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BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The Bellingham Folk Festival has returned to downtown Bellingham once more. In its twelfth year, the fest showcases a host of different styles of folk music, allowing musicians from both near and far to connect over their mutual love of music.
Celine Parton, one of the organizers for the festival and a fiddler herself, continues the work of event founder Cayley Schmid, who took a step back a couple years ago.
A lifelong musician, Parton picked up the violin in school at the age of 9. She was classically trained throughout her teens but became burnt out once she began college at Western Washington University (WWU) after what she described as a rigorous practice schedule.
“My dad would make me practice an hour every day because he was spending a lot of money on private lessons. And so, I was just really burnt out,” she said. “I was like, ‘I’m not gonna do the school symphony, the Western one, and I just need a little break.'”
Parton’s exploration into different forms of playing the violin, or fiddle, began after she graduated from WWU in 2015, and she spent time learning different techniques. But the main catalyst in Parton’s music journey was hearing Schmid perform in her then-band Polecat. Schmid is a fiddler that continues to play in a duo with her husband Aaron Guest called Schmid & Guest.
“I hit [Schmid] up on social media. I was like, ‘Do you have time to show me what you’re doing? Or do you know anyone that can teach me how to play like you, because you’re really good?'” Parton said. “And then I became friends with her. She’s like, ‘I’ll give you lessons.’ She gave me really cheap lessons. She taught me all about Celtic fiddle.”
“I wish I had found fiddle music first, because it’s so fun.” – Celine Parton
Now, Parton specializes in Old-Time Americana and Celtic fiddle.
Parton describes organizing the festival as more grassroots and less centralized than some events. Schmid said that the less-centralized format was a recent change with the festival, beginning two years ago.
“I like the idea that no one can find out who is in charge,” Schmid said. She has heard it described as a fringe fest or a potluck fest. Parton adds that the grassroots approach keeps cost down, as renting a space such as the Majestic Ballroom is a financial burden she or another organizer would not want to take on.
According to Parton, the loose format manifests as businesses can decide to put on their own shows and join in the festivities. With roughly 60 activities planned throughout the weekend, music will be at the forefront of many businesses in town. 22 venues are listed on the schedule for the festival, spanning from the downtown core to the Fountain District and Sunnyland. There is even a show in Deming listed as part of the fest, taking place at Chair 9 Woodstone Pizza on Saturday night.
Spaces not often known for their live performances will be putting on shows during the weekend: from Mallard’s Ice Cream to Northwest Yarns. Parton advocated for festival attendees to download an app in understand where and when all the music acts will be taking place, saying she used it herself as she walked from show to show.
This is not the first event that Parton has helped organize. She was a part of the team that began Kulshan’s Trackside space, booking their music acts for the first two years the space was open on Bellingham’s waterfront. She now works at Opportunity Council as a Human Resources Administrator. In addition to her 9-to-5, Parton teaches violin to several students and also sells crafted items under the name BonanzaCraft, participating on local makers markets as well as an online storefront.
Parton has been a part of a few musical acts in Whatcom County, most recently the band Dream Goats, performing on Saturday at Northwest Yarns.
“I like seeing a lot of different types of events and making sure they’re real spread out on the schedule. Like that’s why I organized my band to play at 11 a.m. — we need a morning show. It’s really nice on a Saturday to get a coffee and listen to some music,” she said.
Parton said that the folk music community that gathers for this festival has regulars that return time and again.
“We all become friends, and we all live in different towns, but we have a shared love of the same type of music. And just from that connection, people might even move here or want to stay and cultivate that. Like it’s just a community and a draw and a connection,” she said.
Bellingham Folk Festival has many different type of events happening over the weekend, from square dance on Friday and several jams, sessions and sings. One called a “Pajamajam” has a dress code of pajamas encouraged for participation.
Parton said that sessions, or jams, are collaborative music events that have some format but become free reign for the creatives participating. Fast jams would require a faster tempo from the musicians, whereas slower sessions can offer a space for more relaxed playing.
“Anyone can come to a session or jam. You want to have built up some tunes that you can add to the group. And there’s usually different varying levels of jams. [For] festivals, it’ll be like ‘slow jam’ or ‘fast jam,'” she said. “Maybe the Mallard’s jam is going to be a little bit more welcoming to all levels, whereas the one that says ‘All bangers’ is probably really fast.”
Participating in a jam or a workshop, where you can learn some techniques and skills, is open-ended, but Parton recommends that players come into those spaces with cognizance and some baseline understanding of their instrument.
“Last year at the Folk Festival, someone was playing a drum really loudly out of time in the jam, and the person trying to lead the tune had a hard time leading it, and they politely asked if that person could maybe play a little quieter. It was a little bit awkward. But I think that communication is important,” she said.
Between Bellingham Folk Festival kicking off Thursday, Jan. 22 and going through Sunday as well as Paper Whale’s Fire and Story on the Bellingham Waterfront, music will be in the air, drawing crowds to Whatcom County.
For more information about the Bellingham Folk Festival, head to their website at thebellinghamfolkfestival.com.
We are Whatcom is a weekly column featuring Whatcom County residents making a positive impact on the community. To submit a Whatcom County resident to be featured, click here.