Tennessee Folklore Society Annual Meeting in Crossville on Nov. 3

From the Tennessee Folklore Society –

The Tennessee Folklore Society will hold its 84^th Annual Meeting on Saturday, November 3, 2018, at the Art Circle Public Library in Crossville, Tennessee. The meeting will begin at 11:00 a.m. (CST) and conclude at approximately 3:30 p.m. It is free of charge and open to Society members as well as the general public.

The Tennessee Folklore Society is a statewide organization of professional folklorists, arts presenters, community scholars, and others who share an interest in studying, preserving and celebrating the rich folk arts and cultural traditions of Tennessee. Founded in 1934, the Society publishes the Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin, the nation’s oldest regional folklore journal. Its operations are managed by Jubilee Community Arts in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The Annual Meeting is a time for members, prospective members, and others interested in Tennessee’s folk traditions to gather, present papers and exchange ideas. The proceedings also include a report from Tennessee Arts Commission Folklife Program Director Bradley Hanson on Commission program news and activities.

The meeting will include presentations on folk music and culture of the Cumberland Plateau that reflect the important folklife work of our local host, Cumberland Trail State Park. Scott Phelps will give an overview of CTSP’s Sandrock recording label and its remarkable catalog of traditional music from the region. Filmmaker Rachel Boillot will preview excerpts from her upcoming “Cumberland Folklife” documentary film series on folk musicians and artists of the plateau.

Two papers will document little recognized African American traditions of fiddle and banjo music in this part of the state. Linda Henry will report on the Gribble, Lusk, and York string band of Warren County, and Denis Kiely will share his research on musicians of the Roberts family in Overton County. Reflecting the Society’s interest in the growing diversity of Tennessee’s culture, Patricia Gaitely’s presentation will focus on Day of the Dead celebrations among Mexican Americans in middle Tennessee.

More information about the Tennessee Folklore Society can be found on the Society’s website at www.tennesseefolklore.org or Facebook.