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KSUT to assume ownership of Folkwest Festivals

FolkWest, producers of the Four Corners Folk Festival and Pagosa Folk ‘N Bluegrass, will transfer ownership of both festivals to KSUT Public Radio on September 30th, 2019.

 

The transfer is a result of FolkWest executive director Crista Munro accepting a position as executive director of Sisters Folk Festival in Sisters, OR. Munro and her husband, Dan Appenzeller, founded FolkWest 24 years ago and produced the first Four Corners Folk Festival in 1996, with Pagosa Folk ‘N Bluegrass added to the annual lineup in 2006.

“When I was offered the job with Sisters Folk Festival, it was a bittersweet moment for me, knowing that my chapter at the helm of FolkWest would be ending,” said Munro.” KSUT always seemed like a natural choice to take over our events. They do an amazing job with everything they produce, and Tami Graham brings a ton of live music production experience to the table. When they said yes to our proposal, I knew that the transition would be a smooth one.”

The 2019 Four Corners Folk Festival will take place August 30-September 1 on Reservoir Hill in Pagosa Springs. This year’s lineup includes The Earls of Leicester, Billy Strings, Amy Helm, Molly Tuttle, Darrell Scott, The Mammals, Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, The East Pointers, Lindsay Lou, JigJam, Mile Twelve, Wild Rivers, Maybe April and The Arcadian Wild. Additional information can be found at folkwest.com.

KSUT executive director Tami Graham said that the KSUT board of directors and staff are honored to be given the opportunity to continue the legacy of FolkWest festivals “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we can’t thank Crista and Dan enough for entrusting KSUT with the festivals. We are committed to maintaining the stellar reputation and high-quality experience for both attendees and artists that FolkWest has cultivated over the past 24 years.”

The station will be conducting a search for a festival director, who will also coordinate other special events like its concert series and Members’ Party & Silent Auction (Saturday, Nov. 9 at Ska Brewing World Headquarters in Durango).

KSUT was founded by the Southern Ute Tribe in 1976.  It became a 501c3 non-profit in 1986 and now serves five counties in Southwestern Colorado and Northwestern New Mexico, and is an NPR affiliate, with two signals - Four Corners Public Radio and Southern Ute Tribal Radio.

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