It was a warm August evening when my husband and I attended the first night of this much anticipated event. We got out food and sat down on one of the railroad ties overlooking the Penobscot River with the sun on our faces. A young man approached us, introduced himself as a photographer, and asked for our names for a picture. When our picture appeared in the newspaper the next day, I clipped it out and taped it to my dresser mirror. During the long, cold winter, I would look at that picture, remember the warm sun on our faces and the memories we made at the 2002 National Folk Festival.

Editor’s Note: For Bangor resident Patricia Hall Barker, the 2002 National Folk Festival was a special time. She shares her experience as the 2003 National Folk Festival opens today in Bangor.