Like the folk music tradition of passing down songs from one generation to the next, the Anchorage Folk Festival itself is starting to usher in a new era.
With an average age of less than 30, a new wave of festival board members is bringing not only a passion for folk music but a fresh outlook on everything from promotions to public relations.
Some, like 24-year-old Garren Volper and Kate Hamre, 30, have long family histories in the festival. Others, like 35-year-old Emily Kurn and 24-year-old Joe Selmont, are relative newcomers to the two-week event, which kicks off its 26th year this weekend.
To festival-goers, not much may seem different. As in other years, there will be an array of local performers, instrumental and dance workshops and a major headline act each weekend -- all free to the public.
But behind the scenes, the six recent additions have been learning the ropes with the hope of carrying on and improving the festival for years to come.
Volper and Hamre are both admitted lifers, having spent countless hours of their youth learning songs and techniques at the festival's camps for kids and playing in front of audiences at the Wendy Williamson Auditorium.
"Since I was born, I don't think I've missed a single Anchorage Folk Fest," Volper said. "My mom was pregnant with me at one of the first ones. I just grew up with the festival and it's been an important part of my musical upbringing."
Hamre was a member of the eminent Alaska bluegrass band Bearfoot. After returning to the state from San Francisco, she took over the board position her mother held during the 1990s.
"I love the festival and have always wanted to be on the board," she said.
The festival was Carter Bancroft's first exposure to Alaska music when he arrived from Michigan.
"There was a jam afterwards and that's where I met a lot of the musicians I play with now," he said. "It was an offshoot of everything I do now."
Kurn was a touring singer-songwriter when she arrived in Alaska and never left. She played in and around Anchorage for years before the festival landed on her radar. With a 6-year-old son, her performance schedule has waned in recent years.
"My focus is on other things," she said. "I saw it as a good opportunity to get back into the music scene without performing a lot and being out on the weekends."
Selmont and Volper worked together planning and promoting shows at UAA, which prepared them for their roles on the festival's board.
"We all play music or are passionate about the music, but everyone has skills that help breathe new energy into the festival," Volper said. "Emily works for a public relations agency in Anchorage and is a great writer and a graphic artist. Carter is a computer programmer and built the new website. Joe and I come from a concert promotion background. We all the music thing in common, but we all have these professional backgrounds that have helped move the festival forward."
Conor McManamin, 33, said part of the group's goal is to reach out to new audiences while maintaining the core group who have supported the festival for its first 25 years.
"Young people have young friends," he said. "The more enthusiasm we can get out to those friends to check it out, the better."
The youth movement has predictably made the festival more tech-savvy, from social media outreach to Hamre's recommendation of using Square to process credit card transactions.
While the newcomers have brought fresh ideas to the table, they all spoke on the value of the more experienced members of the board: Kenny Powers, Marty Beckwith, Marianne See, Bill Schlegel and Ken Brown.
"Their influence, opinions and expertise are huge," McManamin said. "I came in a year ago and I'm still kind of a deer in the headlights."
"We're all new to the festival," Bancroft said. "Those people have been doing it forever. If it was just us and not them, it'd probably be a total mess."
The group has debated plenty of ideas for the future of the festival, from adding more folk fest events throughout the year to trying to center the festival in Anchorage's downtown.
Often, the smaller, more practical changes, like applying for grants, win out over the big abstract ideas.
"We talked about rebranding," Kurn said. "That was a big conversation. We thought, 'We have to make all these changes to make it this hip new thing.' They tempered that and said, 'Slow down. There's a good balance.'"
Booking the headline acts is another area where the new blood has had an influence.
This year's first weekend headliner -- The California Honeydrops -- is a good example.
"They have all sorts of roots influences, blues and New Orleans second line," Volper said. "We haven't really had a fully plugged-in electric band. We haven't really done that, but we aren't afraid to do that anymore."
First weekend
Local musicians kick off the opening night of the festival Thursday, with a dozen performances starting at 7 p.m. at the Wendy Williamson Auditorium. Those acts will continue through the weekend, as well as dance and musical workshops all day Saturday and Sunday. The California Honeydrops perform on Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening.
The Honeydrops' eclectic sound blends soul, R&B and Crescent City influences, using a small horn section, a keyboard and traditional instruments like washboards.
The festival continues Monday with a showing of the film "This Ain't No Mouse Music!" at the Bear Tooth Theatrepub and continues throughout the week with musical performances at various locations in Anchorage and Eagle River.
For more information about the festival, including a complete schedule, see anchoragefolkfestival.org.