44th Newport News Fall Festival of Folklife
October 7 & 8, 2017
New for 2017: Virginia Craft Beer & Cheer Area Featuring Fall Beers and Ciders,
Virginia Roots Area, and New Entertainers
The 44th Newport News Fall Festival of Folklife will be held on Saturday, October 7 & Sunday, October 8, 2017 each day from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Newport News Park in Newport News, Virginia. The festival, which attracts 35,000 visitors each year, will feature over 150 exhibitors showcasing traditional crafts, heritage trade demonstrations, entertainment, children’s activities, and food.
New for 2017 is a Virginia Beer and Cheer area featuring Virginia beers and ciders. The new Virginia Roots area will celebrate the crafts and trades “rooted in Virginia’s history” including crab pot and net making, nautical rope making, military history, and pioneer living. New entertainers include Latin Ballet of Virginia (Traditions of Central America), Fado Nosso (Portuguese Urban Folk), The Rhythm of Ireland School of Dance, Drunken Weasels Border Morris (Traditional English Dance), and Lady Beatrice the Gypsy Fortune Teller.
In the Juried Craft Area, highly-skilled craftspeople compete for $3,100 in cash prizes. The Heritage Area features craft/traditional tradespeople showcasing their skills with awards given for Best Demonstration and Best Display.
The Marketplace Crafts Area crafters sell a wide variety of handmade items that are great for holiday gifts, collecting or home decorating and the Country Store Area vendors sell country-inspired merchandise including farm products. The Country Store vendors compete for a Best Display award.
The Arboretum Folklife Stage will feature the Michas Polish Folk Dance Ensemble (Traditional Polish Dance) at 10:30 a.m. (Saturday & Sunday), Red Crooked Sky (Native American Dancing) at 11:45 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. (Saturday & Sunday), the Rhythm of Ireland School of Dance (Traditional Irish Dance) at 1:00 p.m. (Saturday), Fiesta del Sol (Latin Ballet) at 1:00 p.m. (Sunday), and the Kountry Kickers (Cloggers) at 3:30 p.m. (Saturday & Sunday ). The Daily Press Children’s Discovery Stage will feature Kim & Jimbo Cary “Rhythms Round the World” (a Musical Tour of Virginia) at 10:30 a.m. (Saturday and Sunday), Jerry Brown (Vaudeville) at 12:00 p.m. (Saturday & Sunday), Life as Art (West African Storytelling and Dance) at 1:30 p.m. (Saturday & Sunday), Drunken Weasels Border Morris (Traditional English Dance) at 3:00 p.m. (Saturday), Latin Ballet of Virginia (Traditions of Central America) at 3:00 p.m. (Sunday), and the ACT Dance Theatre Presents “Safari”(World Music/Dance) at 4:00 p.m. (Saturday & Sunday). The Virginia Heritage Stage will feature the Cigar Box String Band (Folk/Americana) at 11:30 a.m. (Saturday and Sunday), Gratiot Lake Road (Modern Folk) at 1:00 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday), Kim Person and Lana Puckett (Contemporary Folk) at 2:30 p.m. (Saturday), Fado Nosso (Portuguese Urban Folk) at 2:30 p.m. (Saturday), and the Tidewater Pickers (Bluegrass) at 4:00 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday).
Twenty-five booths in the Folk Foodway will sell seafood, barbeque, pork rinds, funnel cakes, and other favorite festival foods. Children can “make and take” free crafts in the Children’s Area and drive peddle cars through a straw maze in the Peddle Car Puzzler. In the Pumpkin Patch ($), families can purchase, decorate, weigh, name, and receive an “adoption certificate” for their pumpkin. All ages can enjoy making free DIY Crafts(Dream Catchers, Pine Tree Planting, and Large Origami Flowers) and having a “fun fortune” reading by Lady Beatrice theGypsy Fortune Teller. Newport News Fall Festivalof Folklife t-shirts, festival umbrellas, festival hats, and festival tote bags will be sold at the Newport News Parks, Recreation & Tourism Booth.
Admission is free; parking fee $10.00 per vehicle on-site and at satellite areas (Greenwood Elementary School/Woodside High School/New Horizons). Free shuttle bus service will run continuously between the satellite parking areas and the festival. No pets permitted in the festival area. Newport News Park is located at the intersection of Ft. Eustis Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue (Exit 250B from I-64). Traffic updates, weather updates, and other event updates will be posted on Twitter @nnfestivals and Facebook www.facebook.com/NewportNewsFestivals . For more information or special assistance, call (757) 926-1400.
44th Newport News Fall Festival of Folklife Exhibit Areas:
Juried Crafts Area:
24 High-quality craftspeople competing for $3,100 in awards (Best in Show $700.00, Best in Category $300.00). Categories- Wood, Glass, Fiber, Jewelry, Folk Art, Metal, and Other Crafts.
Marketplace Crafts Area:
64 Craftspeople selling a wide variety of crafts.
Heritage Area:
24 Exhibitors demonstrating traditional crafts and trades: Civil War history, knitting, quilting, pottery, nautical ropes, decoys, wood turning, local history authors, basket weaving, Amish baked goods, Appalachian Trail encampment, livestock, sheep shearing, horse-drawn carriages, alpacas, blacksmithing, working watermen, scale ships and boats, historical musical instruments and performances, and antique automobiles. Awards are given for Best Demonstration ($200.00) and Best Display ($200.00).
Country Store:
30 vendors selling country inspired merchandise: kettle corn, bread, jams, specialty foods and sauces, engraved tags, handmade soap, dairy products, baked goods, herb mixes, clothing and spiced nuts. An awards is given for Best Display ($200.00).
Children’s Activities:
Activities include: Free make-and-take crafts and games by Newport News Youth Programs, Pumpkin Patch ($) purchase, decorate, weigh, and name your pumpkin. Kids can drive peddle cars through a straw maze at the Peddle Car Puzzler.
DIY Crafts:
Make free Dream Catchers, Pine Tree Planting, and Origami Flowers.
Food Vendors:
Vendors selling a variety of food items: funnel cakes, seafood, sausage, pork rinds, roasted corn on the cob, barbecue, and cultural foods.
Exhibitors:
Festival t-shirts, Festival tote bags, Festival hats, and Festival umbrellas for sale at the Newport News Parks, Recreation & Tourism booth; Newport News Libraries, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Newport News Master Gardeners, Peninsula Master Naturalists, Junior Woman’s Club of Newport News, Newport News Instructional Classes, Newport Visitor Center, Newport News Aquatics, Lee Hall Depot, Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center, Sister Cities of Newport News, and The Neighborhood Harvest.
44th Newport News Fall Festival of Folklife Entertainment Schedule
Arboretum Folklife Stage:
10:30 a.m.
Michas Polish Folk Dance Ensemble (Traditional Polish Dance) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michas-Polish-Folk-Dance-Ensemble/149382111781376
11:45 a.m.
Red Crooked Sky (Native American Dance) http://www.redcrookedsky.com
1:00 p.m.
Saturday- Rhythm of Ireland School of Dance (Traditional Irish Dance)
http://www.roidance.com/index.html
Sunday- Latin Ballet of Virginia (Traditions of Central America)
https://www.latinballet.com/fiesta-del-sol-event/
2:15 p.m.
Red Crooked Sky (Native American Dance) http://www.redcrookedsky.com
3:30 p.m.
Kountry Kickers (Clogging) http://www.kountrykickers.com
Daily Press Children’s Discovery Stage:
10:30 a.m.
Kim & Jimbo Cary Rhythms ‘Round the World (a Musical Tour of Virginia) www.kimandjimbocary.com
12:00 p.m.
Jerry Brown (Vaudeville) www.themonkeyman.com
1:30 p.m.
Life as Art (West African Storytelling and Dance) https://lifeasartproductions.com/lifeasartdancedrum
3:00 p.m.
Saturday- Drunken Weasels Border Morris (Traditional English Dance)
https://drunkenweaselsbordermorris.com/
Sunday-
Latin Ballet of Virginia (Traditions of Central America)
https://www.latinballet.com/fiesta-del-sol-event/
4:00 p.m.
ACT Dance Theatre Presents “Safari”(World Music/Dance)
http://www.coreythetalentedblindguy.com
Virginia Heritage Stage:
11:30 a.m.
Cigar Box String Band (Folk/Americana) https://cigarboxstringband.com
1:00 p.m.
Gratiot Lake Road (Modern Folk) www.gratiotlakeroad.com
2:30 p.m.
Saturday- Kim Person and Lana Puckett (Contemporary Folk) https://www.facebook.com/lanaandkim/
Sunday- Fado Nosso (Portuguese Urban Folk) https://www.facebook.com/fadonosso/
4:00 p.m.
Tidewater Pickers (Bluegrass)
44th Newport News Fall Festival of Folklife
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The following information concerns parking facilities, shuttle services, etc. for the
44th Newport News Fall Festival of Folklife on October 7 & 8, 2017:
·“No Parking” zones will be strictly enforced on Jefferson Avenue and Ft. Eustis Blvd. during
the Festival on October 7 & 8, 2017.
· There is a $10.00 per vehicle parking fee in both the park and the satellite parking lots. Shuttle buses from the satellite parking lots to the festival area are free. Handicapped parking is available in the park and at the satellite parking lots (the free shuttle buses from satellite parking to the festival are handicapped accessible).
· Satellite parking is available at:
Woodside High School (13450 Woodside Lane)
Greenwood Elementary School (13460 Woodside Lane & Ft. Eustis Blvd.)
New Horizons Regional Education (13400 Woodside Lane)
· NO PETS ALLOWED IN THE FESTIVAL AREA.
·For the comfort and protection of everyone, pets, bicycles, skateboards and radios are NOT allowed in the Festival area.
DIRECTIONS TO NEWPORT NEWS PARK:
I-64 Westbound
- Take Exit 250B; at the traffic light, make a left onto Jefferson Ave.
- Newport News Park is on the right.
I-64 Eastbound
- Take Exit 250B; at the traffic light, make a left onto Jefferson Ave.
- Newport News Park is approximately 1/4 mile up Jefferson Ave. on the right.
For more information, call (757) 926-1400 or visit www.nnparks.com/festivals.php. For festival updates (including weather), follow us on Twitter @nnfestivals and Facebook www.facebook.com/NewportNewsFestivals