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News Release Seldovia Arts Council June 15, 2001 For more information, please contact:
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The Seldovia Arts Council is sponsoring the first-ever Seldovia Folk Festival in this picturesque south-central village of 300 people. The festival, which runs from July 18th through the 22nd, is being billed as "like playing for friends around a kitchen table, only a little bigger," according to Arts Council programming chair and festival organizer Susan Mumma. The festival kicks off on Wednesday July 18th with a concert and dance featuring an all-girl band from Australia called Fruit. The band of six young women will play at the Susan B. English School Commons and is best described as acoustic pop. Fruit’s eclectic set also touches funk, blues, rock, and groove. Of outrageous appeal, however, are the strength of the vocals and the use of hard-hitting harmony. Two electric guitars, one-woman woodwinds, and drums join original vocals about hope, discovery, and self-expression. Tickets to this event are available in advance at Seldovia retailers for $12-adults and $10-children. Tickets may also be purchased at the door for $17-adults and $15-children. On Thursday, the festival continues with a contra dance workshop and dance. My Home Upholstery Strang Band will provide a mix of Irish and English tunes ideal for contra, square, and country dancing. Bill and Betty Connors from Fairbanks will call, and members of The Dancing Bears, a folk dance group, will give contra dance lessons. |
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Friday evening, My Home Upholstery Strang Band provides the core for an open stage concert, where all performers and dancers are welcome. Mumma urges performers who like an intimate small-town setting to come and share their songs. "We are not trying to re-create the Juneau Folk Festival here, nor the Talkeetna Bluegrass Festival," said Mumma, "but rather we wish to provide an informal and friendly venue where musicians can get together and share songs with one another and with the audience. Seldovia is a wonderful community for musicians. Impromptu performances and jam sessions can occur most anywhere: the old boardwalk, a street-side bench, or a sunny deck overlooking the harbor." Expected guest performers include Seldovia’s noted Sea Otter Dancers, a group of elementary and secondary school girls who perform both traditional Native Alaskan and Celtic-type dances in costume.
Saturday night wraps up the festival, with a final contra dance in the village and then a bonfire on the Outside Beach at midnight. For the Thursday through Sunday events, the all-inclusive ticket price is $15.00. Individual events are $7.00 at the door. Seldovia is served by two Homer-based airlines and one airline offering direct flights from Anchorage, as well as two daily tour boats, several water-taxis, and the state ferry M/V Tustemena. Hotel, B&B, and camping accommodations are available in the community. For more information on the festival or to inquire about performing, contact Susan Mumma at 234-7614 or rowing@ptialaska.net. For information on getting to Seldovia or accommodations, visit www.Seldovia.com or call the Seldovia Chamber at 234-7612. |