It’s hard to find fans anywhere more passionate about music than Newport Folk Festival fans. On Thursday, July 25, a pair of events were organized by members of the “Newport Folk Festival Family,” a Facebook fan group that was started in 2009 and has since grown to over 5,000 members. The afternoon began with a reception at Fastnet Pub and was followed by a concert at Buskers on Thames Street.
How did it all come together?
“During our Folk Family Reunion last summer, I had a lightbulb moment, a vision of combining the two reasons we all gather together in Newport – community and music,” says organizer Nick Morales. “Let’s throw a concert after this year’s reunion. We’ve been planning the Famboree since March, and I think we’ve put together a wonderful night of music in an intimate space.”
Dan Blakeslee (Photo: Ken Abrams) 
Kaia Kater (Photo: Ken Abrams) 
Newport Folk Festival Family (Photo: Ken Abrams) 
Dan Blakeslee (Photo: Ken Abrams) 
Kaia Kater (Photo: Ken Abrams) 
Newport Folk Festival Family (Photo: Ken Abrams) 
Newport Folk Festival Family (Photo: Ken Abrams) 
Newport Folk Festival Family (Photo: Ken Abrams) 
Newport Folk Festival Family (Photo: Ken Abrams)
Festival favorite Dan Blakeslee opened the evening with a fine set of original music along with the David Bowie cover “Space Oddity,” which had many in the crowd singing along.
“Having Dan perform as part of our Folk Famboree was an immediate and natural choice,” explains organizer Gail Prusslin. “Dan is a wonderful musician who busked at the Festival since 2010 and is part of the Newport Family. Last year he was given an opening slot on the Fort Stage, where he attracted an enthusiastic crowd.”
Up next, folk singer and 2019 festival veteran Kaia Kater, who is playing Sunday, July 28, as part of New Dangerfield. “We all agreed that Montreal-born Kaia Kater would be an excellent fit to headline our inaugural Folk Famboree,” says Prusslin. “A skilled songwriter, vocalist, and instrumentalist, her brand new album, Strange Medicine has garnered rave reviews. We knew that Kaia would be an exciting artist to headline our event.
Additional organizers included longtime festival attendee Adam Shanker, who is frequently seen up front “riding the rail,” and Ron Ozer, who introduced Kater. Funds raised for the concert help support the Newport Festivals Foundation, which sponsors music education initiatives around the country.
Follow the Newport Folk Family on Facebook here.
