Butte, Mont., lands National Folk Festival run

BUTTE, Mont. – Butte has landed the host role for the National Folk Festival for three years starting in 2008.

The three-day event draws thousands of people and celebrates American culture through music, dance, workshops, storytelling, parades, craft exhibits and food, according to the National Council for the Traditional Arts.

While Butte is playing host, the festival would be a statewide event, celebrating all aspects of Montana and the West, from the American Indian cultures to the cowboy traditions.

“I promise you the level of artistry will be stunning,” said Julia Olin, executive director of the NCTA. “The National Folk Festival showcases the best our nation has to offer.”

The NCTA chose Butte over 22 other cities that applied to host the event, after visiting the Mining City earlier this month.

“Butte has some of the nicest, friendliest people I have ever met,” Olin said. “We also got this sense of competent, committed people who would dig in and do the hard work necessary to pull off something as big as this.”

Richmond, Va., has hosted the event for the past two years, drawing more than 100,000 visitors in 2006. It will host the event again Oct. 12-14.

The National Folk Festival was held in Bangor, Maine, in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

“We’re real excited. It’s a great honor and an opportunity for Butte,” said George Everett, executive director of Mainstreet Uptown Butte. “We’re really looking forward to getting started to make it happen and make sure it’s the best festival in the United States.”

Commitments from local government and nonprofit groups are considered when awarding the festival. The Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commissioners granted Mainstreet Uptown Butte $5,000 in economic development mill levy money to help pursue the festival.