Woody Guthrie Folk Festival

Okemah Oklahoma 2009

 

Each year, around the second or third weekend of July (whichever is closest to Woody Guthrie's birthday), the population of the small town of Okemah, Oklahoma doubles as music and Woody Guthrie fans from around the world gather for the annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival. This 5 day music festival is one of the best around.

The 12th annual festival was held from July 8th through the 12th with four days of free music from over 45 artists from around the world. Some of this years performers included: Jimmy LaFave, Sarah Lee Guthrie, Ronny Elliot, John Flynn, Don Conoscenti, Tony Lee Thomas, Audrey Auld, Nancy Apple, John Gorka, Joel Rafael, Sam Baker, Red Dirt Rangers, Larry Long, David Amram, Stoney La Rue, and Ellis Paul. The festival is free and the musicians all perform without compensation as a tribute to Woody, his lifestyle, music, and family.

People from all walks of life (young to old, hippies to bankers, war heroes to peaceniks, folk to rock fans) gather from all parts of the world (Italy, Spain, England, Austria and Kansas) to celebrate Woody's birthday and listen to some outstanding music. The fans are very friendly, love Woody and his music, and you quickly start to feel that this event is special and that you are a part of a large extended family of Woody fans and music lovers.

You'll hear fantastic music in an eclectic and varied set of venues which include:

• the open grassy field at the Pastures of Plenty
• the historic Crystal Theater
• an intimate setting at the underground basement of the Brickstreet Cafe which is reminiscent of the folksy coffee houses of the 60's
• the small outdoor patio under the oak trees at Lou's Rocky Road Tavern

• the white tent next to the vineyards at Grape Ranch
• the parking lot of the only Okemah hotel where all the musicians stay and pick into the wee morning hours
• at the Okemah City Park during the children's festival on Saturday
• the campground has music all day and all night
• along the sidewalks and in the parks of downtown Okemah

Each day there is music playing simultaneously at the Brickstreet Cafe, historic Crystal Theater, built in 1921, Rocky Road Tavern, and Grape Ranch from 11 to 5. At 6:30 PM each day music kicks off on the Pastures of Plenty stage (a stage in a big open field) and continues until around 11:30 PM. And then the music starts in the campground and in the hotel parking lot. Brickstreet and Rocky Road Tavern are next to each other in downtown Okemah, the Crystal theater is 3 blocks up the road, Grape Ranch is 6 miles south of downtown, and the campground, Pasture of Plenty, and hotel are less than two miles from the Brickstreet Cafe. As you meander from one downtown venue to another you're likely to pass musicians playing on the street corner or in the Woody Guthrie Park. In fact, one year a group of your rag tag troubadour musicians that had traveled from the east coast were playing on the street corner, sounded very good and original, and were invited back to play at the Brickyard the following year. The informal get togethers in the campground usually start around breakfast time and it's easy to join a jam session from then until sunrise and you'll hear some amazing singin' and pickin'.

On Saturday morning is a pancake breakfast at Rocky Tavern with five to eight musicians on stage (typically Joel Rafael, Jimmy LaFave, Burns Sisters, Sam Baker, Radoslav Lorkovic, and others) singing and inviting other who show up to join them for a song or two.

Food at the festival includes goodies like the burgers and sandwiches at Brickstreet, the popcorn at Crystal Theater, or the Philly sandwiches at Pastures of Plenty. You can get cokes and sodas at the Crystal Theater; beer and wine at Brickstreet and Rocky Road Tavern; and beer, wine, and Frozen Roses (like wine margaritas) at Grape Ranch. Beer is not sold at the Pastures of Plenty venue and coolers are discouraged.

The Woody Guthrie Festival is free and is held on the weekend closest to Woody Guthrie's birthday (July 14th) and is planned and implemented by the Woody Guthrie Coalition whose goal is to ensure Guthrie's musical legacy. Two events, the Sunday Hootenanny and the Saturday morning pancake breakfast are dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the Huntington Disease Society of American - a serious disease that eventually took Woody's life.

The Woody Guthrie Folk Festival is more than just a music festival, some of the other events during the festival include:

• songwriting workshops
• Woody Guthrie Poets includes readings, with some musical accompaniment, from over 19 poets around the world
• Children's Festival in the Okemah City Park with surrey rides, clowns, music, and crafts
• songwriting contest with the winner getting stage presence during the festival
• multi media presentation on the Legacy of Woody Guthrie by Woody Guthrie's granddaughter
• open mic sessions for anybody who thinks they can sing and play

Our favorites this year included:

• Radoslav Lorkovic, Jimmy LaFave, Sam Baker, and Bill Chambers
• the stories of Mary Jo Guthrie (Woody's sister) and the music at the pancake breakfast
• sipping a Frozen Rose during the music at Grape Ranch
• jamming with Ms Behaving at the benefit for Brionna Duke
• the Sunday Hootenanny

We missed Thursday and Fridays lineup due to some unlucky circumstances, but our friends said everyone they heard was fantastic and Ellis Paul, Red Dirt Rangers, Stoney LaRue, and John Fullbright were outstanding. The Hootenanny at the Crystal Theater on Sunday around noon has always been a highlight. The Hootenanny is a free-form jam session by any of the performers who are still around on Sunday morning. Each performer does one song and is backed up by a variety of different band members and sometimes they reappear on the stage to play with the band or harmonize with one of the singers.

After the Hootenanny, there was a benefit concert and pie auction for Brionna Duke at the Brickstreet Cafe. Brionna is a cute 15 year old that was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2009 and I think the entire town of Okemah was at the Brickyard to support her. That afternoon over $10,000 was raised from a $5 cover charge, CD sales, and a pie auction - most pies were auctioned for over $200! The excellent music was from some of the local musicians and all were fantastic - Randy Crouch, Shawna Russell, John Fullbrght, and Ms Behaving.

The festival remains small and intimate and it's easy to get up close and personal with any of the musicians. Samantha Crain summed it very well by stating, "I think the spirit of Woody Guthrie is really alive at the festival and everybody comes there with a passion for songs and storytelling."

Another outstanding festival - add this one to your calendar for next year if you like Woody Guthrie songs, excellent music, and a fun loving crowd.

 

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