Behind the Richmond Folk Festival

Each October since 2005, Richmond has been taking a whirlwind tour of the globe, sampling music, dance, and art from many cultures. The National Folk Festival, held on the downtown riverfront from 2005-2007, was such a good time that we continued the tradition: the event became the Richmond Folk Festival, scheduled this year for October 10-12, the 10th year of the festival in our city.

The long-standing gig has been popular and successful, but the free festival produced by Venture Richmond, featuring more than 30 performance groups on seven live stages for three days, requires a lot of work. Like any tour, backstage at the folk festival involves the efforts of many “roadies” – and they do much more than move equipment and set up lights. Before the show opens, much must be done to market, staff, and fund the event. Here’s a peek behind the curtain.

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VOLUNTEER POWER

While corporate sponsors pick up the tab on the lion’s share of the event expenses, one way the Richmond Folk Festival remains a free event is through volunteer workers. They are a part of nearly every aspect of the festival, from picking up recycling and helping to set up and tear down stages to selling goods and beverages to keeping performers safe and happy. In 2013, more than 1,300 volunteers fueled the festival.

In fact, one volunteer’s work is managing the schedules of all the other volunteers. George Cain has been providing that service since the very first festival, matching the volunteers’ time, place, and activity preferences with the event’s needs. Working far ahead of the festival dates, he deals with volunteer applications and works with Jamie Thomas, the volunteer coordinator, on group shifts.

Cain came to the festival after taking an early retirement and was immediately welcomed for his computer skills and commitment to the event. He says that in addition to his office work, he usually signs himself up for a volunteer shift as well.

“This is one of the premier events in Richmond. I’m very fortunate and proud to be a part of it,” he says. “There’s such a diversity of music, and it’s all free!” 

Among the most visible of the volunteers are those who serve in the “Bucket Brigade,” soliciting donations that help keep the festival free. Dressed in neon orange T-shirts and carrying large buckets, they give donors stickers that announce, “I made a drop in the bucket.”

“It’s fun to walk around and engage with the audiences, and it really does help to cover the costs of operation,” says Laura Napky, Bucket Brigade team leader for seven years. About 300 volunteers daily fan out around the stages, each working an average shift of three to four hours. Good cheer and fun are emphasized, with the “sales pitch” only a reminder that one could be paying much more than a drop in the bucket to hear and see such good performances.

“The majority response is positive,” Napky says. “Each stage costs about a million dollars to run… Many are eager to drop a twenty [dollar bill] in the bucket.”

Local clubs and organizations often volunteer as a group at the festival, adding to the fun. The Parrot Head Club of Richmond, for example, has sent 10 of its members each year since 2009 to staff one of the beer sale booths. “It’s purely a give thing, but we have a good time doing it,” says Ron Hudson, the group’s current president. “We can enjoy some of the music and contribute at the same time.”

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TASTY CONTRIBUTIONS 

Last year, another plan to keep the festival free was cooked up: the Folk Feast, a fundraising tasting experience that echoes the festival’s emphasis on culture and tradition. Held on the Tuesday before the festival (this year’s will be October 7), the feast brings together chefs from area restaurants providing samples of their signature and iconic dishes. In addition to the tasting tables, the event at the upper portion of Historic Tredegar will offer samples of Wild Wolf Brewing’s 2014 Folktoberfest beer, wine by Tap 26, and music by The Green Boys.

Beyond the fabulous food, a $100 ticket gives each donor free parking for all days of the Richmond Folk Festival and a pin exempting them from Bucket Brigade solicitations. The donations are considered tax-deductible contributions.

“This is our only fundraiser besides the Bucket Brigade,” notes Kira Siddall, one of the feast’s two coordinating volunteers, along with Thomas Arrington. She says it drew 250 participants last year, a mix of people who mostly “just love the folk festival and want to contribute to it.” 

The same goes for the participating restaurants and chefs, who donate all their food and work for the Folk Feast. Carena Ives of Jamaica House and Carena’s Jamaican Grille has had food booths at the festival for several years and is looking forward to the “give back” of her donation to the feast.

“The festival, with its interest in culture and tradition, marries well with our food,” she says, which is the traditional comfort food of her native Jamaica. “If it weren’t for the Richmond community, [the festival] would not have grown to what it is. Here you get to see all these fantastic performers, and it’s free to the public! As a business person, I want to be a part of something that special.”

Ives’s menu for the Folk Feast will likely include a pumpkin soup with the addition of some locally sourced ingredients, and, of course, one or more jerked meats that promise to carry samplers directly to the Caribbean island.

Other restaurants at the Folk Feast will be Pasture, Comfort, The Magpie, Heritage, Julep’s, Rappahannock, Secco Wine Bar, The Roosevelt, Mama J’s, Metzger’s Bar & Butchery, The Rogue Gentlemen, Toast, Estilo, and Lemaire.

Siddall points out that the fundraiser not only fits in with the festival’s cultural diversity, but also with Richmond’s growing reputation as a food destination. “I’m excited that Richmond has embraced this event,” she says. “It brings together a wide range of people, from Richmond foodies to people who simply want to help the folk festival.”

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Click here to see this article in our September/October issue of River City magazine!