Folk Fest organizers announce more details

BANGOR – Organizers of the American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront have announced additional details of the performers scheduled to appear at the August event. They include the Ethel Caffie-Austin Singers, Robert Belfour, the Chinese Folk Art Workshop and Yorick’s Marionette Theater.

Plus, programming for the Festival’s Folk and Traditional Arts stages has been confirmed and will feature the traditional decorative arts of tole painting and rug hooking, cooking traditional Maine foods at the Taste of Traditions stage, and a reunion of several performers who were part of Stacy’s Country Jamboree in the 1960s and ’70s.

. The Ethel Caffie-Austin Singers – Ethel Caffie-Austin is a pianist, vocalist, choir leader and educator who is steeped in the traditions and styles of the black church. Acclaimed as West Virginia’s “First Lady of Gospel Music,” she has been the recipient of the Jefferson Award for Humanity, West Virginia’s Brotherhood Award, and many other prestigious honors.

. Robert Belfour – Born and raised in the hill country of north Mississippi, Belfour plays the pulsing, insistent style of blues boogie that is a birthright of all those born in and around his Holly Springs hometown. Belfour’s deep voice has plenty of rough charisma, and he bawls out every line with the despair of a haunted man.

. Yorick’s Marionette Theater will present Czech puppetry, a style of puppetry that is renowned for its ability to bring delight to audiences both young and old. Yorick’s Marionette Theater, founded in 1991 by master puppeteer Dusan Petran, continues this venerable tradition in the United States.

. The Chinese Folk Art Workshop is a Boston-based nonprofit group that promotes Chinese cultural interaction and understanding in the community. Formed in 1998, the workshop completes its mission by organizing lessons in Chinese traditional arts, group activities and public performances in the Boston area. In the past, members of the group have performed at the Boston Children’s Museum, the Pawtucket Dragon Boat Festival, First Night Boston, the Boston International Festival, and the Greater Boston Chinese Community Association Night.

. The Maine Folklife Center at the University of Maine coordinates the programming of the Festival’s Folk and Traditional Arts area, which this year will highlight three very different components of Maine’s cultural heritage.

At the Taste of Traditions stage, Mainers will share their techniques for preparing and preserving traditional Maine foods, including smoked salmon, fiddleheads, sardines, and Needhams, potato candy. At the exhibit area and narrative stage, visitors can learn about the domestic arts of rug hooking and tole painting, and artisans come together to showcase, share and discuss their work.

The third Maine tradition to be featured at the festival is a reunion of several performers who were central to Stacy’s Country Jamboree, a popular television broadcast across Eastern Maine and New Brunswick in the late 1960s and ’70s. The festival will bring together a program of Maine country music and stories from Stacy’s performers and their children.

The American Folk Festival is presented free of charge to the public thanks to the support of many corporate, foundation and individual gifts. Nearly 400 businesses and individuals have already stepped up to help keep the American Folk Festival available to all. Fundraising efforts continue, in order to meet the 2006 goal. Those interested in contributing to the festival should call 974-3217.

The American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront is produced by the Bangor Folk Festival, in partnership with the City of Bangor, Eastern Maine Development Corporation, the National Council for the Traditional Arts and the Maine Folklife Center at the University of Maine.

For information about the 2006 American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront, visit www.americanfolkfestival.com, or call the American Folk Festival at 40 Harlow St., Bangor, ME 04401, 992-2630.