The first festival, held in 1961, featured venerable folk legend Pete Seeger, and in the years since it has grown: 12,000 folk music fans can be counted on to attend this three-day event each year. There they create a temporary oasis at Old Poole Farm in Schwenksville, Pa., in the summer heat. It’s often referred to as Tent City, and it is where they meet new friends, rekindle memories with old friends, and share wonderful music and experiences. With the camper concert, some would say the event is actually four days!
Many of the best musical acts have graced the stages, like Arlo Gutherie, Dar Williams, The Decemberists, and Iron and Wine, and unfortunately some, like James Taylor and Bob Dylan, rocketed to stardom and were not a part of this incredible musical festival.
I began attending the Philly Folk Fest in 1999 and would have gone earlier, if the dates of the event had not always seemed to overlap with the beginning of college. My wife went that year. A few years later, our kids would join us. We’ve met wonderful people, heard wonderful music, and seen other families grow up alongside ours. We saw dust devils carry tents into the sky in 2007 and endured incredible rains in 2009. Yet, like this great festival, we persevered and had a great time.
(Note: much of the historical information was drawn from the Philadelphia Folk Festival booklet in the four-CD retrospective album.)
But you were here to solve a puzzle, right? Get some numbers from a cipher or a calculation, right? Well, some puzzles are about numbers. Some are about looking closer. Much like the festival is not in Philadelphia, strictly speaking, this cache is not at the folk festival grounds. Close enough for Jazz, er, folk music. Enjoy the videos and photos, and I hope to see you at check-in…at the F’Oak Puzzle’s TB Hotel!
This is white text. It makes cursors happy.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.