This festival is now in its 9th year. I've
been attending for the last 7 or 8 years and have watched it grow
and prosper. The organisers describe it as "Connecticut's
first participation festival," and it certainly lives
up to this label. Not only are top folk performers in many styles
involved, but there are loads of participatory workshops, singalongs,
jam sessions, dances, children's activities, and other events
for folks of all ages and skill levels. There are 9 separate areas
going at the same time which means lots of fun things to do, no
matter what your interests are in folk music and dance.
From the festival flyer: "Our admission prices are kept low
to encourage families to participate together. All teachers, dance
leaders, performers, musicians and those who coodinate and run
the festival are volunteers! They share their talents in this
setting so that others may learn and grow in our worldly traditions......Of
course fees are paid to the school support staff, required police,
the sound rental company and the piano tuner who tunes all pianos
for us the day before the festival."
As a full time performer who makes his living by playing, I still
feel perfectly happy volunteering to help at this festival because
of the cooperative spirit, and nice folks who put it together.
The festival usually takes place at the local high school, but
this year was in the Newtown Middle School. The sites are similar,
both have many classrooms available for activities, and gyms for
dancing which included: squares, contras, English country, Scottish,
Irish, cajun, Balkan, Israeli, Scandinavian, and more. Schools
are generally good sites for festivals, and I like to see facilities
that are ordinarily closed on weekends, opened up for the public
to use for weekend festivals. I always leave for home at the end
feeling good from seeing my friends, and with new music making
skills.
Instrumental workshops featured instruction in bones playing,
doumbec, fiddle(by myself and others), chanting, bodhran, concertina,
dulcimer, banjo, guitar, and Irish harp. Many workshops were for
beginning players, and others were in a demonstration format with
questions welcome. An "open mike," for singers, encouraged
participants and I was drawn in to a group singing gospel songs.
The crafts and folk music area included clothing, wooden toys,
hand puppets, paper cutting, leather work, the Captain Fiddle
booth, jewelry, tapes and recordings by several vendors, and other
international items. John Foley has created some really clever
"stereo kazoos," made from laminated woods. Allan Block
took measurements in order to make me a custom leather strap for
my mandolin. Besides being a master leather worker, Allan is a
great fiddler who periodically takes a few minutes off from his
work to play some lively tunes.
There was a Scottish and vegetarian food booth along with fare
from the school cafeteria. I always enjoy Scottish meat pies,
and one booth had great home made chocolate chip cookies.
I had a satisfying experience again this year at NOMAD, and I
heartily recommend it to those who come to a festival to actively
participate in international folk culture. The official date for
the festival isn't ordinarily set until late spring. For more
info contact: NOMAD P.O. Box 766, Sandy Hook, CT 06482 USA.