Mission Statement of the Country Roads Folk Festival
The Country Roads Folk Festival is a place where all people can come to enjoy a day of good old -fashioned family fun and to share the strongest bond that holds all communities together: music! Folk Music is the music of all people and the instrument we use to learn about our past, understand the present and help shape our future. It is a festival to help support the guardians of folk music -- an essential element in keeping folk music alive so that it may be passed on to generations.

Special Tributes to John Denver and Rachel Bissex
The 7th Annual Country Roads Folk Festival paid special tribute to John Denver and Rachel Bissex. Both of them left us much too soon, but we are fortunate that they left us with the legacy of their music. We have inherited a wealth of words that speak to us through their songs and they have deeply touched our lives.

Many Great Performers
The performers who appeared at this year's festival included:

	Bill Danoff has been singing and writing songs since the late 1960s when he performed and co-wrote songs with John Denver, including "Take Me Home Country Roads", which catapulted John Denver into national prominence. Another Danoff song, "I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado" was recorded by Denver and it became the theme song of Colorado. And with Emmylou Harris, he wrote her hit, "Boulder to Birmingham." In the 1970s, Bill was the driving force behind the Starland Vocal Band. "Afternoon Delight" (five Grammy nominations, two awards, and a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) assured Bill's place in the national music scene.
	Toms' contemporaries acknowledge him as the groovemiester. He plays acoustic guitar like it's a band in a box, along with piano, violin, and sitar. His style varies between Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, and Ravi Shankar. Tom Prasada-Rao is not a screamer -- he gets his point across with soaring melodies, engaging stories, poetry, and undulating spirituality. Tom has won numerous awards - among them Kerrvilles' New Folk and 14 Wammies including Songwriter of the Year. His songs have been recorded by David Wilcox, Randy Travis, actor Ronny Cox, Christian artist Bob Bennett and others.
	Glengarry Bhoys The Glengarry Bhoys combine the traditional elements of Celtic music with contemporary sensibilities on Rhoots, giving a fresh perspective to that which they've inherited from generations of like-minded artists. As one reviewer reported,"if these Bhoys don't get you a-movin' then your skin's on way too tight. "The band is: Graham Wright (vocals, guitar), Gaye Stuart 'Zig' Leroux (drums, bodhran, vocals), Miranda Mulholland (fiddles, stepdancing, vocals) Graham Smith (bass guitars), Ewan Brown (highland bagpipes, uileann pipes, vocals) Brendan Carey (fiddles, stepdancing, vocals).
	Recognized in folk circles for her incredible voice and intelligent songwriting since the mid 90's, Michigan-based Terry Gonda's music inspires, thrills and touches the soul of the listener. Singer Magazine’s Robert Linquist states: “Terry's songwriting is solid as she spins lyrical adventures that run through love stories and songs of hope. Listening to her music stirs much the same feelings as hearing a weather forecast for a bright and sunny tomorrow though it be damp and dreary today.”
	Pat Wictor Steeped in American "roots" music, Pat is a contemporary songwriter and interpreter drawing on the rural country, gospel, and blues traditions of our nation. Echoing Dave Carter and Bruce Cockburn, he has a penchant for symbolic and spiritual imagery. His singing voice makes one imagine a clean-living, hope-filled Townes Van Zandt. And his intricate lap slide guitar picking reminds one of Kelly Joe Phelps. The mountain music of Dock Boggs and the Stanley Brothers, and the Delta blues of Son House and Fred McDowell provide material for Pat's performances, and inspiration for the melodies and language of Pat's original songs.
	Wishing Chair With award-winning songwriting and musicianship, Wishing Chair, “never fails to create that exhilarating sense one gets when great melodies, strong harmonies, and superb execution come together,” says The Performing Songwriter Magazine. Since 1995, the folk and soul partnership of multi-instrumentalist Miriam Davidson and songwriter Kiya Heartwood has delivered engaging performances, passionate activism, stirring harmonies and award winning songs.
	mister don (don bridges) An innovative songwriter and energetic musical performer for audiences of all ages, don bridges started writing songs in 1976. Through his special passion for children's music, mister don has emerged as one of the mid-Atlantic regions best-loved family entertainers and received the Washington Area Music Association Wammie award for Children's Vocalist for both 2004 and 2005.
	The Rolling Coyotes The Rolling Coyotes have a penchant for unique, yet audience-pleasing material . . . featuring finely-tuned harmonies, textured instrumentation, good humor and originality. Their style is basically folk (traditional and contemporary), but touches on many other genres from blues to bluegrass. You might hear an 1850’s ballad and 1950’s rock n’ roll tune in the same set. They perform well-crafted originals and great songs by great writers such as Stephen Foster, Jimmie Rogers, Hank Williams, Woody Gutherie, Bob Dylan, Johnny Mercer and Hoagey Carmichael. The trio’s provocative songs will warm your heart, challenge your mind, tap your toes and make you laugh out loud. The band is comprised of Steve Warner on vocals, guitar, and harmonica; Nancy Lynn on vocals, autoharp and hand drum, and Andy Mosholder on Cello, Bass and percussion.
	Mary Sue Twohy’s soaring, intimate vocals and warm, expressive guitar won her the 2004 Washington Area Music Award (WAMMIE) for Contemporary Folk Vocalist and the 1999 WAMMIE for Best New Artist. She has also garnered additional WAMMIE nominations for Contemporary Female Folk vocalist, Contemporary Folk Recording, and Song of the Year, and earned Honorable Mention in the 2004 Billboard Song Contest. Dave Richards of The Morning News, says, "As far as the Goose-Bump meter goes, Mary Sue Twohy is up there with Nanci Griffith, Sarah McLachlan, Iris Dement."
	Cadence Carroll Cadence Carroll grew up surrounded by music. Although Cadence's first instrument was the violin, she quickly moved to the guitar. In college she fell in love with the sounds of African-Cuban percussion. There she found a passion and natural affinity for accompanying fellow musicians on the djembe, a large African hand drum. In 2002 she was selected as a Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase performer. She also won the 2003 Rose Garden Coffeehouse Performing Songwriter Competition, was a finalist in the 2004 Plowshares Songwriting contest,and was a finalist in the 2002 Susquehanna Music and Arts Festival Songwriting Contest. She is currently a member of the Sloan Wainwright Band and has also been known to jump onstage at a moment's notice with almost anyone who asks for a little drumming.
	ARUNNA The Improv Storyteller ARUNNA The Improv Storyteller is an energetic and creative young woman who has been telling stories all of her life. Her imaginative mind and animated personality awaken the child in all of us through words, stories and ideas; she has a way of bringing her themes to life. The audiences imaginations become the pages that spontaneously weave old traditions into new world verbal murals of life, passion and messages that matter.
	STEP JAM STEP JAM is Kim Forry and Jan Scopel. Each has been choreographing, teaching, and performing percussive step dance regionally and internationally for over, well, way too long (25 years)! Jan performed both solo and with the DC-based “Sassafras” and “Footloose” in the 80’s and 90’s before connecting with Kim in 2000. In addition to picking up roots rhythms from her mandolin-playing dad, Kim has formal training in ballet, modern, jazz, tap dance, and NIA and has performed and choreographed for adult as well as children’s theater. She co-founded and performed with “Feet First Cloggers” of York, PA, throughout the 80’s. Together, Kim and Jan’s spirited dancing merges progressive and traditional rhythms drawing from cultural as diverse as Native American, British Isles, and African American. Come have some serious fun and learn a step or two of old-timey freestyle flatfooting and high stepping clog dancing from the southern Appalachians.
Click here to see pictures of the festival

Take Me Home to Almost Heaven
The historical Almost Heaven Farm is a beautiful ten-and-a-half acre tree lined piece of land where the well known original and restored VanMetre home built in 1780 still stands. There is a huge barn on the property that is nearly 100 years old where much of the festivities take place.

Kids Corner
There were activities for the kids including stories by ARUNNA the Improv Story Teller, pony rides and a petting zoo (provided by Pony To Go), songs by mister don, hayride sing-alongs and other activities to keep the kids entertained all day long.