Last night, from 8:00- 11:00 pm was the pre-festival concert for the North Carolina Folk Festival. Songs of Hope and Justice was presented in the Van Dyke Performance Space at 200 Davie Street in the Cultural Arts Center. The venue was just right big enough to feel like a good gathering, yet small enough to feel intimate. This concert has been performed since 2015, the first year of folk festival, back when it was the National Folk Festival. A special thank you goes out to Laurelyn Dossett for hosting the event. The concert was such a nice blend of performers, genres, and, songs with the unifying theme that they focused on themes of freedom and social justice. It was a special treat to hear Alice Gerrard (right, in red)  perform again at the festival. Her career spans about seven decades. We hadn’t heard fiddler Faye Petree play before, so that was a real treat. 

If you get a chance, sit down and plan out your weekend at the North Carolina Folk Festival. It will be well worth your while. HERE is the schedule.