Philly Folk Fest, Part 3

Coming home from the an event like Fest involves conflicting emotions. No matter how much fun I'm having, I can't wait to return to indoor plumbing and a comfortable bed.
Returning to work, I find my attention forced from musical styles, rhythms and melodies to spreadsheets, policies and procedures. But I can still rest my mind on those unexpected, luminous moments of musical or visual experience.
Moments before I captured this image of the parasols in Dulcimer Grove, I watched a woman dance to a Doc Watson song in a glow in the dark hula hoop. I'm not making this up. I couldn't make this up. The best I can do is to marvel at the unexpected grace of the moment.
The Philadelphia Folk Festival doesn't happen by accident; it happens because many hundreds of volunteers work to make these experiences possible. These volunteers cook the meals, patrol the grounds, pick up the trash, set up the stages, and govern this small city for this one week each year, just for the hope that they and others may find that graceful moment that in some small way makes life worth living.
If you think you'd like to be a part of the Folk Fest tradition, mark the dates August 15 to 17, 2008 on your calender, and go to the Philadelphia Folk Song Society website for alerts on how you can volunteer. Tell 'em TommyWonk sent you.