Fifteen years of bringing music to Sisters

For the past 15 years, the Sisters Folk Festival has been turning music lovers on to some of the finest artists in the genre - and introducing people from across the country to Sisters.

During that decade-and-a-half, the Sisters Folk Festival has evolved from a one-day concert into a year-round cultural arts organization that offers concerts, one of the most exciting visual arts event in the region in the My Own Two Hands Art Party and Auction, and a nationally renowned educational outreach program, the Americana Project.

The festival was the brainchild of Dick Sandvik and Jim Cornelius, who wanted to create an event around the music they both loved. Sandvik and his wife, Diane Campbell, organized the first event in 1995 out of the back office of their Paulina Springs Book Co.

"The idea for the festival sprung from both a passion for the diverse elements represented in Americana music and a desire to bring another cultural event - and hopefully some resulting business! - to Sisters after the summer season ended," said Sandvik, who served on the board of directors for nine years. "But the passion was the driver. This never would have been done just for business reasons. And I'm proud that the festival has always been true to the idea of presenting the diversity in the genre. We don't say 'from blues to bluegrass' for nothing."

That diversity is well-represented at this year's festival. From the bluesy songwriting of iconic Americana "outlaw" Ray Wylie Hubbard to the Celtic roots of Solas or the gypsy jazz and Western swing influences of Hot Club of Cowtown, the 2010 festival carries on the festival's commitment to bringing a wide array of top-drawer - if relatively unknown - talent to the stage in Sisters.

The rootsy music presented by the festival generally flies below the radar of the mainstream commercial music industry - and that, organizers say, is part of the appeal.

"Some of the artists we've booked - Guy Clark, Natalie MacMaster, John Hammond, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Geoff Muldaur & Jim Kweskin - are actually very well known in 'Americana' music circles," said longtime board chairman Jim Cornelius. "But, 'famous' or unsung, all of our people are road warriors. They're down in the trenches of the music business, where it's all very real. Over the years, we've built an audience that trusts us to put together a great show, whether they know the names on the marquee or not."

The festival has earned an international reputation.

"I think the reach is more vast than people realize," said executive director Brad Tisdel. "We have people out of Boston who know all about it. We attract people from all over North America."

It took years to build that level of recognition - and the festival came close to folding its tent in its early years. The third event, in 1997, lost several thousand dollars, leaving organizers unsure if they could carry on. They decided to take a year off and improve the organization's support.

Kathy Deggendorfer pitched in with fundraising contacts and expertise to help put the organization on a more sound financial footing. She was also a font of ideas for community outreach into the schools and the broader artistic community.

"I'm proud of that fact that after the third festival lost a considerable sum of money, rather than quitting we hit the pause button and took a year off to consider a way forward," Sandvik recalled. "The time out resulted in a stronger festival board, a rededication to the musical purpose of the event and, best of all, to the Americana Project. We figured out a way for what might have been only a once-a-year weekend event to become an integral part of the community year round."

That result is gratifying to Deggendorfer, who served as board chair for several years.

"It's just blossomed into this amazing thing," she said. "It's been such an open-minded vehicle for creativity in Sisters."

The festival will celebrate its 15th anniversary with a special show.

"On Sunday morning (September 12) we're having a 15th anniversary celebration of the Sisters Folk Festival," Tisdel reported. "We're going to bring many artists up to celebrate the tradition of folk music. Ultimately, we're celebrating the community that has built up around the Sisters Folk Festival."

That community extends well beyond the Sisters Country. Chuck McCabe, who based himself out of the San Francisco Bay Area, won the festival's songwriting contest and became an integral part of the festival "family." For several years he organized the festival's Night Owl Showcase at Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill and Saloon and he consulted with the festival on creating an outreach program for seniors.

McCabe died of cancer in July, and the festival is marking his passing with an event called "Circle the Wagons" at Sisters Art Works on Friday night, September 10. McCabe's friend and musical partner Jay Howlett will lead an intimate, unplugged song circle to honor McCabe's memory.

The original vision of the festival included storytelling, an element that fell away as the festival grew. That element is being restored this year, with Mitch Barrett, an acclaimed storyteller and folk musician from Kentucky.

"We'd like to bring that back to the festival this year - and hopefully in years to come," Tisdel said.

Another booked act, Willy Vlautin, is doing double duty with a performance based in his other career - as an author. Vlautin has won acclaim for his novel "Lean On Pete." He will do an author presentation on the novel at Paulina Springs Books on Sunday.

"We're thrilled to be showcasing the literary arts this year," Tisdel noted.

Breedlove Guitar Co. created a special Revival Series guitar with custom inlays marking the 15th anniversary. That guitar will be raffled at the festival.

"We know there's folks in Sisters who haven't experienced the festival yet," Cornelius said. "This is a great time to climb on board the train."

To order tickets for the festival, visit http://www. sistersfolkfestival.org or call the Sisters Folk Festival at 541-549-4979; e-mail [email protected]