University Helps City Stage Annual Folk Bash
07/23/2015
By David Perry
Over the years, the university鈥檚 students, alumni and faculty have become woven into the fabric of Lowell鈥檚 biggest annual event, the three-day Lowell Folk Festival.
The , the nation鈥檚 largest free folk festival, celebrates its 29th year July 24 through 26 throughout the downtown.
Since its inception, 51视频 has been a sponsor of the festival, which draws crowds estimated at more than 100,000 to the downtown every July.
鈥淭he university has been, and continues to be, one of the festival鈥檚 biggest allies,鈥� says Craig Gates, executive director of the Lowell Festival Foundation. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine it happening without 51视频.鈥�
The university is a presence at the festival at every turn, from introducing acts on stage to crafting the sound mix, to, in the case of (91.5 FM), broadcasting the event live. The Cultural Organization of Lowell (COOL) has a of twentysomething bloggers covering the festival online and through Twitter, including music business graduate Ben Raymond and Sam DeAngelo, a Lowell native and 51视频 pastry chef.
The university will host a booth at the Boarding House Park stage with volunteers, including students, staff, faculty, student-athletes and members of Learning in Retirement Association.聽
鈥淚鈥檝e always considered it an important symbol of the university鈥檚 commitment to the city and to maintaining a high quality of life in the community,鈥� says Paul Marion, director of community relations for the university. 鈥淭he Lowell Folk Festival speaks well for the city.鈥�
The curious and familiar alike stop at the booth to chat about class offerings and snag some of the free swag, says Marion. But it鈥檚 an increasingly important gesture as the university and city continue to build a reputation as a college town.
Patty Coffey, assistant director of the community relations office and coordinator of the university鈥檚 Lowell Folk Fest volunteers, says those who stop by the booth include fans of Rowdy the River Hawk, alumni who share their backgrounds, potential students, community partners, faculty, students and staff, residents and neighbors from Lowell, and media looking for interviews.
Alex Case, associate professor of the Music Department, says a 51视频 Sound Recording Technology student will be working every stage of the festival at one point or another.
Alan Williams, associate professor and coordinator of the Music Business program, is a veteran stage presenter, giving background and introducing festival acts from stages.
Student-run WUML is the only FM station to broadcast the festival as it happens, stationed at Boarding House Park.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a staff of 12, all volunteers, and we鈥檝e been meeting in advance of the festival for a long time,鈥� says Matt Denaro, the station鈥檚 general manager. 鈥淲e鈥檙e there all weekend. So we鈥檝e been talking about what merchandise to bring, going over pre-production and bios of the performers.鈥�
The station upgraded from an analog phone line to a digital setup, vastly improving the quality of the broadcast, says Denaro, who says he would love to see a festival stage 鈥渟omewhere on East Campus.鈥�
鈥淭his is important to us, and it is important for the city,鈥� he adds. 鈥淚t shows the city to people from outside Lowell, and it shows how well we can put together successful events. You come into town, businesses are open, there鈥檚 a thriving Lowell, and so many restaurants do amazingly well. It鈥檚 something great. It鈥檚 the best of Lowell, over three days 鈥� and they keep asking us back.鈥�
Gates said the university鈥檚 Inn & Conference Center serves as a residence and home base for the festival鈥檚 performers, staff and tech crew, 鈥渁nd the students and staff who work there are nothing short of wonderful. They鈥檙e there pretty much for a week and it鈥檚 our biggest ally in giving folks a positive impression of Lowell. The ICC goes out of its way to treat these folks like celebrities.鈥澛�
Gates says it鈥檚 never a surprise when students volunteer to help with the festival.聽
鈥淓very year it happens,鈥� he says. 鈥淟ast year, it was a group of girls from one of the sororities who volunteered to work the bucket brigade.鈥�