I am an unabashed fan of the Tucson Folk Festival celebrated the first weekend in May. This year was their 31st annual. Five stages, 120 performers, 2 days of hand-clapping, foot-stomping, ass-shaking good times. This is where the young come to learn a few of life’s lessons through songs both new and timeless, and the old … well, they come to celebrate life and be young once again.

I don’t know who this dancing lady is, but she was clearly enjoying many different bands throughout the festival. The gentleman in white I have photographed at this and similar events. He’s clearly no spring chicken, but has remarkable rhythm and seemingly endless energy when the music moves him.

I love when audiences get out of their seats and dance in the aisles.

Evelyn Roper was there. We had seen her perform at the Cascabel Community Fair last year. Cascabel is a farming community on the San Pedro River north of Benson. She’s a fine singer/songwriter and I was pleased to see her perform again.

These two (above) have probably been dancing together for the past 50 years. Showing the young ones how it’s done or just steppin’ to the music? Does it matter? Beautiful!

I don’t know her name. She was one of the contestants in the Songwriting Competition. I don’t know if she won, but she was very good. The folk artists of the Baby Boomer generation know that if they don’t bring along the young ones, their art will die … and a beautiful part of Americana with it.

And then there was Molly. Don’t know Molly’s last name. She was 10 years old, maybe 11. She played her fiddle in a way that would have made Charlie Daniels proud. Hope she comes back next year.