Fairbanks Folk Fest
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About Us

History​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Fairbanks​ ​Folk​ ​Fest​ ​Organization

Written by Trudy Heffernan and Peter Bowers, 2017

The Fairbanks Folk Fest (FFF) currently runs three main events: the Winter Folk Fest, the Summer Folk
Fest, and the Fairbanks Bluegrass Camp for Kids. FFF is recognized as a non profit corporation by the
State of Alaska and is a non profit 501(c)3 organization as defined by IRS. It is run by a non paid Board of
Directors and many volunteers.

The first Fairbanks Summer Folk Fest was held in August 1987 at Pioneer Park (then called Alaskaland).
It was run by a Board of three--Bruce Delbridge, Michael "Fiddlin' Wolf" Cartusciello, and Dick Ferris plus
a handful of volunteers. The idea came about when Wolf was at Job Services talking with Dick who
asked him what he would like to do (as opposed to suggesting a job opportunity). Wolf said he'd like to
start a music festival. It has generally been held at Pioneer Park, but for a couple of years in the early
90s the festival was held at the Blue Loon. Then it came back to Pioneer Park for several years. Beginning in 2016, the event has been held at the Ester Community Park. Although it originally had an entrance fee, it eventually became free to the public thanks to donations and memberships. Some memorable additions to the music in the past included a Tall Tales and Braggers Competition, a Banjo Throw and a Tamborine Toss.

The Winter Folk Fest started in the late 1980s and was run by Riley Woodford and Kelly Leseman at the
University of Alaska Fairbanks where the two musicians were attending school at the time. It didn't run
for a year and then was revived by Julie Pigott and Trudy Heffernan. About that time it came under the
umbrella of Fairbanks Folk Fest and later moved to Pioneer Park. Winter Fest has always been free to
the public.

Both festivals are run by volunteers under the guidance of the organization's volunteer board of directors.
The primary goals of the festival are to showcase the incredible talent in this town and give as many
performers as possible an opportunity to play in front of an appreciative audience. The Festivals receive
support from the Fairbanks North Star Borough Parks and Recreation and KUAC public radio. Many
individuals, families, and small businesses contribute to FFF and help to keep the festivals free.

In addition to the festivals, FFF has sponsored concerts, dances, and music workshops. Over the years,
the organization has brought to the community many talented musicians in many areas of roots music,
including: folk, blues, bluegrass, old time, county, and Celtic.

In keeping with the organization's bylaws and articles of incorporation, which make music education an
important goal, the FFF began the Fairbanks Bluegrass Camp for Kids in 2002. This week long camp has
been held each summer since then, and offers roots music instruction to as many as 50 kids (ages 8-16)
in guitar, fiddle, banjo, bass, mandolin, vocals, songwriting and traditional dance. Instruction is offered by
some of the top roots musicians in Alaska and from around the country. Kids from Fairbanks are joined by
native students from villages in the Yukon And Tanana River areas. The success of the program has
helped bring in scholarships from organizations such as Doyon, Fairbanks Native Association, and
Tanana Chiefs Conference, Young Native Fiddlers and Dancing with the Spirit.

email

FairbanksFolkFest@gmail.com

​

address

Fairbanks Folk Fest
​P.O. Box 84379

Fairbanks, AK  99708

  • Home
  • Winter Folk Fest
    • Winter Folk 2020 >
      • Stage schedule
      • 2020 Winter Artist Registration
      • 2020 Winter For Vendors
    • Winter Folk 2019 >
      • 2019 Winter Stage Schedule
    • Winter Folk 2018
    • Winter Folk 2017 >
      • The Stage Schedule
      • The Artists
      • The Vendors
    • Winter Folk 2016
  • Summer Folk Fest
    • Summer 2019 >
      • 2019 Summer Stage Schedule
      • The Artists Summer 2019
      • The Vendors Summer 2019
      • 2019 Summer For Vendors >
        • 2019 Summer Vendor Payment
    • Summer 2018 Schedule
    • Summer 2017 >
      • The Artists
      • The Stage Schedule
    • Summer 2016
  • Bluegrass Camp 2019
    • Class Descriptions 2019
    • Location and Schedule 2019
    • Registration 2019
    • Bluegrass Camp Payment 2019
    • Bluegrass Camp 2018 >
      • Class Descriptions
      • Location and Schedule
  • Membership/Donations
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Sponsors