Folks Fest

August 24, 2008

Todd Snider





Folks Fest



The first day of Folks Fest dawned rainy and cold, but that did not stop us from getting a coveted front row location in the pop-up section of the field. The process for entry is a bizarre lottery system in which spots in line are offered in a lottery system for people who line up after midnight. The first night’s lottery happened at about 1:30 AM and I joined some 600 or so people in line, getting a number in the low 200s.

Great Lakes Swimmers



Bruce took over from there, lining up again in the morning and rushing in to secure our spot once the gates opened. The importance of having a good pop up space was heightened due to the weather and the increased need for rain protection. The rain was heavy at times and lasted the better part of the day. The music however, went on as scheduled and it was amazing to see the majority of the crowd sit in the wind and rain all day long.



The musical line-up was awesome as usual; day one featured the Boulder Acoustic Society, Shawn Mullins, Dar Williams, Josh Ritter, Patty Griffin and Amos Lee on the main stage and the likes of Amy Speace and Madi Diaz at the Wildflower pavilion. Despite the inclement weather, we managed to have an awesome time, enjoying the excellent music and fine company in our dry and cozy pop-up.

Shawn Mullins

Dar Williams



Amos Lee- "Fat Bottomed Girls"

Unfortunately, Kathy had a flare up of a chronic back problem at the end of the day which prompted a late night visit to the emergency room at the hospital in Longmont. There she received some relief from medication and after a night in a warm and dry hotel room, we were able to make it back to Planet Bluegrass for day 2. Bruce and his friends had come through once again, this time scoring number 4 in the lottery and being able to snare our spot again.

Josh Ritter

Todd Snider



The rain had continued throughout the night and lasted well into the day. The line-up for day 2 featured Sarah Sample, Steve Seskin, Susan Werner, the Great Lake Swimmers, Todd Snider, The Waifs, Greg Brown & Nanci Griffith on the main stage. Thus one of my favorite’s (Todd Snider) and Kathy’s (Nanci Griffith) appeared on the same stage. They both delivered outstanding sets and thankfully, the rain had stopped before either took the stage.

Patty Griffin




Josh Ritter

Todd Snider

Nanci Griffith