Folkmoot USA, The State International Festival of North Carolina, is an international folk festival held since 1984 in Waynesville, North Carolina and surrounding communities. During its history, the two-week event has featured around 200 groups from approximately 100 countries. The Southeast Tourism Society has named Folkmoot USA one of its top twenty events for 20 years. The North Carolina General Assembly declared Folkmoot USA to be the state's official international folk festival in 2003.
History
Folkmoot USA began with a visit by Waynesville surgeon Dr. Clinton Border and a square dance team to a folk festival in Sidmouth, England in 1973. Western North Carolina had a history of preserving its traditional culture, so Border believed it would be a good location for an American folk festival. In 1984, Border presented a plan for a festival in North Carolina which would be similar to the one in England. One month later, a board of directors began work on the first Folkmoot USA. At one time, the name for the event was North Carolina International Folk Festival, Folkmoot USA. The first event took place in 1984, coinciding with North Carolina's 400th birthday celebration, featuring performers from England, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Turkey, Mexico, Puerto Rico and India. In the 1990s, Hazelwood Elementary School, built in 1923 with later additions in 1939, 1955, 1958 and 1987, and located at 112 Virginia Avenue in the Hazelwood section of Waynesville, was replaced with a new, larger building. In 2002, the Folkmoot Friendship Center opened in the former school. Previously, Waynesville Middle School housed performers. When not used for the festival, the Hazelwood facility became a community center, with art work from the various countries in the hallways. The organization's mission of understanding other cultures continued the rest of the year. Other sections of the school building were used by Haywood CountyAlternative Learning Center. In 2014, with no other potential uses for the old Hazelwood School, the Haywood County school system chose to let Folkmoot have the aging school, which desperately needed repairs and upgrades, especially to its roof. The change would allow Folkmoot to have events year-round; for the more than ten years the organization leased the building, the uncertainty about its future location prevented Folkmoot from expanding its programs. Owning its building also meant Folkmoot would have to raise money for the building, which it could finally do as the owner. The gift was the largest ever to the organization, worth $1.3 million according to tax records.
Impact
One study estimated its contribution to the economy at $4 million. In 2003, Folkmoot USA had approximately 350 performers and 75,000 spectators from at least 40 states.
Meaning of the name
In Anglo-Saxon England, a folkmoot or folkmote was a governing general assembly consisting of all the free members of a tribe, community or district. It was the forerunner to the witenagemot, which was in turn in some respects the precursor of the modern Parliament. The term has also been appropriated for modern-day annual meetings of organisations such as the Order of Woodcraft Chivalry.
Hundreds of groups apply to perform each year, with 10 to 12 selected. According to executive director Jackie Bolden, the festival offers different cultures each year, with each group performing dances or music of their particular culture, representing holidays, battles, or occupations. Countries not previously represented are prioritized in the selection process. Folkmoot USA belongs to the International Council of Folklore Festival Organizations and Traditional Arts, or CIOFF, based in Paris. Most groups that perform for Folkmoot USA have some connection to CIOFF, and in case of a last-minute cancellation, CIOFF connections can find a replacement.
Other festivals
in northern Mississippi claims to have been inspired by Folkmoot USA. In 2007, Folkmoot USA executive director Jamye Cooper helped start the Yocona Festival.
