Big Apple Bluegrass & Folk Festival 2001
Contributes to Twin Towers Fund

Kathleen and Tom Hanway are delighted to inform Big Apple Bluegrass fans, supporters and volunteers that $3,000.00 of proceeds from our festival went to the Twin Towers Fund. We raised this money at the Fourth Annual Big Apple Bluegrass & Folk Festival, which was held over three days, November 9-11, at The Baggot Inn, 82 West Third Street, in the heart of Greenwich Village.

We presented thirty hours of Americana music during three days. Main and showcase performers included local, regional and national acts, with Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike coming all the way from Nashville. Bluegrass legends Bill Keith, John Herald and Tony Trischka & Skyline were featured on this year's festival menu. We served up a "main course" of bluegrass, with a variety of "side dishes" that included old-time, folk, country, blues, roots rock, Irish traditional, jazz and jug band music.

Sharing Masters of Ceremonies duties were International Bluegrass Music Association 1997 Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year, Bill Knowlton and Columbia ethnomusicology Ph.D. candidate Toby King. Our local deejays (also country and folk music talents) Meg Griffin, Pam Bertoli and Claudia Marshall sang their hearts out and wowed their listeners and new fans.

New Yorkers and folks from out-of-state and as far away as Toronto, Canada attended our growing festival, making it a success and, hopefully, a morale booster for New York City and the USA. We believe that bringing bluegrass and Americana music to the general public is a valuable and highly entertaining community service, especially in this challenging day and age. As in previous years, we are proud of all the individual artists and bands who performed and gave their unique contributions on our stage, and we are already planning next year's festival.

Our plans for next year's Fifth Annual Big Apple Bluegrass & Folk Festival will include a jamming arena, band and vocal workshops, and more showcases of local and regional acts. We also are working toward more radio coverage, possibly with a simulcast performance of a headlining bluegrass act. We have been encouraged to do a live broadcast by several area deejays and a syndicated radio network.

In 2001 we had sponsorship from Heineken USA and Stelling Banjo Works, Ltd., whom we thank sincerely. We are grateful to Anthony Del Gatto of Cumberland Productions for his creative imagination and wisdom. We also thank the friendly staff at TicketWeb. Tom O'Byrne and the entire staff at The Baggot Inn did a fantastic job in accommodating this year's expanded three-day festival. We are most grateful for their continuing support of bluegrass, folk and Americana roots music.

We love America and, especially, New York City. We admire and support the resolve of New Yorkers to fight on and to keep celebrating life at this critical juncture in our nation's history.

We are proud of all the fine people who were part of this year's festival. We love you: Keep on pickin' and grinnin'!

Blessings to all,
Tom & Kathleen Hanway