But it was announced earlier this week that the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau is working hard to bring the National Folk Festival to York between 2011 and 2013.
And it's looking for community support -- financial and otherwise.
As it turns out, it's not inexpensive to bring the event to York -- $1.3 million in the first year. The tourist bureau has pledged $200,000 per year to cover costs, and it's trying to raise another $150,000 -- $80,000 is already in pocket -- by Nov. 1 as an indication of the York community's interest in hosting the event.
York County is one of four finalists being considered for the next three-year run. The festival only recently completed its second year in Butte, Mont.
My first thought when reading about the folk festival was that it would be a three-day folk music event similar to the annual York County Fiddler's Convention, held on a 26-acre site in Brogue every August for almost 50 years.
The first fiddler's convention was held in Stewartstown in 1960, and drew about 125 musicians and 1,200 spectators. At one time, in the mid- to late- '80s, crowds grew to 6,000 or more.
The folk festival would be a lot more than just a lot of pickin' and grinnin' by people who enjoy bluegrass and country music, which is exactly what the fiddler's group provides.
The National Folk Festival is designed to be an event that celebrates culture from every angle -- a variety of dance,
The diversity of music, for example, would treat visitors to authentic gospel, blues, cowboy, bluegrass, polka, Cajun, rhythm and blues, mariachi and offerings from a variety of ethnic groups.
It's all about community roots and cultural expression.
And, if expectations are met, it might draw as many as 185,000 people to York in the second or third year. Such a response from the York community and beyond could present an opportunity for the national event to convert after three years to a local folk festival, run by local people.
Turn York into the festival capital of the United States perhaps, just as it used to be the softball capital of the United States and the weightlifting capital of the world.
That could be a lot of fun. And good for York, too.
The only thing that worries me a bit, however, is money. Because this festival itself is intended to be free. That's part of its charm. A big part. No one gets charged at the gate, as is the case, for example, at the York Fair and the York County Fiddler's Convention.
So if no one is going to be charged, if no tickets are going to be sold, then where is the money coming from? Donations, contributions and the like, I suppose.
In Bangor, Maine, host of the national festival in 2002-2004 and for five years since on its own, funding comes from a variety of sources. Corporations provide 52 percent; fundraisers (T-shirts, booth fees, etc.) total 22 percent; city, state and federal government sources contribute 17 percent; grants and foundations come up with 5 percent and gifts from individuals come to 4 percent.
I don't know if York could match that or not. But it is worthy of mention that Bangor has publicly admitted on its American Folk Festival Website that it has been losing money on the event, and it doesn't know if it can keep the festival going without additional funding or charging for attendance. And for most of those eight years, the national, state and Bangor economy was going gangbusters.
Hey, York County has a reputation for generosity. It'll give until it hurts. But $1.3 million for the first year of a festival is a lot of money. How much for the second and third years?
Can people -- even generous businesses and individuals -- be expected to contribute that much for a folk festival when the nation, the state and York County are caught up in a period of recession and tight dollars?
The United Way needs money. Dozens of organizations need money. The York County library system needs money. School districts need more money. Everyone needs money, and there's only so much to go around.
Is this the sort of thing the deep-pocket folks -- the Appells, the Wolfs, the Glatfelters, the Pullos and such -- might be willing to throw their shoulders into? I don't know.
But if it means cutting short their contributions to other causes, organizations and projects in favor of a folk festival, would that be good for York County or York countians? I don't think so.
If, as has been suggested, the folk festival could have as much as a $10 million impact on the local economy, then it's easy to see its potential.
Add to that its value as a positive influence in a diverse community.
Add, too, the fact that it's nothing like the street rods, the motorcycles, the horseshoe pitchers, the Keystone Games and the Colonial baseball tourney that take their turns enjoying the hospitality and contributing to the economy of York County each year.
The National Folk Festival is an event like few others in this area.
And it would be a welcome addition, if all the ifs, ands and buts can be worked out.
Columns by Larry A. Hicks, Dispatch columnist, run Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. E-mail: lhicks@yorkdispatch.com.
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