Summer is indeed coming in and with it multi-day folk music festivals. (Lyrics and a link to a do-not-miss Youtube performance of this Middle English round are at the end of this post). Let me tell you about three nearby events where many of my favorite performers will sing.

Clearwater

The Clearwater Great Hudson River Revival takes place at Croton Point Park, Croton, NY on Saturday June 21 and Sunday June 22. 10AM to Dusk It is easy to get there via Metro-North and a free shuttle bus. There’s singing, dancing (we get to dance), crafts, lefty politics (I met John Hall there in 2006), boat trips, swimming in the Hudson, storytelling, food.

Performers include Pete Seeger, the Sleepy Hollow String Band and – for those of us still totally rooted in the NYC folk-scene of the very-early 1960’s: Artie & Happy Traum – they’re older than they used to be, but who isn’t?

You can buy tickets here Proceeds benefit the Clearwater Sloop and its Environmental Advocacy. If you buy for both days you can camp overnight Sat. & Sun, which I definitely recommend – if it doesn’t rain.

I am definitely going to Clearwater, rain or shine. It's a fairly low-key 30-mile bike ride. If you want to go with a group the Five Boro Bike Club has a day trip on Saturday , June 21.

Old Songs

The Old Songs Festival is June 27-29 at Altamont NY, 10 miles west of Albany.

Performers include leftist singer-songwriter Si Kahn, Le Vent du Nord Quebec-style singers and the Morrison Brothers Dance Band .

You can camp at the site. Altamont is hard to get to without a car. If you can get a bike on the train (Rensselaer; 16 miles away) or bus (Albany 10 miles away) you can get there easily. Bike camping is only slightly trickier than car camping, but careful planning helps. Otherwise, cabs are few and expensive.

Falcon Ridge

The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival is a four-day extravaganza in Hillsdale NY July 24-27th .

Performers include my favorite girl group: Red Molly , the wonderful Janis Ian and Dar Williams.

Camping is for four-day pass-holders only and is quite a scene, I’m told (I’ve never done it). Red Molly met and formed there. People, it is said, play music deep into the night – sort of like the Newport Folk Festival of old, where people played for days. It is possible to get the Falcon Ridge in Hillsdale with a bike. You can take Metro-North to Wassaic from which it is a little less than 30 (somewhat hilly) miles. Otherwise, drive or find a ride. There’s a Train Stop in Hudson and Bus Stops in Lee & Great Barrington, -- but then you’re at the mercy of cabs.

Sumer Is Icumen In (Modern English at the bottom)
Svmer is icumen in
Lhude sing cuccu!
Groweþ sed and bloweþ med
and springþ þe wde nu.
Sing cuccu!

Awe bleteþ after lomb,
lhouþ after calue cu,
Bulluc sterteþ, bucke uerteþ.
Murie sing cuccu!
Cuccu, cuccu,
Wel singes þu cuccu.
ne swik þu nauer nu!
Sing cuccu nu, Sing cuccu!
Pes
Sing cuccu, Sing cuccu nu!

Try this a cappella round. This short Youtube will thrill you to bits. Definitely worth a click.

A Modern English Rendering

Summer is a-coming in
Loudly sing cuckoo
Groweth seed and bloweth mead
and springs the wood anew
Sing cuckoo!
Ewe bleateth aft-er lamb,
Calf loweth after cow,
Bullock starteth, buck farteth,
Merry sing cuckoo!
Cuckoo, cuckoo!
Well singest thou cuckoo,
Nor cease thou never now!
Sing cuckoo now, Sing cuckoo!
Foot (or Bass)
Sing cuckoo, Sing cuckoo now!