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Even for a bloke who had two
Irish grandfathers, I'm not sure I should be admittin' that we
started Sunday at the pub - before noon, no less. It was not much before
noon though, and as we were only drinkin' water, it wasn't of much
concern to us that they couldn't serve alcohol that early. We
had been passin' by the Dublin Square Irish Pub on our way to the
City Hall stage for Banjo Traditions when we saw their sign out
front which said that Sunday's special was all sandwiches at half
price. The food was excellent, the price was right, and it's
an interestin' place.
Megan, our server, a fine
friendly lass who by the way is a student at MSU on a path to
becoming a neurosurgeon, managed to find an old menu to rip the
front page out of (with the manager's permission, of course).
I had asked if they would photocopy it so I could have the info
contained there about the pub "which was born in 2006 with the
intention of bringing a small piece of Ireland to an area that
already abounds with culture." Seemed to me an appropriate
place to be havin' a Folk Festival meal at.
"The entire interior of the
Pub, including the massive hand carved mahogany bar, was built in
Dublin, then shipped and re-assembled in East Lansing by the same
skilled craftsmen that built her. Many of the artifacts inside
are actual contents from the very first stout brewery in Ireland,
and the Guinness barrels are bound by metal from the actual railroad
tracks leading into the brewery. The timber in the cottage and
brewery areas was reclaimed from an aging barn owned by a farmer who
supplied barley to the famed Guinness brewery in the 1800's."
A grand piece of Ireland if
ever I heard of it. Assuming, of course, that it's not a bunch
o' blarney they'd be tellin' us.
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For those who might not know it, the
72 year old building (in 2006), which is now the Dublin Square Irish Pub,
was once the East Lansing Post Office. Hence the other dynamic
represented in the decor.
After lunch, we only caught a little
bit of Banjo Traditions, but remained at the City Hall stage to hear
Wabanaisee (Anishnabek Singing and Hand Drumming). Their name
translates "Snowbirds," and was given to them by a "traditional man who
was guided by the spirits" to bless them with it. "The snowbird is
known as a tough little bird that stays in a group and braves the long
cold northern winters. Rarely is a lone snowbird ever seen, they are
usually singing and playfully flying about." According to their
brochure, it "defines who we are and how we have bonded with one another".
. . quite evident in their performance.
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| Granddaughters
were welcome onstage too. Beautiful
spirits
Beautiful sound
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Elana James was up next at the City
Hall stage. We had already seen her on Friday. But, I stayed
for a while to take some pictures (didn't have my cameras on Friday), and
then headed over toward the M.A.C. stage to catch a little of the Dirk
Powell Band (remember the square dance? - see Balfa Toujours later too)
taking pictures along the way. Donna found herself a shade tree to
camp out under during my trek.
Donna wanted to see the Carolina
Chocolate Drops one more time. They were scheduled at the Dance tent
at 3:00 p.m. So, that's where we went. Once again the basic
venue was a bit of square dancing. But, after a time, Rhiannon Giddens did
take the floor (twice) to teach a couple of additional dances.
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| It was the same MC doing the
calling as on Saturday but
as you can see
not everybody was getting into it with full
abandon (a future music critic perhaps?). |
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We decided to stay at the Dance tent
for Balfa Toujour (Cajun) since we did not recall seeing them yet.
As it turns out, Christine Balfa is married to Dirk Powell, so it is the
same people in different roles with a little variation in music style.
While waiting for the band to set up, kids were having a ball on the dance
floor between the sets. Once the band started playing, adults and
children alike took foot to their music.
Beyond the featured artists and
events, a number of street musicians and acts grace the curbside during
the festival (usually with a guitar case opened for donations). They
add a special flavor to the happenings and can be quite entertaining.
Plus, there are causes and commercial tents or booths as well . . . all a
piece of the puzzle, yet low keyed and respectful of the reason most
visitors are here. Beyond the bucket brigade, there is a whole host
of volunteers and technicians whose efforts allow all this to happen.
And then there are the people who come. At times they can be as
fascinating as the ones on stage to watch. Here are some selected shots
from all of the above mentioned categories taken throughout the weekend.
Finally, I will close these three
pages with a face of the future . . . the reason it is so important to tell our
stories and pass down our traditions. Plus, I'm throwing in an "at
the festival" self-portrait photo, but you might need to look close to see me (hint: I
sometimes will shoot myself into a picture as a shadow or reflection). If you've never been to the Great Lakes Folk Festival, I hope you
will come on by . . . next time.
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