Music festival offers small and intimate setting in the scenery of southern Utah

The third-annual Moab Folk Festival boasts great music, scenic surrounding and family fun. It will be held the weekend of November 4-6. This year’s lineup includes some of the top folk musicians in the nation performing at four different venues located throughout Moab.

Among those appearing are Sloan Wainright, Eileen Ivers, a violinist who has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra and dance troupe Riverdance; Seattle’s high-energy Laura Love and “newgrass” band Pagosa Hot Strings. The weekend also features individual performances by Jimmy LaFave, Joel Rafael and Slaid Cleaves, as well as a group tribute to Woody Guthrie, “Ribbon of Highway, Endless Skyway,” with Guthrie’s granddaughter Sarah Lee Guthrie and her husband Johnny Irion joining in, and many more.

According to Brad Shannon, public relations specialist for the festival, the event was founded by Melissa Schmaedick who moved to Moab from Virginia in 2002. Schmaedick applied for a grant and got the first folk festival up and running in the fall of 2003.

“This is our third year and it will be our best yet. It’s a real honor to have so many top-notch performers in Moab,” Schmaedick said. “Our team has had a great time assembling a music festival that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. We’re proud that we’ve created such a family friendly and environmentally sound event.”

Schmaedick notes that the folk festival is alcohol, drug, and pet free to ensure the enjoyment and safety of all audience members. In addition, to minimize the event’s impact on the environment, Synergy Company has donated wind-generated electricity to serve all power needs and official festival T-shirts will be manufactured from 100 percent recycled cotton and other environmentally friendly products.

“Moab offers a beautiful setting for our event and these pro-environment values are in keeping with the local culture and the priorities of the people who live here. It’s exciting to have sponsors and vendors with such a deep desire to help us maintain this commitment to our surroundings,” Schmaedick said.

According to Mapquest.com the distance to travel from Logan to Moab would be 314 miles. That would amount to approximately 5 hours and 25 minutes in drive time.

Shannon said it would be worth the drive for a college student in Logan because of the experience they will have at the festival.

“It will be small and intimate, not a big and overwhelming experience,” Shannon said. “It is a wonderful opportunity to sample a bunch of well known musicians for a reasonable price.”

Ticket prices range from $30 for a single-venue pass to $95 for a festival pass. Vendors will provide food and non-alcoholic beverages along with festival memorabilia.

For a complete list of performers or to purchase tickets visit www.MoabFolkFestival.com.

-nnaylor@cc.usu.edu