What an experience! Dance, story, and song all mangled together with the addition of a fiddle and an accordion. Snatching a lull in the rain, I sit in my canvas chair and contemplate the evening, eager to capture the magic of this place in a few words.  

I am at Gate to Southwell and this is my first folk festival experience. Though I never imagined I’d be caught up in a frenzy of Morris men, clog dancers, and a banjo player I am surprised by the joy and inspiration it brings.

Every song, every dance, and every lilting ballad brings a story of some sort, whether a bitter moment in history or a fairy tale of long ago, I am mesmerized by the mixture of words, dance, and music.

Artists I’d never before experienced now have become part of my new menu, Rhiannon Giddons, Feet First, and Frog on a Bike, the strange and eclectic names drip from the tongue and fill one with both curiosity and delight.

Funny, there is no whisper of faith or religion but for me, God is in every part of this experience. I am among a human tapestry of creativity, diversity, and colour. What a privilege!