Virginia Folklife performers and craftspeople announced

Stretching from the Chesapeake Bay to the Appalachian Mountains, Virginia could be called one of the most culturally rich and diverse states in the country. The Richmond Folk Festival plans to highlight that richness once again with its Virginia Folklife Area, featuring performers and craftspeople representing all our state has to offer.

October 4, 2010; 12:06 PM • by Valerie Catrow

Click on the names below to learn more about these artists, where they’re from, and what you can expect when they take the stage this weekend.

Performers

Dale Jett and Hello Stranger — A Carter family legacy

Ron Short — Appalachian “songster”

Nat Reese — 86 years old and still singing the blues

New Harvest: Scott and Mike Mullins — Church of Brethren Gospel

Frank Newsome — “Old Regular Baptist Singing”

Matthew Bright — Clawhammer banjo

Molly Slemp — Appalachian ballads (plus, she’s only 16!)

Todd Meade and Twin Springs Bluegrass Band — Bluegrass from the Coalfields

Northern Neck Chantey Singers — Menhaden Fishing Chanteys (just click on the link, it’s really fascinating)

Craftspeople

Grayson Chesser — Decoy carver

George Butler — Boat builder

Dudley Biddlecomb — Oyster aquaculture

Deborah Pratt — Four Time World Oyster Shucking Champion

Danny Bowden — Commercial fishing

Ray Rogers — Menhaden net building, mending, and rigging

Latell Sailmakers: Lance Barton and Melanie Tennant — sailmaking

Drew Sturgis — Muskrat Trapping

Chesapeake Bay Crab Pots: Marc Bershaw — Crab pot building

For more on when you can see the Virginia Folklife performers and craftspeople do their respective “things” check out the Richmond Folk Festival schedule.