Kutztown Folk Festival Opens This Weekend

Even if you are not of Pennsilfaanisch Deutsche (Pennsylvania Dutch) heritage, the Kutztown Folk Festival is a tradition worth celebrating over the Fourth of July weekend. Held at the Kutztown Fairgrounds July 2-10, the Kutztown Folk Festival is the oldest folk-life festival in America and--in its 62nd year--is a reminder that Pennsylvania Dutch culture is still alive and well in these parts.

“The festival originally started over the Fourth of July because the Pennsylvania Dutch are very patriotic people,” said Dave Fooks, director of the festival. “And, I believe it was Harry Truman that said, ‘There is no truer American than a Pennsylvania Dutchman’.” 

Fooks, a Hellertown resident, has been associated with the Kutztown Folk Festival for 39 years, beginning his involvement at the age of 17 as one of the craftsmen. He says he has only ever missed one festival week, and that was because his son Jacob, now 29 and participating in the festival, was born the week it was held.  

An underlying purpose of the festival is to preserve Pennsylvania German heritage and educate visitors about the important contributions of folk culture to American history.

“Their unique language, agriculture, family... They developed so much of what made America great,” Fooks said. “(The) Kentucky long rifle and Daniel Boone, (the) mouldboard plough, Conestoga wagons, and (the list) just goes on and on.” 

Fooks said many of the Pennsylvania Dutch at the festival are local residents who can trace their ancestry back to the 17th and 18th centuries, when Germans seeking freedom from religious persecution in their homeland first settled in this area.

“There are distinct differences between Pennsylvania Dutch and the local German Americans--the dialect, the ties to agriculture, the craftsmanship and the food,” Fooks said.

“The Pennsylvania Dutch you see at the festival...are part of what is considered the 'plain people,' which include the Mennonite and Amish, but those groups only make up 10 percent of the culture," he explained. The majority of people who are traditionally considered to be Pennsylvania Dutch, he added, subscribe to the Anabaptist, United Church of Christ and Lutheran faiths.

Celebrating Pennsylvania Dutch folk life in all its forms, the festival will have on display some of the nation’s finest horse-drawn wagons and sleighs. Visitors will also have the opportunity to witness the quiet power of a working 19th century hot-steam tractor--one of the last remaining in operation. For those looking for cultural immersion, there will be the opportunity to witness an Amish wedding, as well as experience a Mennonite hymn sing and traditional church services held in Pennsylvania German.

Six stages will be located throughout the fairgrounds, and will feature everything from traditional folk music and dancing to storytelling. Elsewhere, craftspeople and artisans will help tell the story of the Pennsylvania Dutch.

“We have 200 demonstrating craftsmen,” said Fooks. “Virtually all of those crafts have been developed from the Pennsylvania Dutch culture and 70 percent of the craftsmen are local.”

Of particular interest are the nation’s three remaining professional hex sign painters: Bill Schuster, Ivan Hoyt and Eric Claypoole. Claypoole is the last hex sign and barn star artist to paint hex signs directly onto barns, a tradition dating back 200 hundred years. There will also be a barn-raising--demonstrating traditional techniques of timber framing--and visitors will be invited to help Jack Witherington raise a post-beam outhouse. 

Also expect to watch glass blowers shape and work 1100 degree molten glass into art, as well as witness various potters and folk art painters demonstrating their unique techniques.

“We try to be as interactive as possible,” said Fooks. “Most of what we have, the visitors can try their hand at and we encourage that.”

Even the quilting is interactive, and visitors can add a quilted square to the festival’s Visitors Quilt, which is made entirely by visitors and displayed annually. There will be more than 2,000 juried quilts handmade by Amish and Mennonite women that will be for sale in the quilt barn at the festival. 

“Aside from the fact that it is the only area that has air conditioning, it’s fun to walk in the quilt barn,” said Fooks. “The colors are mind boggling when you see them hanging on the rack--it’s just stunning.”

On Saturday, July 9, the festival will bring the top 20 prize-winning quilts to the main stage for the annual quilt auction.   

“The quilts are works of art. We try to keep the prices all down to make them affordable," Fooks said, adding that “virtually all of them are made by Amish or Mennonite women who can’t work outside the home, and (the auction) helps bring in a little income.”

Of course, the Kutztown Folk Festival is a family event and the Pennsylvania Dutch have some interesting entertainment for children.

Kids can jump and play in the hay or try to find their way through a hay maze.  They will also have the opportunity to make cider, apple butter, sauerkraut, soap, candles and other items that were necessary to farm life in the 19th century. Many children also love to contribute to the interactive Pennsylvania Dutch mural.  

Aside from these venues, Fooks said “there are two places where we find children--at the children’s stage or petting zoo.”

The children's stage will feature puppet shows, sing-a-longs and storytelling, and the petting zoo--brought to the festival by  of Lower Saucon Township--will probably keep your young ones captivated all afternoon.

Finally, there is Pennsylvania Dutch food, which for many people is the highlight of the entire festival--and includes many items you simply can't find at the local supermarket.

“You’ll find pig snout, scrapple, sausages, tongue, pickled pig’s feet and lots of other unique Dutch 'treats' at the Festival Farmers Market,” Fooks said. “Verna Dietrich and her family keep these old-fashioned traditions alive and well.”

Gary Hertzog will be baking traditional round bread in a stone bake oven, Viola Miller will be making the famous funnel cakes she introduced to the festival 61 years ago, and let’s not forget about Greg Stewart’s ox roast sandwiches.

“No matter the time of day, people are lined up to watch the ox roast, ask questions of Greg about his roasting methods, and of course, to go next door to enjoy a scrumptious meal,” Fooks said.

At the daily ox roast, onlookers are able to watch as a 1,200 pound ox is slowly turned on a spit over hot coals. The smell of the meet and the blend of spices used to season it fill almost the entire fairgrounds, and visitors are served sample slices on-site. The roasting of these noble creatures--once used to pull mouldboard ploughs across farmland--has become a major part of “harvest feasts” and community events. 

Festival tickets are good for one day's entry and can be purchased at the Kutztown Fairgrounds located at 225 N. White Oak Street in Kutztown. Tickets are $14 per adult, $13 for seniors (55 and over), $5 for children (13-17), and kids 12 and under are free. A week-long pass can be purchased for $24. Go online for a $3 printable coupon. For additional information, visitwww.kutztownfestival.com.

The festival is expected to draw 140,000 to 150,000 people throughout the week, and is well worth the drive down Route 222.