New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
CT Folk Festival returns to Edgerton
Martin Sexton headlines a day of music, food, fun
NEW HAVEN — Martin Sexton and Bridgeport natives The Alternate Routes will headline the 26th CT Folk Fest & Green Expo on Saturday, filling Edgerton Park with live music, craft artisans, food trucks, children’s activities and “green” workshops.
The lineup also includes Upstate (formerly Upstate Rubdown), Jesse Terry Trio, Goodnight Blue Moon, Open Book and Professors of Bluegrass as well as this year’s audition winners, Plywood Cowboy.
The big, free festival also will feature the annual Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition, spotlighting Michael Lavreanno, Mike P. Ryan, Carolann Solebello, Susan Cattaneo and Torrington’s Belle of the Fall to begin the day, festival directors Nicole Heriot-Mikula and Michael Skrtic and the CT Folk board of directors said in a news release.
The festival, which on a broader level aims to point out ways “to forge a cohesive, sustainable community,” runs from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. in Edgerton Park, 75 Cliff St., said Mikula.
Gates open at 10:30 a.m. Heriot-Mikula said she was thrilled to have Sexton in the lineup this year.
“He’s my favorite — that was a personal goal of mine,” she said. “He’s probably my favorite musician . ... I’ve been following him since, like 1989.”
She also said she was pleased to have the Professors of Bluegrass back this year. Among other attributes, the Professors of Bluegrass include Yale University President Peter Salovey on upright bass.
The Green Expo, open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and now in its 14th year, will feature more than 50 exhibitors, including artisan makers of various handmade products and exhibitors with innovative ideas and products for sustainable lifestyles.
This year’s festival also will include an expanded array of the area’s top food trucks and food vendors, including Lalibella, P&M Orange Street Market, Life Bowls and Ben & Jerry’s. New Belgium Brewing is
the festival’s beer sponsor.
For families, the Green Kids Village will offer a number of hands-on workshops, including interactive drumming with Infinite Roots, hula hooping with BringtheHoopla and children’s yoga with Full of Joy Yoga.
It also will feature New Haven’s Artist & Craftsman Supply, Creative Arts Workshop, EcoWorks and an Acoustic Corner with favorite local musicians, Liz McNicholl, Benny Mikula, Dan Carlucci and environmental magician Cyril the Sorcerer.
It’s all put on by more than 100 volunteers, led by CT Folk co-presidents Barbara Shiller and Alice Reitz.
While the festival is free, there’s a $10 suggested donation to help fund CT Folk’s efforts. Proceeds benefit CT Folk’s mission “to educate, entertain and inspire a diverse audience through music and conversation to create a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable community,” according to the release.
Because parking “is always a question,” Heriot-Mikula pointed out that the festival “is very easily accessible from the New Haven train station.” As an alternative, “we highly suggest that you carpool,” she said.
Heriot-Mikula also pointed out that “we are a zero waste festival” that after all the aggressive recycling it did last year, ended up with just “two bags of garbage” from the entire, day-long festival.
“We urge everybody to bring a refillable water bottle,” she said, pointing out that one of the festival’s sponsors, the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority, will supply water.
“We work very hard and we are very grateful to be at Edgerton Park,” she said. “We do our very best to leave it cleaner than the way we found it.”
For more information, go to www.ctfolk.org.