Untitled - Mariposa Folk Festival

DO.IT-YOURSELF FUN AT FOLK PLAY
by Sandy Byer
AFTER TWENTY FIVE YEARS.
Mariposa has evolved Folk Play -
our version of an enchanted forest.
Mariposa has always had children's
concerts. ln 197 4, the begi nni ngs of a
children's area evolved with concerts
by Mariposa In The Schools. In 1975,
children's programming expanded
by offering "Under As the Children's Area expanded,
our emphasis began to change. We
no longer thought of it as simply a
children's area. We found that many
parents were staying with their
children and enjoyed sharing
activities with them. Our emphasis
changed to family programming and
The Trees", an the Play Area became the place
opportunity to sing, dance or listen to where whole families could spend
a story in an unamplified area. In the day. However, over the years, we
1976, a stage was devoted solely to have also noticed that many adults
the children's concerts. Program- attended without children. They
med by Lois Lilienstein and Sharon came to play and enjoy themselves.
Hampson, these concerts set the As a result,
standard for children's areas at other
festivafs. ln'1977, the Play Area was
added adjacent to the Children's
Stage. This provided children with an
opportunity to play with puppets,
dance around a maypole, dress up,
join in a play party, or play a variety of
games. In 1978, a Children's Craft
Centre was added next to the Play
Area. This was a place where
children could make a varietv of folk
crafts.
"Folk Play" was
introduced last year and organized
by Sandy Byer, Caroline Parry,
Camilla Gryski, and lsabel Fryzberg.
Continuing this year with the added
help of Carol Howe and Mary
Molton, this festival within a festival
offers people of all ages the chance
to play, be challenged, learn things
and participate. In addition to a
programmed stage, a Play Area, and
a Folk Arts Area, we introduced a
Learn and Do Area - an opportunity
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to learn about a variety of folk arts as
well as do them. One of last year's
highlights was being taught to play
the bones by Percy Danforth. This
year we are creating Percy's Porch, a
permanent home for learning to play
the bones. After last year's success
with dulcimers, we are creating a
separate space where people can
assemble cardboard dulcimers and
learn to play them. (Kits can be
purchased at the Millwheel booth on
site). We are also expanding our face
painting to create a tattoo (face) and
massage (head and shoulders)
parlour, and will be initiating our
H2O Pub, where folk players can get
liquid refreshment (delicio0s water)
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and entertain each other. You may
even bumo into a clown or two.
PERFORMANCE AREA:
On thb grass; before a tented
stage, children and adults can sit
themselves down and enjoy a whole
day's activities of music, dance,
puppetry, storytelling, and much
more. But that doesn't mean just
sitting and watching. There will be
lots of opportunities to sing along
and create songs together, move to
exotic Latin American rhythms or a
lively Quebegois tune, participate in
puppet shows and stories, and dance
a Square dance or a Morris dance.
Appearing on stage will be Mariposa
In The Schools veterans Eric Nagler,
Chris Whitely, Rick Avery and Judy
Greenhill, Caroline Parry, Sandv
Byer, The Whole Loaf Theatre, The
Georgia Sea lsland Singers, Cathy
Fink, The Goat's Head Morris, The
Fiddle Puppets, the Original Hurdy
Gurdy Man, Marcel Messervier
Allstars, lzvor, and a host of other
performers who know how to have
fun and appeal to people of all ages.
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