Elizabeth Grove, Peak to Peak.  Each year during the month of July, more than 10,000 people converge on the small town of Okemah, Oklahoma, the birth place of American Folk Singer Woody Guthrie. People from California to New York City to Denmark to Scotland travel for this yearly pilgrimage to celebrate the spirit of Woody Guthrie and his contribution to music and social justice.

This year, the festival will take place from July 11 through July 15 and will host more than 100 different bands and artists. Along with songwriting competitions, workshops and ample ways for musicians to showcase their work, the festival also holds an annual t-shirt design contest. This consists of an open call for artists to submit their original designs to be used as the official festival t-shirt.

This year’s winner happens to be one of The Mountain-Ear’s own staff members, Cynthia Chambers. Cynthia is one of our graphic designers and weekly music writer. This will be her third year to attend the festival and her first year to submit a design to the contest.

“The Woody Guthrie Folk Festival is something I look forward to every summer. There is so much music and creative energy it truly is a dream to be a part of,” Cynthia explained.

“It is amazing how people from so many places can become almost instantly connected through the music of one man. Woody Guthrie was an American hero to the working class people who otherwise had no voice to speak for them,” she said.

The Woody Guthrie Folk Festival was started by a dedicated group of volunteers with one mission, to honor Woody Guthrie’s music and philosophy. The philosophy is based on the simple and direct principal that every person has worth, none more or less than another.

For more information on the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, to buy tickets and to see a list of the scheduled artists please visit https://www.woodyfest.com/. You can also support the festival by buying a t-shirt, sharing their information over social media or by donation.

All artists perform free of charge, and the festival is fueled by the hard work of volunteers and local community members.

(Originally published in the June 7, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)