By Emelie Patti

Folksy Fest is a music festival in honor of George Hamiliton IV who passed away 4 years ago. Along with being an accomplished opera star, George Hamiliton IV was also a famous country musician. He is an RJR alumni who was inducted into the Arts Hall of Fame last year along with 12 others.

   This year, the event takes place at the Reynolds Aditorium on Saturday, Septmeber 22. Three people will be inducted in the Arts Hall of Fame: Judy Voss Jones, Mitch Easter and Bob Mayer. Folksy Fest will have many RJR alumni perform as well as the Marching Band, the Dancing Boots, and A Cappella.

   Peter Hawley, an RJR former class President, talks about Judy Voss Jones in his article An Artist Worth Celebrating and Honoring. “From her earliest years, Judy showed both enthusiansm and talent for drawing and painting, so it was not suprising that she enjoyed and excelled in art classes at Reynolds and then went on to major in studio art at the University of Georgia…”

   Senior Will Fulton arranged the song “Sh-boom” by The Crew Cuts for A Cappella to perform.

  “I am looking forward to peforming it, and I am not really that nervous because I’m just a bigger part of an ensemble, ” Fulton said.   

   At the music festival there will be wristbands so people can leave and comeback as they please. There will be foodtrucks so people can get food during the festival and t-shirts will be sold for $10. Tickets for seniors citizens and students will also be $10. Adult tickets will be $20 and children under 12 will be free. All of the proceeds will go to the Reynolds arts program.

   Magnet School Coordinator Karen Morris thinks it is important for students at RJR to attend the day long festival,

   “I think it is important for several reason, one is we go to a school with a rich tradition of excellence,” Morris said.“The freshman class will be the hundreth graduating class from Reynolds, and it is important to get connected to the past. Hooking into the Arts Hall of Fame inductions and learning about people that have studied and walked these halls and now have gone on to do amazing things in their own lives is pretty great.”

   George IV used music as an international language. One of George Hamiliton IV famous quotes was “In a world of walls, music builds a bridge.” George IV was instrumental in collapsing racial and socio-economic barriers.

    The Folksy Fest is at  Reynolds Aditorium on Saturday, September 22 and it is a great way to be entertained by live music. Folksy Fest is a great way to learn more about your schools history and also get to know people that went to the same school as you.

    Photo Provided by Creative Commons