Folk festival gathers a world of cultures

Donald Brenard leaned onto his carved walking stick and moved a chair so an old-timer with a cowboy hat could pass.

The old cowboy couldn’t walk without help. But, oh, he could pick the strings.

“There are so many different cultures and so many different people here,” Bernard said. “They are all here for a celebration of life.”

Bernard was taking in his first ever Fall Folk Festival sponsored by the Spokane Folklore Society. The day-and-a-half worth of music and events at Spokane Community College continues today from noon to 5 p.m.

Bruce Cergl, who sits on the festival’s steering committee, said he expected about 6,000 visitors to the 12th annual event which features everything from arts and crafts to some of the best musical talent anywhere.

“We try to get every ethnicity represented,” Cergl said, “to show what culture has added to the community. It’s all about watching music and dancing and realizing that people are people.”

As he spoke, a bluegrass band practiced in the corner and a woman in traditional Japanese dress searched for her child.

Cergl got involved about 11 years ago because of his love of contra dance, which is a version of stylized line dancing, he said.

“The reason I call it therapy is because it doesn’t matter what mood you are in, when you are dancing a contra dance within five minutes you are smiling,” he said.

The first festival attracted about 500 people, and the attendance nearly doubled for years. It outgrew venue after venue and now needs 200 volunteers to staff the event, he said.

“The musicians of this area are just so good,” Cergl said. “When we try to close up for the night, they are still jamming.”

Sherry Ankrah and her husband, Nii, are natives of Ghana. They moved to Pullman about 12 years ago.

Ankrah was selling hand-woven baskets, hats, necklaces and carved giraffes and elephants that were made by her family in Africa.

“It’s a good show,” Ankrah said of the festival. “Every year they do it, and you get to see all the musicians.”

Hope Findley, of Spokane, was resting her head on her hand as a circle of bluegrass pickers from different bands blended into a tune.

“I’ve been coming to the festival for two or three years,” Findley said. “There’s not many venues where you can hear this much music in this small of a place.”

Findley was waiting for the 5 p.m. debut of the Celtic Nots, which plays her favorite type of music, she said.

“In three hours you can pretty well go around the world. It’s fun,” she said. “And people watching is fantastic. The people here are all proud of their heritage.”

Brenard, 51, who recently moved back to the area from California, said he was impressed by the talent of the musicians.

“You get to interact with so many cultures and people,” he said. “It’s a very spiritual event.”