Just this past weekend, on April 22, the Green House hosted their annual Folk Fest event. This will be the eleventh year that the event has been hosted and it was very fittingly hosted on Earth Day! The event included various different bands, with styles ranging from traditional Appalachian string music to contemporary folk and acoustic pop music. From 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., individual students and bands, composed of students from our very own St. Lawrence community, performed their music. These bands included Grace Brouillette and Sarah Weaver, Finger Paint, The Little Guys, Lucky, Grace Gargan, The Earl Greys, and Group Shower (Group Shower also played as an opener for Neon Trees during this year’s Spring Fest concert!).

After students from our campus community finished their performances, there were many local people and bands who came to play their music and share their stories. These bands and people included Dan Berggren, Richard Hayes Phillips, Nine Miles from Town (which featured many faculty from our own departments here at St. Lawrence), Nicholfalls, Lonewolf and the Spaghetti Corner Band, Damn Tall Buildings, and the Oshima Brothers. The last two bands were Folk Fest’s feature bands. Damn Tall Buildings, a band from Brookyln, NY, played a variety of blues, bluegrass, and vintage swing music for us to enjoy. Afterwards, Oshima Brothers, a folk duo from Maine, ended the show for us by playing a mix of contemporary folk and Americana music.

Along with getting to listen to all these wonderful performers, some even got the crowd to participate and dance or sing along with them! For those who preferred not to dance or sing but still wanted to enjoy the atmosphere and music, there were games set up nearby such as cornhole, Spikeball, KanJam, and ladder toss.

In addition to all the wonderful folk music, there were also various vendors who came to share and sell their artwork and/or food. One booth had jewelry and mirror frames made out of old skis (how cool and resourceful!), another had homemade soap and hygiene products, while one had everything maple, from candies, to popcorn, to syrup. Some of the vendors were also current St. Lawrence students looking to share their creativity with the community. There were students selling items they had hand crotched, students selling prints they had created, students selling jewelry they had made, and more.

Overall, Folk Fest was a great chance not only to highlight creative talents in terms of music and art of both our campus and local community, but also to get together and have some fun while also meeting new people and supporting the people who live around you! Folk Fest was enjoyed by young and old alike and was an excellent way of bringing people together to relax and have some fun.