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35th Anniversary

Thoughts on the 35th Anniversary of the NJ Folk Festival

Lest we take criticism from all those math over-achievers at Rutgers, we must start with a confession. Strictly speaking, of course, we are celebrating the 35th edition of the Festival, rather than the 35th Anniversary. The very first Festival took place in late April of 1975, some 34 years ago. In my memory, 1975 seems like yesterday. It seems almost unbelievable that 34 years have gone by. Those who were back then would have no problem recognizing the Festival of today. The beautiful grounds of the Woodlawn Estate are still green. The handsome building at the top of the hill with its white columns still dominates the landscape. The event still takes place during the last Saturday in April, and it still coincides with Ag Field Day. Grownups still pull their children around in red wagons. Food vendors still sell the nearly-irresistible funnel cakes sprinkled with powdered sugar. College students still play Frisbee, even though we try to discourage the practice because we worry about the fragile pottery offered for sale. Families from Cook still wander over to our event laden with plants that they have purchased. Young couples still soak up the sun while sprawled out on blankets. And the music sounds much the same.

Have you ever hard the phrase “time flies while you’re having fun”? I guess that’s why I have trouble realizing that 34 years have gone by. It seems like a mystery. If you really think about it, we only perceive a state of “now” because we have memories of the days that have gone by. Without those memories, we would have no concept of a past or a future. So to be honest, a lot of time has indeed gone by. What was going on in 1975? The North Vietnamese took Saigon, ending the Vietnam War. That war is already fading in memory as new wars have taken its place. Microsoft was just getting started, and few had heard of it. Now it is everywhere. Back in 1975 when the Folk Festival was getting started, the average cost of a new house was $39,300.00, and the average income was only $14,100 per year. Gasoline at the pump was 44 cents a gallon, and a new car would cost you only $4,250.00. At the Festival craft spaces were rented out for $10 each, and food vendor spaces cost $35 each. Yes, things have changed.

I recall that, back in 1975, I ran the Festival with only two student officers on the committee, whereas today we have a dozen. Originally, we had one stage with live music; today we have three. As the festival grew, we decided that every year we would have a new theme. Most years we would focus on a particular ethnic group in New Jersey. For example, on a given year we might feature the traditions of Italy or Greece or Lebanon or Puerto Rico. Once in a while, we would step outside that pattern and feature something different such as “Agriculture in New Jersey” or “Women in Folk” or “Old Ways in New Brunswick.” As the years went by, we hit on the concept of marking an anniversary every five years. Now we have hit the 35th year mark, so it gives us another chance to pause, to look back and reflect where we have been and to look ahead to what we might plan for the future.

Cultural observer and author Gail Sheehy argues that age thirty-five is an important watershed period in the lives of women and men. It’s a time of restless vitality, she says. Almost everyone wants to make some changes. A man may have been dutifully doing his job for years, but he suddenly feels too narrowed and restricted. He begins to ask if life is just all work and no play. A woman who may have been at home with children wants to expand her horizons. On the other hand, if she has been pursing a career, she may now be looking for emotional attachment. It is often a period of great change, turmoil, and crisis.

So what does turning thirty-five imply for an institution such as the New Jersey Folk Festival? This is a dangerous time when institutions can either fall into stagnation or well up with fresh creativity. There is no shortage of crises and pitfalls. For example, as I approach the customary age of retirement, the administration will someday have to find my replacement. But more importantly, the Festival Board of Trustees has to constantly take a fresh look at how things are done. There are some built-in safeguards to keep things fresh. In the first place, every year new undergraduate students are recruited to serve on the Folk Festival Committee. They bring the enthusiasm and vitality of youth to the project. In the second place, by changing the theme every year, the faculty and the professional staff are forced to do fresh fieldwork to find new tradition-bearers—the singers, the dancers, the musicians, and the craftspeople who make up a given set of ethnic traditions. This process gives us the chance to meet new people, visit new places, and learn something new.

Finally, we are embarking on a new and exciting era for the New Jersey Folk Festival by partnering with the brand new concept of Rutgers Day. This new umbrella event encompassing the entire University brings with it new opportunities for us. We are pleased that the University is going all-out with an advertising program to bring Rutgers Day to the attention of the people of New Jersey. With this new publicity, there will be new and exciting challenges for us, learning how to accommodate larger and larger crowds. We look forward with eager anticipation to the years ahead.

—Angus Kress Gillespie, Faculty Advisor

© 2010 New Jersey Folk Festival, Inc. - Problems? Contact njff@rci.rutgers.edu.