The timing was right. The Ohio Arts Council had begun a new funding arm, the Joint Program in Folk Arts and Culture. The ad hoc Dayton committee came up with a plan to present events reflecting its diverse interests geared to the local Irish, African-American and Jewish populations. They had to put a name on the grant, but they didn't like the formal tone of the Dayton Folklore Society. They wanted something with a broader concept.
Folk art happens everywhere.
June 21, noon-6 p.m. The festival is free and will be located in downtown Dayton, Ohio, in the area bounded by First and Fifth streets and Ludlow and Jefferson streets. Take exit 53-B off Interstate 75. They thought of a name combining the group's urban nature and traditional philosophy and, in 1980, the first Cityfolk Folk Arts Series was held in the committee's Five Oaks neighborhood, near Dayton's downtown. That showed me there was a real need, and at the same time I really had the presenting bug.