On the holiday weekend my family went to Kutztown Folk Festival-the oldest folklife festival in the US.
It was first held in the summer of 1950. Three of America’s leading folklorists presented the first Kutztown Folk Festival using a unique hands-on approach that let “outsiders” experience firsthand what it means to be part of a Pennsylvania Dutch family. Key to the event’s success was the ability of the festival’s “founding fathers” to organize the area’s local citizens and coordinate their participation in the festival. These were not actors, but actual Pennsylvania Dutch natives demonstrating their everyday way of life.
The stand that interested my kids most was the one presenting old time handmade toys and games. They had so much playing with the simplest games possible, I thought how much money is wasted on expensive kids toys these days.
What impressed me most was the variety of craftsmen offering their art work pieces for sale. I ended up buying a wooden hex sign-a traditional element of every Pennsylvania Dutch house.
Ukrainian in Philly 