Bellingham’s Folk Festival starts Jan. 23, with events happening daily through Jan. 26 in downtown Bellingham.
The festival has kept a similar format since 2014. However, this year it is experiencing changes after Cayley Schmid, the director and creator of the festival, decided to step down into a more managerial position.
Due to the work the festival demanded of her, Schmid left her position as director after 10 years. Now, she organizes the festival's website and communications.
“I love what we did over the last 10 years, but I think this new way is going to be even better,” Schmid said.
This year, rather than a single director coordinating everything, multiple outside organizers are coordinating their own events and venues. The organizers then email the festival, and Schmid uploads that information to the schedule and webpage.
“The thinking behind this is that the work capacity of one person can limit what's included,” Schmid said. “And it would be nice to open the festival up to anyone that wants to get involved and not just what I can handle.”
One new group getting involved is Western Washington University's Roots Music Group, a club that plays gigs on and off campus. The Root Music Group will host a square dance and workshop at the Blue Room on Saturday.
“Square dancing is the epitome of old-time music,” said Liz Binnington, president and founder of the Roots Music Group.
Their workshop will be held from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. In addition to square dance history, Binnington plans to teach basic moves and square dancing calls. Roots will also be hosting an all-ages square dance at 8 p.m. on Saturday at the Blue Room.
Binnington is excited not only for the square dance but for the festival as a whole.
“I love to see what other people do and I learn a lot from observing,” Binnington said. “I showed up to jams and asked, and listened, and watched and then copied basically. I try to show up in those spaces and learn from the people.”
One thing Binnington loves about folk music is its collaborative nature.
“If you're in an orchestra, you need to lean on your people. But even more so in fiddle because a lot of it is improvisatory,” Binnington said. “You have to rely on the people who are keeping you down, we all have to work together to create cool stuff.”
Binnington and Schmid both love folk music’s ability to bring people together, and the festival helps facilitate that.
“The format we have had the last several years it's kind of like a decentralized urban festival. It feels like you're kind of in the festival all the time, even though most of the people around you probably have no idea what's going on,” Schmid said. “It makes you feel more connected to the people on the sidewalk and businesses you’re going into.”
Ted O’Connell, a professor at Skagit Valley College, has been attending the Bellingham Folk Festival for the past eight years.
“When I was a kid, the kind of music that was sort of the compromise music between my parents and me was Willie Nelson,” O’Connell said. “Also bluegrass, my dad used to take me hunting and he’d play Bill Monroe cassette tapes in his car.”
Folk and Bluegrass music wasn’t just a part of O’Connell’s childhood. For 25 years, he was a member of the Prozac Mountain Boys, a Bellingham bluegrass band.
O’Connell has hosted the Locals on Locals event at the festival over the last three years. At Locals on Locals, participants share and play the music of other Whatcom and Skagit County musicians.
“That's been pretty cool; seeing people come to the space and play somebody else's songs and honor other songwriters,” O’Connell said.
Anyone interested in performing a song at the Locals on Locals event should interview O’Connell at capeflatterymusic@gmail.com
“There’s no money changing hands, it's not a monetary gain but it's real… it's a feather in your cap, it's a good feeling. It's kind of the ultimate compliment,” O’Connell said.
To see every event the festival has to offer, check out the schedule.
Jackson Kelly (he/him) is a second-year student at Western Washington University studying Journalism News/editorial and Theatre. In his free time he enjoys playing Pokemon, going out and enjoying nature, and nerding out over transformers. He can be reached at jackson.thefront@gmail.com
