<< Back 7/17/02 Folkmoot founder’s vision lives on today SMN In 1973, Dr. Clifton Border, a Waynesville surgeon, accompanied a local square dance team to a folk festival in Sidmuth, England, and there the dream that would become Folkmoot USA began. Border was convinced that Western North Carolina, already steeped in the traditions and dedicated to the preservation of its own heritage, was the perfect location for an international folk festival in the United States. Robert “Bob” Phillips, a member of the Folkmoot Board of Directors, was a member of the dance team that traveled to England and he recalls watching Border’s dream unfold. “We took more than 70 people over there, and Dr. Border was our team doctor,” he said. “We took an adult team and an elementary team. Our band was the Carolina Country Boys. We all had a wonderful time. Over the next few years, he went to other festivals in Poland and France. By the time he went to that one in France, he’d really gotten the bug.” Border’s visits to other European festivals helped him gather information and develop valuable contacts, but he was also talking to everyone he could think of back home, from local government leaders to North Carolina’s governor. In 1982, he was ready to gather Haywood County community leaders to present his vision. One month later a proposed board of directors met to launch Folkmoot USA, the North Carolina International Festival. The first festival was held in 1984, a date coinciding with North Carolina’s 400th birthday celebration. The name Folkmoot, an old English word meaning “meeting of the people,” was borrowed from an English Folkmoot that used to be held in New Castle Upon Tyne, England, but no longer exists today. The first festival included folk groups from nine countries, including England, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Turkey, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Spain. Also performing were Arthell “Doc” Watson, now one of the best-known performers of Appalachian music in the United States, the Berea College Dancers and The Peter Gott Family from Marshall. Nineteen years later, there have been 180 groups from 95 countries. In keeping with Festival policy, an entirely new program of performers is offered each year. Over the years, the Festival has established several key components that have become major events in and of themselves. Thousands turn out each year for the Parade of Nations, the first official public event, down Waynesville’s Main Street. That evening, all the groups gather at The Stompin’ Ground in Maggie Valley for Celebrate the World Opening, the first public performance. On the second Saturday of the Festival, Waynesville’s Main Street is transformed into a scene reminiscent of European festivals with Folkmoot mini-performances of music and dance, craft sales by local and foreign artisans and international and traditional foods. This special day is co-sponsored by the Haywood County Arts Council. World Friendship Sunday, now in its third year, has become another favorite. Held on the first Sunday of the Festival at Stuart Auditorium in Lake Junaluska, the event allows performers and the audience to celebrate the common bonds that draw us together — the love of music and dance and the hope for increased world peace. The festival closes with the moving Candlelight Closing Ceremony, again held at Lake Junaluska’s Stuart Auditorium. Following a performance by each group, the performers line the vast auditorium- lighting candles to show that what has been ignited during the festival will not end with the last curtain. The ceremony is often an emotional experience for the audience, who don’t want to see the festival end, but particularly for the performers. The bonds they develop with the other groups are strong and saying goodbye is hard, especially for those performers who must leave immediately after the ceremony to begin their journeys home. Tremendous support from the community has made Folkmoot possible with people of diverse talents volunteering their time and expertise. Organizations and governmental agencies have also been supportive of this premiere festival. The Haywood County Board of Education, municipal and county governments and legislators, and chambers of commerce provide assistance in a variety of ways. Performances are held each night of the Festival in Haywood County as well as towns throughout Western North Carolina. The main objective of the Festival continues to be the sharing of cultural aspects of music and dance, providing educational opportunities, and the promotion of international understanding and good will.