This year’s Folklife Festival on the Mall featured Wales, Las Americas, and Giving Voice (“African American oral tradition”). I explored it on Friday when the weather was juuust right. Breezy, overcast, warm, but not too hot. It drizzled for a minute or so, but was otherwise a nice day.
I checked out the musical performance first. It drew the most attention for its liveliness. The kids seemed to get a kick out of dancing. One 3 or 4 year old boy who had just his shorts on got so into the music he flipped right over. Between the arm flailing and mad stepping, he lost his balance. Pretty cute.
This year was the first time I tried the food. I stopped to take a picture of the arroz con pollo but the delectable fish sandwich from the soul foods display was too yummy to pause for a picture.
This here is a modern rendition of an old concept (Wales display), the living roof. Basically you plant hardy drought tolerant plants that can survive on a thin layer of soil on your rooftop. It acts as insulation and it’s also kinda’ pretty.
Another of my favorite exhibits was the medicinal plants section. They displayed a nice patch of garden filled with comfrey (heals connective tissues), wormwood (for upset stomach, colic, kidney trouble), cabbage (soaked leaves in vinegar treats sprains), leek (good for headache, snakebite, ulcers, deafness, boils, nightmares), borage (brings good cheer), rosemary (treats long term drunken habits, cold, sore throat), marigold (fungal infections, cuts, infections, sharpen appetite, help sleep), and marijuana (for a good time). Kidding on the last one!
This knot tying display and demonstration was another interesting one. It looks so easy when they’re doing it.
Overall, this year’s was among my favorite Folklife Festivals. My favorite was the one with Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard in 2005. I stopped by that one almost everyday during lunch while they were on display. Guess I’m partial to the mini-gardens.
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