The 1999 Folk Festival
The 1999 Folk Festival was staged successfully thanks to the fine coordination and planning of our Festival Coordinator, Bridget Noonan and the assistance of the many volunteers who helped with the children's program, the beer tent, merchandising, transportation, programming, the stages, advertising, festival program and finances. Thanks also to the City of St. John's and to our generous sponsors. Last but not least, we extend our appreciation to the musicians for their contribution and to the public for their support. Interest in the traditional instruments workshops continues to grow and the Neil Murray Stage has become a major attraction. We look forward to yet another great show this year, August 4 - 6. We welcome volunteer participation, so if you are interested in being involved in this year's festival, please contact Bridget at the SJFAC office.

Folk Club
Relocation of the Folk Club to the Ship Inn has been most successful. Musicians enjoy playing the venue in front of an appreciative crowd with great sound provided by Danny Smith and Eastern Audio. Suzy (Pyrate) Parnham does a wonderful job on the door as do Trish, Eldin and Fionnuala behind the bar. Thanks also to Katie and Vince for their continued support and provision of food for special occasions such as fundraisers and the post-festival party. A special thanks is due to Don Walsh for handling the bookings for much of the year and to Bridget who is now handling this responsibility. Finally, I'd like to thank all the folk club performers and regulars who make Wednesday nights so special.

The Broadside
Thanks to Jean Hewson and Peter Narváez for putting out two issues of our newsletter The Broadside. Due to their workloads, Jean and Peter are unable to continue publishing the newsletter. Dawne Brown and Delf Maria Hohmann have agreed to take on the publication. Please send items for publication to Dawne (aurora@nfld.com) or to the SJFAC office.

Special Events Committee
Rob Brown, Michelle Brophy, Bridget Noonan, Tonya Kearley and I have formed a special events committee to give the council a greater presence in the community and to organize events to promote the folk arts in Newfound-land and Labrador. As our first event, we are presenting three days of music and crafts at the Land and Sea Food Festival on Water Street, July 14-16. Look for the SJFAC tent.

Finances
The finances of the SJFAC are always a concern. As a result we will continue to have reduced winter hours at Water Street Office (one day a week from November to February inclusive). Betty Spencer has again voluntee-red to keep our books up to date on a monthly basis and we are most grateful for this help. Bridget has been working very hard negotiating excellent deals with the many groups who tender their services for the festival, as well as attracting new sponsors such as NTV. I am delighted to announce that the SJFAC recently obtained grants from the federal Cultural Initiatives Program, the Newfoundland & Labrador Arts Council and the City of St. John's.

Board of Directors
Your Board of Directors meets frequently and I would like to thank them all for their comments and suggestions at our monthly meetings. Don Walsh, Vonnie Barron, Anita Best and Hugh Scott resigned from the Board this year and we are very grateful to these people for their service to the SJFAC. I am pleased that Andrew Lang, Scott Schillereff, Stan Pickett, Rob Brown and Rod Shea have elected to return as Board members and I welcome the nominations/acclamations of Dave Penny, Janet Bradshaw, Susan Toller, Colin Carrigan and Erin McArthur as new members of the Board.

Presence on the Web
The web site (www.moonlighting.nfld.com/sjfac/) includes regular updates of the folk club lineup, festival information and copies of the newsletter. Please send your comments and suggestions to me or to the SJFAC office.

Rick West