WILLOW CREEK — The inaugural Willow Creek Folk Music Festival brought an estimated 400 people to Thorne’s Bend over Labor Day weekend, far exceeding organizers’ expectations and establishing a new annual tradition for the town’s tourism calendar.
The three-day festival featured 15 acts from across Maine, including headliner Jeremiah Pillsbury and the Log Drivers of Waldoboro, whose Saturday night set drew a crowd of more than 200. Friday night’s contra dance, called by local musician Betsy Hatch and accompanied by the Rangley Mountain Boys, packed the park pavilion with dancers of all ages.
“It was just gorgeous,” said attendee Martha Robichaud of Houlton. “The sun going down over the river, the sound of fiddles carrying across the water — I felt like I was in a different century.”
The festival was organized by a volunteer committee chaired by Maeve O’Donnell of the General Store, who said planning will begin immediately for next year. “We had port-a-potties, trash pickup, a first-aid tent — all the boring stuff that makes a festival work,” O’Donnell said. “Now we know what we’re doing, we can aim bigger.”
Total economic impact for the weekend was estimated at $28,000, based on vendor sales and lodging tax receipts. Organizers are applying for a $5,000 grant from the Maine Arts Commission to support the 2020 festival.