PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Hi, I’m Frank Parsons, the president of the Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Arts Council. It’s been a busy year since the new board of directors was formed at the AGM in October. We've accomplished many things; one of the most significant was to change the name of our organisation from the St. John’s Folk Arts Council to the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Council. This change reflects the fact that our mandate is provincial in nature, as it has been for the last 41 years. We promote Newfoundland and Labrador culture, not only through this festival, but also through the St. John’s International Storytelling Festival, Young Folk at the Hall, our weekly folk night at the Ship, Christmas concerts, workshops and other events, and we are hoping to develop strong connections with other folk arts organizations across the province.

At the start of the year we were in debt. After a lot of hard work by board members, volunteers and friends, after fundraising, brainstorming, and grant writing, and with the support of new and existing corporate sponsors, and much appreciated, additional funding from the Province and the City of St. John’s, I'm pleased to say that we enter this year’s festival on close to even ground. Now….as long as the ground stays dry for the weekend!

This year in Canada we are celebrating the Year of Craft. We hope to bring more attention to crafts and the crafts people who produce them--they are as much a part of our culture as stories, song or dance, and we are proud to have many juried members of the Craft Council of Newfoundland & Labrador as part of our festival tradition. Visit the purveyors of fine craft in the merchandise and craft tents and see a wonderful variety of work that is made here in the province.

As always I would like to thank everyone who helps make this festival work: our board of directors, the members of all of our committees, the members of the council, our web master, our graphic designer and all of our many volunteers. Thanks also to all the people hired to put up fences and tents, our security team, the sound folks and the musicians who give their time and music. Thanks to our sponsors and government agencies, whose financial support make it all possible. A big thank you goes to our executive director, Sherry House, and to our summer student, Maggie Meyer - they keep things running smoothly.

Yes, it takes many of us to make the weekend a success. The biggest thank you is to you, the audience. It’s a privilege and a pleasure to put on this time for you, and to provide an opportunity for all of us to see and hear our culture up close, to learn of our past and to find out what the future of traditional culture may bring for us.

Welcome!  We hope you have an enjoyable and memorable time.

All the best,
Frank Parsons
President, Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Arts Council