Recordings of the 1954 Florida Folk Festival

General Note/Comment

• Nine reel to reels. For information regarding performers, titles of songs, and other details, see individual reel descriptions. This was the first Florida Folk Festival that was recorded by the Stephen Foster Center. The first festival was held in May 1953, but was not recorded. Sara Knott, director of the National Folk Festival, served as festival director for the first two years. Boltin would take over that role in 1955. Not all performances were recorded. See the festival programs in S 1619 for a listing of activities and performers not recorded. The festival began on Thursday (6 May) morning at 1:30pm and ran through Sunday (9 May) afternoon. Performers usually played sets between one and three songs each. Performances were presented in morning, afternoon, and evening programs. This was the 2nd Florida Folk Festival.