The Family Event

Friday 6^th to Sunday 8^th October

The Family Event – Saturday 7^th October

Last year we introduced a family event to Tenterden Folk Festival. This event offers the whole family, what ever their ages, a chance to try a few simple folk dances and to listen to a few songs and stories, as well as other entertainment for and even by children. As last year’s event proved extremely popular with families, we have decided to repeat the same successful format this year.

This year’s Family Event will take place in the Rainbow Room at Tenterden Leisure Centre on Saturday afternoon and will feature, amongst others, The Drift and Pete Castle. There will also be entertainment especially for the younger members of the family.

THE DRIFT are an exciting four piece band from mid-Sussex, who play a mix of European dance music on a variety of unusual but traditional instruments, so there may be a chance to try an English barn dance or a French folk dance. The Drift’s line up for Tenterden will be Mel Stevens on French bagpipes, hurdy gurdy, fiddle and clarinet; Peter Lyons on fiddle; Richard Smith on hurdy gurdy; and Keith Macdonald on accordion and French bagpipes. The band’s caller, who will teach you the dances, is Rachel Roberts.

For musicians, The Drift will also be leading an Anglo French music session in the newly refurbished Vine Inn. All musicians are welcome to come along and join in this unusual event.

PETE CASTLE needs no introduction to regulars at Tenterden Folk Festival and is also well known to school children through the Festival’s popular Educational Workshops in schools. Pete is one of the few professionals on the English scene whose repertoire consists mainly of traditional English songs and ballads played to his own guitar accompaniment. The bulk of his repertoire comes from the south of England and includes quite a number of songs from or about his native Kent; he was brought up in Ashford although he has spent most of his adult life in the Midlands. As a storyteller Pete tells a mixture of traditional stories, tall tales, urban myths and extended jokes. Many of them are about or include music and song. Pete has a specific repertoire of songs, stories, dances and games suitable for most age groups.

Pete and Keith Kendrick will be running two days of folk song and dance workshops for the students at Homewood School on the Thursday and Friday immediately before the Festival and Pete will be taking part in many other Festival events over the weekend.

TICKETS; for those who do not have a full weekend festival ticket, a special Family Event ticket will be available for £10.00 which will cover up to two adults and two children. Entry for additional children will be £2.00 each.

The latest details of Tenterden Folk Festival 2006, the full guest list, details of the town centre camp site and a ticket booking form can be found on our web site at www.tenterdenfolkfestival.org.uk

To receive our regular email updates send an email to info@tenterdenfolkfestival.org.uk with "add to festival news list" in the subject box.

Join the postal mailing list by sending a s.a.e. to Tenterden Folk Festival 2006 (mailing list), 15 Repton Manor Road, Ashford, Kent, TN23 3HA.

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Last 15^th April 2006