Takoma Park Folk Festival

From Takoma Park Folk Festival Website:

SIX STAGES OF MUSIC
CRAFTS, DANCE, FOOD, & COMMUNITY
SEPTEMBER 11, 2016
FREE TO THE PUBLIC

Since its inception in 1978, the Takoma Park Folk Festival has been an event by and for the community of Takoma Park. The all-volunteer organizing committee and performers maintain the legacy of founder Sam Abbott to this day. Sam Abbott was an artist, activist, organizer, and Mayor of Takoma Park (1980 to 1986). He showed us that one person can make a huge difference. That first year, 1978, a one-stage Festival was held at Takoma Park Junior High School, and it raised about $1,100 to help keep the Takoma Theatre out of the hands of a developer. Since that time, the Festival has grown in size and stature, but its remained true to its roots as a celebration for the folk of Takoma Park and the wider community.

Previous beneficiaries include scout packs, Friends of Sligo Creek, and God Glorified Church. These organizations have used the funds to produce a soap box derby, organize a girl scout camping trip, provide Blair High School with an alcohol-free after-prom party, and coordinate Sligo Creek cleanup projects. Parents and supervisors of these organizations, as well as teenagers, serve as volunteers on the day of the festival to earn the funds, which are distributed after the Festival, to help support specific projects cited in their proposals. We are grateful for their efforts.