Mountain Dance and Folk Festival explained

The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, held annually in Asheville, North Carolina, is the oldest continuously running folk festival in the United States.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

History

Started initially by Bascom Lamar Lunsford as an offshoot of the larger Asheville Rhododendron Festival in 1928, the festival started on its own in 1930.^{[1] [5]} In 1967, the festival was taken over by Asheville's Folk Heritage Committee. The festival starts on the first Thursday in August and continues through the following Friday and Saturday.^[5] Other modern festivals, such as the National Folk Festival, were inspired by the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival.^{[6] [7]}

In its early years, the festival hosted artists such as Samantha Bumgarner. Pete Seeger was inspired to play banjo after hearing founder Bascom Lamar Lunsford play the five-string banjo at the festival in 1936.^{[8] [9]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Shindig on the Green: 52 years of music ‘round about sundown - AVLToday. 25 July 2018.
2. Web site: Mountain Dance and Folk Festival turns 90.
3. Web site: Mountain Dance and Folk Festival - Digital Heritage. 5 March 2012.
4. Web site: North Carolina: Looking for music? Here’s where to start.
5. Book: Fussell . Fred . Kruger . Steve . 2018 . Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina: A Guide to Music Sites, Artists, and Traditions of the Mountains and Foothills.
6. Web site: Feasts of Unnaming. xroads.virginia.edu.
7. Book: Jones, Loyal . 1984 . Minstrel of the Appalachians: The Story of Bascom Lamar Lunsford. registration .
8. Book: Schubert, Leda . 2017 . Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing.
9. Dunaway, How Can I Keep From Singing, pp. 48–49.