11:00AM
Mike Montrey Music All Stars
Led by award‑winning professional musician and teacher Mike Montrey, this All Stars performance will showcase folk music by adult musicians in the Developmentally Disabled community. Mike Montrey Music is a registered DDD vendor with over five years of music classes and support for this group of talented individuals.
11:45AM
The Fleming Nation
Through campfire stories and songs, Mara Fleming and her sons explore what it means to be American. Children and families will hear some of New Jersey’s favorite melodies and folktales—including spooky tales of the things that go bump in the great Garden State. A few lucky audience members might even get to step into the legends themselves!
12:30PM
"Pirates of the Pine Barrens" by Tony DiGerolamo
Yaaaar, matey! Did ye know that all the famous pirates set their sails to South Jersey? Some of the worst cutthroats and scaliwags that ever sailed the seven seas buried their treasure right beneath yer feet! So grab yer cutlass and a bottle o’ rum as Captain Tony D, aka author of The Pineys and general provocateur, Tony DeGerolamo, tells the stories of shipwrecks, ghosts and pirates! Aaargh!
1:15PM
Spook Handy
New Brunswick local and longtime NJFF performer Spook Handy, singer‑songwriter, will share highlights of his current and future musical projects including some of his favorite folk sing-a-longs. A Rutgers University graduate, he is widely remembered for his 20‑year run of “The Spook Handy Show” at New Brunswick’s Corner Tavern. Spook has performed alongside Pete Seeger more than fifty times, and Pete recorded several of his songs. He has also shared the stage with Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary, and appeared at Lincoln Center in 2014 with Peter, Judy Collins, Tom Chapin, and David Amram at the Pete Seeger memorial concert.
Named “Best Folk Artist” multiple times by outlets including East Coast Rocker, Spook’s songs have been featured in film and theater. He authored the Substack series Looking For America and wrote the 45‑minute two‑man play Always Have a Song to Sing, a celebration of 250 years of American folk music.
2:15PM
The Long Hill String Band & the Limberjack Puppets
The Long Hill String Band, with fiddle, banjo, mandolin, upright bass, guitar, and voice, plays Old‑Time music—a precursor to bluegrass also known as American roots music. The band performs reels, jigs, waltzes, rags, and ballads rooted in the Appalachian Mountains, where settlers from European and African homelands blended their traditions into a uniquely American style.
A frequent presence at fairs, historical sites, and square dances, the Long Hill String Band brings along its own troop of limberjacks. You may wonder: what is a limberjack (or limberjill)? It is a hand‑carved wooden figure suspended from a stick and held over a paddle. As you tap the paddle, the figure bounces and its legs and arms click, creating a rhythmic dance that charms every audience.
3:00pm
The Next Generation of Traditional Irish Music
Every month during the school year, young musicians in the Delaware Valley gather at the Irish Center in Philadelphia to learn a new tune and join an Irish seisiún (session) with their peers. The fruits of their labors will be on display in this set of traditional Irish music at the NJFF this year.
These young players have also performed at the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann convention and at the Philadelphia Ceili Group Irish Music and Dance Festival. The group has been led since 1998 by teachers Chris Brennan Hagy, Kathy DeAngelo, and Dennis Gormley.
3:45PM
New Jersey's Troubadour: Valerie Vaughn
Celebrated folk musician and NJSCA Heritage Fellow Valerie Vaughn, known as “New Jersey’s Troubadour,” brings her original songs about the legends and lore of the Garden State to life. A South Jersey–based musical storyteller from Tuckerton, she has sung across the U.S. and abroad, from the Kennedy Center to folk clubs in England. Senator Frank Lautenberg wrote: “I was recently made aware of the extraordinary talents of Valerie Vaughn who believes that history is more relevant when it’s about where we live. Ms. Vaughn truly has the ability to bring history alive through the voice of an angel.”
4:30PM
The Nrithyanjali Dance Ensemble: Emerging Artists
The Nrithyanjali Dance Ensemble, under the artistic leadership of NJSCA Heritage Fellow Ramya Ramnarayan, is a curated collective dedicated to presenting the richness of Bharatanatyam. The ensemble introduces audiences to the form’s origins, technique, and expressive vocabulary, illuminating its storytelling and abstract elements.
The performance from emerging dancers—students with over six years of training—who present authentic pieces from the traditional margam format, reflecting strong foundational discipline and artistic promise. Curated by Ramya, their works highlight the depth, structure, and expressive power of this classical dance form.
Stage Emcee: Dan Robertson