION(S): Peter Wilde will perform in a tribute to, well, himself this weekend at the Willamette Valley Folk Festival. The folk singer is the subject of a recent tribute CD |
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