Saturday, July 14, 2007 to Wednesday, August 15, 2007

CLOG AMERICA travels to four international festivals during 2007CLOG AMERICA will represent the USA in the following festivals during 2007:

July 14-18: 25th Festival del folklore “Sciampitta” in Quartu S. Elena,Sardinia

July 19-23: 22nd Festival del Folklore in Ittiri, Sardinia

July 28-Aug. 5: 42nd Beskidy Highlanders Week of Culture in Bielsko-Biala, Poland

Aug. 9-15: 39th Festival del Folklore in Aviano/Pordenone, Italy

Saturday, June 9, 2007

June 9, 2007 at Gardner Village in West JordanCelebrate the sights, sounds and color of the Utah Frontier at the first annual

“FRONTIER FEST” to be held at Gardner Historic Village June 9, 2007.

From a Fiddle Showcase to cowboy poets and old-fashioned “Barn Dance”,

you can experience the exciting cultural heritage of Utah’s Frontier.

A great evening concert will culminate the day featuring “The Nathan McEuen Trio”.

June 9- In THE GATHERING PLACE at Gardner Village

1100 West 7800 South, West Jordan, UT

10:00 AM BLUEGRASS SHOWCASE featuring Champion fiddlers Nate Olson, Laura Steward and Grace Dayton

Family bands- The Geslisons, The Wulfensteins, The Kellers & The Cluffs

Cowboy poets and the Clog America Band. The first 50 people will receive a special prize!

11:30 SINGER / SONGWRITER CONTEST

(See the contest rules)

12:00-1:30 BLUEGRASS SCRAMBLE

The Band Scramble is a fun event that anyone can enter. There will be 5 or 6containers at the registration table. Each containers will have the name of a musical instrument on it. Entrants will write their name on a piece of paper and deposit it in the proper container. At 11:00 AM the Band Scramble leader will draw out a group of 5 or 6 names that will form a band. These bands will rehearse one vocal and one instrumental song throughout the Village until 11:45. The bands will begin performing at noon. Judges will select first, second and third places.

2:00-5:00 TRADITIONAL BARN DANCE featuring Square dancing, contra dancing, line dancing, old-time Utah dances and CLOG AMERICA.

6:30 EVENING CONCERT PRE-SHOW featuring Winners of the Youth Cowboy Poet Contest, the Singer/Songwriter Contest and the Bluegrass Scramble as well as a FUND-RAISING AUCTION.

7:30 The “NATHAN McEUEN TRIO” in concert at the Gathering Place

Recording artist Nathan McEuen has appeared on numerous TV shows such as ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’ and opened for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kenny Loggins as well as David Crosby & Graham Nash.

FRONTIER FEST is sponsored by CLOG AMERICA, a 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization. Proceeds will go towards the preservation of Utah’s Heritage Arts.

TICKET PRICES

10:00 am-1:30 pm BLUEGRASS SHOWCASE, SINGER/SONGWRITER CONTEST/BLUEGRASS SCRAMBLE

$5/ person

Children 5 and under- free

2:00 pm-5:00 pm BARN DANCE

$7/person or $12/couple

Children 5 and under-free

6:30- NATHAN MCKUEN TRIO CONCERT

$15/pre-sale, $17 at the door

Tickets are available through Smith’s Tix- call 467-TIXX or at the door

For an all-day pass of $25 or other information call 755-1189

SINGER/SONGWRITING CONTEST

If you have a story you want to share in song celebrating the lives and times of those who lived in Utah between 1847 and 1869 we’d love to hear it! If your song is chosen as one of the six finalist songs, you must perform your original contemporary song live for us on Sat. June 9th between 11:30 am and noon in order to qualify for a spot as one of the top three winners.

Your song must be based on themes of Utah and or its residents (real or fictionalized), no matter the ethnicity or religion, so long as there is proof they lived in Utah during the time period, between the years 1847 (when the first Mormon Pioneers arrived) and May 10th 1869 when the railroad was completed. Besides the European-derivative pioneers this includes Native Americans, Mountain Men, African-Americans and any others you can document were here during those years. If you write a song for the contest based on a Utah resident not of the above ancestry, please provide proof of their existence during this time and have it authorized by a member of the judging committee before the contest.

The top three winners will receive two free hours of studio time at Pitchfork Studios to record their original song and the top winning songs will be placed on an album that will be produced from the best music of the Frontier Fest.

The first place winner will play his/her composition as part of that evening’s Pre-Show at the Nathan McEuen Trio concert and receive two free admission tickets to the concert. Second place winner will also receive free admission for two, to the concert.

A demo of your song must be sent, postmarked no later than May 7th to:

Frontier Fest Songwriting Contest

C/O Julie Keyser

11723 Country Crossing Rd.

South Jordan, UT 84095

We cannot be responsible for damaged, stolen or undelivered CDs or tapes sent in the mail. Sender is responsible to make sure their demo CD or tape has arrived. CDs and tapes will NOT be returned. Demos do not have to be fully developed and are preferred in their most simple state. We are judging on lyric and melody. Please make sure to include a lyric sheet! The top six finalist will be notified by no later than Friday, May 25th and are expected to perform their song live on Sat. June 9th.

Official songwriting Contest Rules and Regulations:

Songwriters under age 18 must have a parent’s consent. You may submit more than one song for the contest. Each song submission costs $15.00. A portion of the proceeds will go toward the nonprofit Utah Pioneer Heritage Arts.

You can perform your original song yourself, using one or more of the allowable instruments listed below, or you can have someone play and perform the song for you. We are focusing on the strength of the song lyrically and melodically, so a simple accompaniment with one instrument is fine and encouraged. Please have available three copies of your song lyrics for the judges to look at if you are chosen to perform on Sat. June 9th.

Instruments used must have been in use by Utah residents during 1847-1867 or have their origins traced to that time period. See list of qualifying instruments below. If your song is chosen for the album, the accompaniment must come from the instruments listed below or have their origins in those instruments.

While the top three winners of the song contest will be receiving two hours of free studio time to record their original song Utah Pioneer Heritage Arts is not responsible for the cost of hiring musicians or vocalists to record the song.

Instrumentation Rules:

Allowable instruments of that time period: violin, mandolin, banjo, guitar,accordion, harmonica, Scottish pipes, Native American flutes and Native American drums, piano, organ, and even woodwind or brass instruments that existed then. A cappella singing is acceptable. You may use any instrument (or direct descendant of that instrument) whose existence during the years of 1847-1869 you can document. For instance, the steel-string guitar did not exist until1900, but the gut-string guitar did exist during that period and the steel string has its origins in the gut-string and thus can be used. Exception, we are not allowing any electric guitars or any other form of electric instrumentation nor are we allowing any drums except Native American drums, and military drums such as snare drums and field drums. If there is an instrument you would like to use, not listed above, that has its origins from 1847-1869 and was used in Utah by any of the recognized pioneer heritage ethnic groups, then you must be able to document it’s use with the songwriting committee beforehand. We look forward to hearing all your wonderful songs!

Julie Keyser and Clive Romney- “Frontier Fest” Song Contest organizers

For more information please contact Julie Keyser 801-253-4589 keyser65@msn.com.

Contest sponsored by UTAH PIONEER HERITAGE ARTS

YOUTH COWBOY POETRY CONTEST

Not just cowboys write cowboy poetry. Many people, young and old have written poems about the western frontier. We invite you to write a poem for the first annual Frontier Fest Cowboy Poetry Contest to be held in Gardner Historic Village on June 9, 2007. You can write a poem about nature, animals, the land or how peopled lived, worked and played during the early days of the Utah Frontier up to the arrival of the railroad. You can even write a poem about how these things compare to your life today. The instructions for the contest are:

• Send in an original poem to Shawnda Bishop at 11416 Skylux Ave. South Jordan, UT 84095 or email it to IAE123@gmail.com Please include your name, telephone number, address, age and permission from your parents. Send it in before May 25. 2007.
• Eight finalists will be selected from all of the poems received. Finalists will be notified on June 1 and will read or recite their poem in the Gathering Place during the morning of the Frontier Fest Celebration on June 9, 2007.
• At about 1:00 PM, all finalists will be acknowledged and a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awarded.
• The lst place winner will recite his or her poem during the evening concert’s Pre-Show in the Gathering Place.

Everyone who submits a poem will receive a certificate of participation. All finalists will be recognized, on Clog America’s web site and receive a prize at the Frontier Fest to be held June 9, 2007.

Sunday, August 13, 2006 to Sunday, August 27, 2006

CLOG AMERICA represents the USA in Brazil during August 2006The CLOG AMERICA International Festival Ensemble has been invited to be the sole representative of the USA at the IX International Folklore Festival of Passo Fundo in Brazil. The ensemble will perform for festival events in and around Passo Fundo between August 18 and August 26.

During CLOG AMERICA’s 15 year history, the group has appeared in over 44 major international festivals throughout the world including Moscow’s International Festival to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, CIOFF’s 2004 World Folkloriada in Hungary, the 2002 World Cup Festival in Korea, the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics and the 2004 Shanghai Baoshan International Festival in China.

CLOG AMERICA will continue to extend it’s motto of “Global Warming Through Music and Dance” to include a Humanitarian Project of bringing blankets and other items to host countries for those in need. Those interested in donating to the Humanitarian Project should contact Catherine Larsen at 369-5229.

Monday, August 7, 2006

CLOG AMERICA in summer concert

CLOG AMERICA and the band “CABOOSE” will present a summer concert in the Utah Cultural Celebration Center’s WorldStage Under the Stars 2006 concert series on Monday August 7. The concert will begin at 7:30 in the Cultural Center’s Amphitheater. CONCERT IS FREE OF CHARGE! The Utah Cultural Celebration Center is located at 1355 West 3100 South. For more info go to www.CulturalCelebrationCenter.org

Thursday, September 1, 2005 to Monday, September 12, 2005

Clog America

Folklore groups from each World War II Allied Nation will be featured in special ceremonies at the Kremlin.

The CLOG AMERICA International Folk Ensemble from Salt Lake City, Utah has been invited to represent the USA at “The International Folk Arts Festival dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War” to be held September 1-5, 2005 in Moscow. Folklore groups representing each allied country participating in World War II will be featured in this special festival to commemorate the end of World War II. CLOG AMERICA will also appear in the International Folk Festival “Concord” in Novocherkassk of the Rostov region Sept 7-12.

Joining CLOG AMERICA in Moscow for the grand celebration of peace through music and dance, will be folklore groups from the United Kingdom, France, Greece, Lithuania, Thailand, India, China, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Israel, Argentina and Peru. The festivals are being organized by the Russian National House of Folk Arts through the Conseil International des Organisations de Festivals de Folklore et d’Arts Traditionnels. This International Organization, otherwise known as CIOFF, organizes festivals around the world and works closely with UNESCO

Sunday, July 31, 2005 to Monday, August 8, 2005

Clog America

CLOG AMERICA has been invited to represent the United States in “X Festival Zacatecas” in Zacatecas, Mexico. This festival is the largest festival in the Western Hemisphere.

Remarks by Gustavo Vaquera, CIOFF Representative from Mexico, August 2004 in Budapest, Hungary

In reality, the events that CIOFF carries out in the world are very important. I assure you that they are important for two reasons. First, they allow the men of the world to foster peace through the universal languages of dance and music. Second, we must not lose the traditions which are a legacy from our ancestors. Only people who understand, who think, who love others can understand that the culture, a product of human creation, must not be lost, and only people with great sensitivity to that fact can continue the fight to not only insure that the folk culture endures and transcends generations, but also to motivate the new generations, the children and the youth to love their culture.

To the extent that they love their culture, they will, as a consequence, love their land and country. To the extent that they understand the culture, they will be able to resolve their problems more easily. To the extent that men understand human culture they will be able to understand others. And there is nothing more important than that a man be helpful, useful to others. When a man is useful to others he has achieved the highest purpose of every human being: to serve himself, to serve others and to serve his country.

Certainly art, and particularly the popular traditions like dance and music, not only allow men to become more unified, to speak of peace, tolerance, love and affection, but they move men’s hearts so that by these means, the unity and affective bonds of men are strengthened so we can truly become brothers.

You, my friends of the cloggers group, which I had the opportunity of meeting in the festival in Monterrey, Mexico; I have had the great good fortune of seeing you with your art, your discipline, your colorful outfits, your love of country, and the love, unity, brotherhood, charity and affection with which you treat others.

So you see, understanding this, (I believe) that if we would all do as “the cloggers group” does, then the world would speak differently and act differently; it would be very obviously different. I hope that your work can go far abroad, and that your government and the parents of these young people, and their schools support the great work that you do. Because you do what the government does not do. You speak with words, but also with action, you transform thoughts into actions. And culture is not to be spoken of, culture is to be lived and you live it. You have come here along with others from dozens of different countries, and you are an example to follow and you are wonderful people. I have a great love for you and in the name of the people of the world and as representative of CIOFF Mexico I congratulate you highly and I hope that we can meet again in other parts of the world.

“When culture gets involved in politics we have failure but when the politicians get involved in the culture then we have success.”

I finished (our festival) twelve days ago and one day later I came to “Folkloriada”. I don’t come here to get tired. I come to enjoy, and to grow by watching you and the different countries who came, because at the end, in Hungary we gathered one hundred five delegations from the same number of countries and you were among the best both in discipline and in human quality. You were loved, you are loved, you (USA) are the people that we love as a people.

I admire you as a group; I have said it in many different institutions, on television and on the radio. I wish that all the youth that come to the “Folkloriadas” and the CIOFF events could have the spirit that motivates your group. You are extraordinary. I congratulate you and ask you to continue with that marvelous spirit. Motivate, support, talk about it. The only way to make a big, harmonious circle of peace, love and above all, of cultural diffusion is inviting others to join this great brigade of love, this great struggle for peace, brotherhood and love.