"Fergus O'Byrne" wrote in message ...
I've been reading the postings regarding our festival with interest. We just
had a press conference last Thursday regarding this year's Festival in St.
John's. I'm posting the following press release for your perusal.

28th Annual Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival
presented by the St. John's Folk Arts Council.
PRESS RELEASE

The St. John's Folk Arts Council is proud to present the 28th Annual
Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, which will be held August 6-8, 2004

Ah yes, the good old Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival. I never
miss it. It's one of the highlights of my summer.

So now, you all pray for good weather for that weekend, you hear?

Heather


at Bannerman Park in downtown St. John's. Remaining true to their mandate,
which is to promote and preserve the folk arts of Newfoundland and Labrador,
the festival committee promises that the first weekend of August in
Bannerman Park will be a veritable feast of diverse talent from all over the
province. Well known performers such as Pamela Morgan, Ray Walsh, Anita
Best, Jenny Gear and the Whiskey Kittens, The Punters, Frank Maher, Bernard
and Robert Felix, Jim Fidler, Jean Hewson and Christina Smith, Rik Barron
and Dave Panting and many more will be on stage to celebrate a weekend of
Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts.

In addition, the Neil Murray Stage, an increasingly favourite afternoon
gathering place, will feature the finest of our young folk musicians and
singers. Many of these young people are already seasoned performers and
have willingly accepted the important role of carriers of our traditions.

Also, building on the very positive response from last year's festival,
starting at 10:00 AM on Saturday and Sunday mornings (Aug 2nd and 3rd) you
can come to Bannerman Park and see your favourite folk performers "up close
and personal" on three interactive workshop stages! These three stages will
focus on oral traditions (singing and storytelling), Newfoundland
Traditional Dance, and instrumental traditions. All workshops begin at 10:00
AM and end at 1:00PM. Then you can sit down and enjoy the fabulous
entertainment on the Mainstage and the Neil Murray Stage

Through this year's "Common Ground" Program, our audience can explore the
French traditional arts of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Canada.
Performances in French song, dance, and storytelling, will highlight the
ongoing impact of French Culture on both our Anglophone and Francophone
artists. The performers participating in this program a Le Vent Du Nord
(2004 Juno Award winners) , Samantha Robichaud, Bernard and Robert Felix,
Jim Fidler, Thierry Artur and Algerian Singer Lekbir Halali, Colleen Power
and Dougie Benoit.

This year the St. John's Folk Arts Council is happy to award it's Lifetime
Achievement Award to traditional singer, Becky Bennett. Born in St. Paul's
on the Great Northern Peninsula in 1908, Mrs. Bennett was one of Kenneth
Peacock's main source singers when he visited Newfoundland in the 1950's,
collecting songs eventually published in his three-volume anthology "Songs
Of The Newfoundland Outports". Her singing has influenced many Newfoundland
folk acts, including Figgy Duff, Christina Smith and Jean Hewson, and Daniel
Payne.

So all in all, it promises to be an exciting weekend in Bannerman Park. This
beautiful park, situated in the heart of the oldest city in North America,
is only a stone's throw from several major hotels and a host of wonderful
bed and breakfast spots. For further information please visit our website at
http://www.sjfac.nf.net/ or contact Erin McArthur at the SJFAC Office,
Phone: (709) 576-8508, Email:

Sponsors for this event a Canadian Heritage, The Governments of Canada
through ACOA, The City of St. John's, Steele Communications with VOCM &
Radio Newfoundland, Molson, Exxon Mobil, The Newfoundland Francophone
Society Canada Council for the Arts, Browning Harvey, The Express, and O'
Brien's Music Store.