BANGOR – “Is this your first time?” That was the most frequently asked question Saturday at an orientation for volunteers for the American Folk Festival held at Husson College’s Richard E. Dyke Center for Family Business. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
    BANGOR – With a recent substantial donation from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation and gifts from other individuals and companies, the fundraising goal for the American Folk Festival has reached 77 percent. When the Kings learned a few weeks ago that additional funds were… Read More
    BANGOR – Organizers of the American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront announced the first 10 of more than 20 performing groups for the August event: . Diunne Greenleaf and Blue Mercy. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
    BANGOR – Organizers of the American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront this week announced that several corporate sponsors have stepped up to lead the fundraising efforts for this year’s event set for Aug. 22-24. The fundraising goal is $1,045,000, said Heather McCarthy, the festival’s… Read More
    Hundreds of people, like streams of lava, began to throng the Bangor waterfront at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 24, even before the American Folk Festival officially opened. Musicians tested sound systems and waves of fragmented melody drifted out over the gathering crowd, promising the musical delights that were… Read More
    BANGOR – When she approached the microphone Monday to brief councilors on last weekend’s American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront, festival chairwoman Maria Baeza confessed she was fighting the urge to break out into her own rendition of the Pointer Sisters’ “I’m So Excited.”… Read More
    BANGOR – Birds and dragons made with hot pulled taffy were created almost magically by Masaji Terasawa – known as “the Candyman” – to the delight of young and old during the weekend American Folk Festival. Adults and children alike sat with mouths open in… Read More
    BANGOR – Ingrid Handrahan was tapping her feet Sunday as she sat on the Front Street curb listening to a couple of street performers play their tunes for passers-by. “I think they’re pretty neat,” said the Milbridge woman, a huge smile on her face. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All-Stars’ historical and spiritual forefathers are the legendary Inebriated Orchestra, a roving band of Jewish musicians who supposedly roamed the Eastern European countryside in the 19th century, playing an early version of what became modern-day klezmer. The story goes that the… Read More
    Like the weather Saturday afternoon, the musical lineup at the American Folk Festival this year can be described in one word: hot. Wicked hot. Hot like a big mouthful of chili sauce. Hot as the sun beating down while you sit on the big lawn at the Railroad… Read More
    A step dancer and musician who raised the profile of Irish artists in the United States. A gospel group that has influenced everyone from The Temptations to Paul Simon. An Arabic nye player who has fostered understanding through music. A thumb-picking guitarist from Kentucky. A fifth-generation Finnish kantele… Read More
    Cultural diversity will waft into Bangor on the wings of music during the American Folk Festival, Friday through Sunday, Aug. 24-26. The music of Poland, Ireland, Jamaica, Arabia, Haiti, Tibet, the Dominican Republic and Finland will turn the Bangor Waterfront into a geographical melange of song, rhythm and… Read More
    BANGOR – Organizers of the American Folk Festival have offered a few tips and suggestions to help people planning to attend this weekend’s events at the Bangor Waterfront get the most out of their experience. As has been the case for the last several years,… Read More
    BANGOR – Organizers of the American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront, together with the University of Maine Alumni Association and the Bangor Region Development Alliance, announced Monday that there will be a special reception for UM alumni, students and faculty during this year’s festival, set for Aug. Read More
    “Free costs $1 million” is the new mantra from organizers of the American Folk Festival. Their message is that although admission to the three-day fete of music, arts and food is free, it costs $1 million each year to stage the event. Without enough corporate, foundation, government and… Read More
    BANGOR – Organizers of the American Folk Festival on the Waterfront announced that the final round of artists have been selected to perform. The annual event will take place Aug. 24-26, drawing thousands of people to revel in the diverse sounds and rhythms reflecting the heart and soul… Read More
    Organizers of the American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront on Tuesday announced the final round of artists selected to perform. The annual event will take place Aug. 24-26. Nadia Dieudonne and Feet of Rhythm, Raz de Maree, Masaji Candyman, Men in Black, Nadeem Dlaikan… Read More
    BANGOR – A young woman fell about 15 feet from a train trestle early Sunday morning, landing in the Kenduskeag Stream. Police reported that her condition “wasn’t good” after rescuers pulled her out of the water and took her to Eastern Maine Medical Center. Bangor… Read More
    BANGOR – On any of the three days of this year’s American Folk Festival, it was nice to pause a moment amid the huge, mostly well-behaved crowds, the mercifully perfect weather and the enticing smells of curry and cinnamon and garlic and coffee, and to close your eyes,… Read More
    As late August rolls around, Langston Longley has been keeping a closer eye on the weather. Many in Maine would love to deal with the temperate conditions in Longley’s hometown of sunny Miami. But the situation there can change rapidly, as Longley, founder of… Read More
    When The National Folk Festival came to Bangor, the smallest community to host the three-day event, there were doubts that the city was up to the task. The doubters were proved wrong and last year the city launched The American Folk Festival. Despite its past success, the festival… Read More
    LaRae Hoff and Lassie Age: 17 googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
    Think of this weekend’s American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront as a musical smorgasbord. You’ll want to try a little of this and a little of that. But everything looks so good, and you don’t know where to start. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    Lucy Anna and Eli Clein like the music, and all the different people, but what do the 6-year-old brother and 7-year-old sister really love about the American Folk Festival? “The egg rolls,” Lee Clein of Bangor said, laughing. “That’s something they’ve really latched onto. My… Read More
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    What’s your favorite part of the Folk Festival? “Dancing barefoot in the grass.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if… Read More
    Now in its fifth year, the folk festival – three as the National Folk Festival and two as the American Folk Festival – has become a tradition in Bangor, the perfect way to move and groove through some of the last lazy days of summer. Read More
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    Maine’s craft heritage runs as old and deep as granite in the state’s history. Those seeking a feast for the eyes as well as the ears this weekend at The 2006 American Folk Festival will find plenty to delight the tactile and visual senses. The… Read More
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    WERU-FM, a nonprofit community radio station, will broadcast live performances and interviews during two days of the American Folk Festival in Bangor later this month, the station said Monday. As a noncommercial radio station, WERU-FM 89.9 and 102.9 is able to broadcast live from the… Read More
    The “first lady” of gospel music, blues guitarist Robert Belfour and a reunion of performers from the long-running “Stacey’s Country Jamboree” will be part of the Aug. 25-27 American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront. The musicians are among an additional round of performers announced… Read More
    Can you hear the music just over the horizon? The 2006 American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront is just five months away – Aug. 25, 26, and 27, when once again, Bangor’s waterfront parks will be filled with music, song, and dance from the world’s best traditional… Read More
    BANGOR – It’s only February, but preparations for the second annual American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront Aug. 25-27 are well under way. The first seven of more than 20 performing groups were announced Wednesday by festival organizers. Stymied in 2005 when a flight… Read More
    BANGOR – With two Cajun groups and one Creole jazz band, performers from Louisiana were well-represented at the American Folk Festival last weekend in Bangor. Unfortunately, returning to the Big Easy on Monday proved not so easy for them after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Read More
    Pick it up, Bangor. That’s what Lester “Ska” Sterling, alto sax player for the Skatalites, commanded the crowd to do at the band’s Friday night performance on the Kenduskeag Dance Stage. And they did, with great enjoyment. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
    They came by bus and bike, in cars and kayaks, on foot and strollers. Some festivaled solo, others in packs. Most arrived accompanied by a few close friends or a handful of family. They came for the fun, the food, the festive atmosphere and to… Read More
    “Aloha, Maine! It’s so good to be here on the island of Bangor!” The Hawaiian word “Aloha” is a warmly inclusive word with multilayered meanings of love, mercy, compassion, blessings, greetings and farewell. And the Saturday afternoon performance of Hawaiian slack-key guitarists Cyril Pahinui and… Read More
    Cephas & Wiggins and Bettye LaVette treated festivalgoers Friday night to a history of the blues in back-to-back performances on the Penobscot Stage. John Cephas and Phil Wiggins revealed the roots of the blues that cling to the dark dirt deep down in the Piedmont… Read More
    It is impossible to not dance to salsa music. You can try to resist, but it’s futile: Your hips will start to twitch, your feet will start to move, and try as you might, your body can’t help but wiggle around, whether you know how to salsa or… Read More
    Bangor’s rivers have a rich history of logging, but “wood” never blended so beautifully with the waterways as on Saturday, when Tony Ballog & The Golden Strings played traditional Hungarian music on amber-hued string instruments at Two Rivers Stage. Two violins, a bass and the cymbalom, Hungary’s version… Read More
    Maybe Del McCoury missed out on the late ’60s and early ’70s, perhaps lying low in some hollow – make that “holler” – in the hills of Tennessee, letting the tie-dyed, hippie influences on bluegrass roll on past him. To see McCoury and his band… Read More
    The word on the street is that the inaugural year of The American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront will be just as successful as the three-year run of the National Folk Festival. The American Folk Festival, a local spinoff of the National, runs Aug. Read More
    . Don’t bring pets, other than service animals. . Use discretion when bringing small children. Some toddlers may be overwhelmed by the crowds. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i =… Read More
    Aug. 26-28 . Friday: Mostly sunny, high reaching 80. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
    All the cooking demonstrations take place on Sunday, Aug. 28. Delia Michaud will demonstrate Argentinian cuisine at noon; Maria Rave will prepare Brazilian fare at 1 p.m.; Lillian Lo will make Chinese food at 2 p.m. while the Dar family and Hampden resident Aniko Fulep are scheduled to… Read More
    AUGUSTA (77 miles from Bangor) Maine Department of Agriculture 51 googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    Saturday: 1 p.m. Children’s Area; Sunday: 4 p.m. Children’s Area Go almost anywhere in the state of Maine, and you’ll find people who know about Tony the “Bug Man.” Maine Discovery Museum’s natural history educator, Tony Sohns has brought his science programs to audiences from… Read More
    Saturday: 4 p.m. Children’s Area; Sunday: 2 p.m. Children’s Area Greg Boardman has practiced his unique brand of fiddling throughout Maine and beyond for more than three decades. His love of Maine fiddling brought him early to the feet of local old-time masters such as… Read More
    Saturday: 1:40 p.m., Two Rivers; Sunday: 1 p.m. Heritage, 4:15 p.m. Penobscot. Tony Ellis is a banjo and fiddle player of astounding skill and innovation, a legend among people who really know bluegrass and old-time music. Ellis was born in Sylva, N.C., in 1939. The… Read More
    Bahamas Junkanoo Revue Bahamian parade group googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    The National Folk Festival, which enlivened the Bangor waterfront for the past three summers, appealed to a broad spectrum of people young and old. Now 2005 American Folk Festival organizers have an equally rich lineup of artists and exhibitors to entertain different age groups and people from diverse… Read More
    Friday: 7 p.m. parade from Heritage to Railroad; Saturday: 12:30 p.m. Children’s Area, 7 p.m. parade from Heritage to Railroad; Sunday: 12:45 p.m. Children’s Area The Bahamian Junkanoo parade, featuring vibrant percussive music and elaborate costumes, is one of the most prominent symbols of South… Read More
    Saturday: 2 p.m. Children’s Area; Sunday: 3 p.m. Children’s Area Les Pieds Rigolants (“The Giggling Feet”) is an ensemble of young dancers from Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, the state’s largest Franco-American community. Their specialty is the percussive dance style of French Canada known as la gigue. Known… Read More
    Friday: 8 p.m. Kenduskeag; Saturday: 1 p.m. Railroad, 5 p.m. Kenduskeag The Skatalites are living musical legends, founding fathers of the modern Jamaican sound. Four decades ago, the group virtually invented ska, the upbeat dance music that spawned rock steady and reggae, and inspired three… Read More
    Saturday: 3 p.m. Railroad, 8:45 p.m. Railroad The Del McCoury Band’s first-rate instrumental work and vocal firepower combined with deep-rooted dedication to bluegrass heritage have kept this family band a favorite with traditionalists. Its eclectic and adventurous repertoire also has gained it a host of… Read More
    Cajun cuisine, including crawfish, alligator, shrimp scampi, garlic shrimp, crab cakes and oysters Hammerhead’s Seafood googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice())… Read More