Nearly 300 performers from nine countries will descend on Haywood County July 18 to 29 for the Folkmoot Festival held throughout WNC. Folkmoot USA is a two-week celebration of the world’s cultural heritage through folk music and dance held each summer in Western North Carolina. Folkmoot features performances, a parade and workshops with the performers, who demonstrate cultural heritage through colorful, authentic and original reproduction costumes, lively dance and traditional music.
This year’s participants will come from New Zealand, Indonesia, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Belgium, France, Serbia and Hawaii. This July, Folkmoot will feature eight all-group performances, which has doubled from 2011.
The festival kicks off on July 18 at the Folkmoot Friendship Center for HomeTrust Bank’s Haywood County Family Night. The performance is family-centered and includes sodas, freeze pops and popcorn. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.
All of the following shows include performances by all eight groups and offer half price tickets for children 12 and younger:
• July 19, 7:30 p.m. — Gala Preview and Reception at the Stompin’ Ground in Maggie Valley. The private event is for Friends of Folkmoot, donors and sponsors. Call 877-FOLKUSA to join Friends of Folkmoot and get two tickets.
• July 20, 7:30 p.m. — Grand Opening at the Stompin’ Ground. Reserved seating: $30, $25; General admission: $20.
• July 21, 7:30 p.m. — Haywood Community College in Clyde. Reserved seating: $30, $25; General admission: $20.
• July 22, 1:30 p.m. — Diana Wortham Theater in Asheville. General Admission: $30.
• July 25, 2:00 p.m. — Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock. General Admission: $30; half price for students and faculty.
• July 27, 2:00 p.m. — Extravaganza Matinee at the Stompin’ Ground. Reserved seating: $30, $25; General admission: $20.
• July 28, 7:30 p.m. — Haywood Community College. Reserved seating: $30, $25; General admission: $20.
• July 29, 7:00 p.m. — Candlelight Closing at the Stuart Auditorium in Lake Junaluska. Reserved seating: $30, $25; General admission: $20
www.FolkmootUSA.org or 877.FOLKUSA.
I had never seen the color green like that before.
Robert Morgan has a rare and cunning gift: he can sift through the detritus of the past, pluck objects and images from his memory (especially his childhood) and elevate them to the point where they become — in the sense that Joseph Campbell uses the word — “numinous.”
