General Info

How To Volunteer

Once each year we invite interested members of the Connecticut Folk Community to consider joining the team that presents the state's greatest folk music event. It's a limited commitment – a few weeks at the very most – and a chance to do a lot of good in a very short time.

We need help before the Festival with publicity and preparations. And, we have a full range of needs during the festival. If you've ever contributed to pulling off a major arts event or have other relevant experience, so much the better.

We'll give you a free ticket and a great T-shirt and an essential job or two. You'll have more fun because it'll be partly your show, too.

Interested? Please email Carole Weisberg or call 203-980-4385.

The next volunteer meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 3 at 7:00 pm. Contact Carole for complete details and to RSVP.

We're all folk. Let's make it happen together.

SCSU Campus Map

SouthernCampusMap.pdf (Adobe Acrobat format)

Directions

First Presbyterian Church — 704 Whitney Ave., New Haven
(Grassy Hill Song Circle, Friday, Sept. 5)

The First Presbyterian Church is located two blocks south of Edgerton Park at the corner of Whitney and Huntington Streets. (See directions to Edgerton Park below.) Look for the big A-frame church, across the street from the Red Cross building.

Edgerton Park — corner of Whitney Ave. and Cliff St. on the New Haven/Hamden line
(Saturday Afternoon Free Family Concert, Sept. 13; Saturday Evening Main Stage Concert, Sept. 13)

Take Interstate 95 in Connecticut to Interstate 91. Take I-91 to Exit 6. Right off the exit ramp onto Willow Street. Take Willow until it ends at Whitney Avenue. Right onto Whitney Avenue and continue to the traffic light at East Rock Road. Park someplace! Edgerton Park is two blocks north on the left; look for the great stone wall surrounding the Park. After 5 pm, access to (and exit from) the Park will be restricted to the Main Gate at the corner of Whitney and Cliff Sts.

Alternative: Wilbur Cross/Merritt Parkway (Connecticut Rt. 15) to Exit 61. If you're coming from the south, turn left off the exit onto Whitney Avenue; but if you're coming from the north, turn right off the exit onto Whitney Avenue. Go through Hamden just about 3 miles toward New Haven. At the New Haven line look for the great stone wall surrounding the Park. After 5 pm, access to (and exit from) the Park will be restricted to the Main Gate at the corner of Whitney and Cliff Sts.

Southern CT State University, — Crescent Street, New Haven
(Friday Evening Concert, Sept. 12; Rain Venue For All Events, Saturday, Sept. 13; Green Expo and Dava Hoot In The Park, Sunday, Sept. 14)

From New York (via I-95):
I-95, Exit 44 (Kimberly Avenue, Route 10). Turn right at the end of the exit onto Kimberly Avenue, then left at the stoplight onto Ella Grasso Boulevard, Route 10. Ella Grasso Boulevard ends at Crescent Street, near the south entrance of the campus. Turn left onto Crescent.

From New York (via Rt. 15, Merritt-Wilbur Cross Parkway):
Rt. 15, Merritt-Wilbur Cross Parkway, Exit 59 (Whalley Avenue). Head south on Whalley Avenue, turn left onto Fitch Street, which bisects the campus.

From New London:
I-95, Exit 45 (Ella Grasso Boulevard, Route 10). Follow Ella Grasso Boulevard north. Ella Grasso Boulevard ends at Crescent Street, near the south entrance of the campus. Turn left onto Crescent.

From Hartford:
Wilbur Cross Parkway, Exit 60 at Dixwell Avenue. Head south on Dixwell Avenue to Arch Street. Turn right at Arch Street and left at Fitch Street, which bisects the campus.

Transportation

There are many Green options for getting to the CT Folk Festival and Green Expo.

Public Transit: Metro North or CT Transit

One can take a bicycle in the Metro North. CT buses all have bike racks.
Click here for Main New Haven CT Transit Schedules. (Fare: $1.25 each way)
Click here for Metro North Schedules.
From New York
From: Grand Central Terminal, South Park Ave & E. 42nd St
Board: MTA Metro-North RR New Haven Line/New Haven
From New Haven
From: Union Station, 50 Union Ave., New Haven
Board: MTA Metro-North RR New Haven Line/New York

CT Transit Bus to First Presbyterian Church & Edgerton Park
Board@ Union Station: Whitney Avenue J (J Weekend Schedule)
Arrive: Corner of Whitney & Huntington (For First Presbyterian Church),
Corner of Whitney & Cliff (for Edgerton Park)

CT Transit Bus to SCSU
Board @ New Haven Green: Whalley Avenue B (B Weekend Schedule)
Arrive: SCSU (Fitch St.)

Bike Trails

Connecticut bike trails can be found here:
http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/CityPlan/pdfs/EnvironmentalInitiatives/Greenways/BikeMap_Front.pdf http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/CityPlan/pdfs/EnvironmentalInitiatives/Greenways/BikeMap_Back.pdf

The ConnDOT website also includes a great bike trail map, here.

Directions from around Connecticut to Union Station:
Ride to U.S. 1 and either ride north or south until you get to the Union Avenue portion of U.S. 1; Union Station is on Long Island Sound side of the street.

Here is a link for a trail from New Haven to New York (if you’re feeling adventurous).

Here are directions from Downtown New Haven to Southern Connecticut State University.

Thanks to Vanessa Guadalupe Vasquez, intern, CT Fund for the Environment
for originally compiling this information.

Parking

Friday, September 5 at First Presbyterian Church

Parking in the lot immediately behind First Presbyterian Church (accessible via Huntington St.) is restricted to artists, staff, and Handicapped parking only. General parking is available on the lawn to the side of the church, and also on Huntington Street.

Friday, September 12 and Sunday, September 14 at SCSU (Lyman Auditorium concert, Green Expo, and Hoot In The Park)

Parking Lot 5 (behind Lyman Auditorium) will be reserved for Artists and Lyman Production Staff for that evening's concert.

Parking Lot 5 (behind Earl Hall) will be reserved for Green Expo Exhibitors, Vendors and Artists.

Parking Lot 10 will be reserved for Festival staff and volunteers.

All other SCSU lots will be available for guest parking. See campus map above for exact locations.

Saturday, September 13 at Edgerton Park

Parking is available on the streets bordering Edgerton Park: Cliff Street and Edgehill Road, as well as Whitney Avenue. Handicapped parking will be reserved on Cliff Street adjacent to the park gate at the corner of Whitney Avenue.

For The Kids

There are several events over the weekend for the wee ones. And they're all free!

Saturday, September 13 from 1-4 pm, Edgerton Park

Concert by Ronny Cox and The Professors of Bluegrass, with Yale's Tangled Up In Blue and Sweet Pea Faerie

Sunday, September 14 during the Green Expo at SCSU

Kids' crafts area
Face painting
Musical performances by Sally Rogers, Scott Kessel, and Sweet Pea Faerie

See here for the complete schedule.

Guitar Raffle

Thanks to Sam Ash, Takamine/Kaman and New Haven Folk for sponsoring our second annual guitar raffle, to benefit the CT Folk Festival and Green Expo!

Tickets are $5 each, and will be available at all Festival events beginning with the Grassy Hill Song Circle on Friday, September 5. The winner will be drawn during the Dāva Hoot In The Park at SCSU on the afternoon of Sunday, September 14. You need not be present to win!

The grand prize is a Takamine EAN10CTBS 6-string acoustic/electric guitar with a solid cedar top, solid mahogany back and sides, and a rosewood fretboard. This guitar lists for $1579.00.