Volunteers rock out at special party of thanks

BANGOR – It wasn’t about hitting all the right notes, making all the right moves on the dance floor or being perfectly in tune. Instead, it was a party to celebrate the hard work of the hundreds of volunteers and staff members it takes to make the National Folk Festival a reality.

“The party is one of the most special ways that we have to thank our volunteers,” Noelle Richard, assistant Folk Festival director, said Saturday night. “They do so much for us before, during and even after the festival.”

The annual bash, which is held exclusively for NFF volunteers and staff, starts at about 10 p.m. the Saturday night of the festival and continues into the wee hours of Sunday morning. Folk Fest performers join the party, and it’s not unusual to hear rock ‘n’ rollers in spontaneous jam sessions with fiddlers and Cuban salsa musicians as was the case this year.

The event is held at a local establishment, and in almost every corner of the two rooms used for the party, you can find a diverse group of musicians groovin’ together and enjoying the diverse atmosphere.

While some in attendance choose to sit and relax as they listen and de-stress with a drink and snacks, others can be found tearing up the dance floor.

Richard, who has been an integral part of the festival planning, wasn’t left out of the fun Saturday night. As usual, the party was a little slow to get going, but once things got rocking around 1 a.m. Richards could be found cuttin’ a rug on the dance floor.

“It’s like you’ve been in battle all day together, and it’s a chance to wind down,” said Vivian Ross, 62, of Brewer. In her second year as a volunteer, Ross said she enjoyed the festivities and the chance to hear some of the performers she had missed while working during the day.

“You get to see some of the acts up close and personal,” Ross said, noting that she had only been able to hear a few groups throughout the day from her station at the information booth.

“It’s hard for [the volunteers] to get a chance to really get away and do those things,” volunteer coordinator Mary Turner said.

Jan Klitch, 72, of Old Town has volunteered for three years and always has attended the party. A musician, she loves the idea of so much talent gathered under one roof for the benefit of those who work hard to stage the festival.

The few mistakes heard in these impromptu gigs only enhanced the character and energy of the evening and reminded listeners that most of these performers had never played together before – and probably never will again.

“This really is nice to have this party for the volunteers,” Pete McIntosh, a volunteer from Old Town, said. “It’s kind of like saying ‘thanks for helping us out.'”

“It’s one thing to attend [the festival], but it’s another thing to kind of feel like a part of it,” McIntosh’s wife, Janice, said.

While the Anah Highlanders pipe and drum band played in the background, the couple explained that they decided to help with the event this year because they were worried that people might think this was the last year of the festival.

In a way it is, but Bangor has big plans for next year and volunteers said they made sure that people who attended this year’s festival knew it. Next year, Bangor will launch the first American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront.

Of the nearly 200 volunteers that attended Saturday night’s affair, not one could be found to say they wouldn’t be back to help out next year.

“I enjoy [volunteering] and meeting the people,” Klitch said. “It helps these things function. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to afford it.”

“It makes you feel a part of the community,” Ross said. “You get to meet a lot of neat people.”