DAVE FOOKS has been involved with the Kutztown Folk Festival for 40 years – 26 summers spent as a craftsman participant and, for the last 14, as the event’s executive director. Ironically, although his job and passion preserve traditional Berks County culture, he was born in New Jersey and grew up in Maryland. Despite being a transplant to our area, Fooks’ heart is truly local – he can cite Berks’ contributions to U.S. expansion during the 19th century, acts as an ambassador to our area, and can even speak Pennsylvania Dutch.
Since you grew up out of state, how did you get involved with the Kutztown Folk Festival?
As a woodcarver. I used to travel up from the eastern shore of Maryland to exhibit, mostly works with Pennsylvania Dutch motifs. I also did nautical carvings, which were popular where I used to live. Then, after a while, I decided to move here, because I loved the area and because this is where my work was. I had been running shows for the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen when, around 1996, I heard that the Folk Festival might end. I asked to run it for one year, to save it. And here I am.
Do you still work as a carver?
No, as I’ve gotten older it isn’t as fun as it used to be. Plus, even though the festival only runs for nine days, it is a year-round, full-time job. I still love it, but really beginning in January each year, we work non-stop. It is an unbelievable amount of work.
What is your favorite part of the event?
The food. However, I usually only start eating when the event is about halfway through, when everything is running smoothly and my nerves have settled. More than anything, I like that the festival is a family event that brings parents, grandparents and kids together.
Aside from the festival, what do you love to do?
I had a side business renovating yachts. I still do it as a hobby. It’s a lot of fun and gives me a chance to work with wood and be near the water. I even have my captain’s license.
When you’re not working, what is your idea of a great day?
I’m recently married – my lovely wife is Katie Bauer – so spending the day with her and my grown son, Jacob, and his wife, Teisha, and my 1-year-old grandson, Wyatt, makes a perfect day. I keep a boat in Chesapeake Bay, and when Wyatt’s a little older, I’d like us all to go out on the water.
Do you know any fun facts about Berks?
Oh yes. Did you know Abraham Lincoln’s grandparents were from Berks County? And that quilts, hanging outdoors in our area, were used as covert road signs for the Underground Railroad? This year the festival runs from June 30 through July 8 and is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. We have some wonderful interactive events planned with re-enactors, lectures and demonstrations.
Can you speak PA Dutch?
I can. I took classes years ago and used to go to Grundsow Lodge and Fersommling events, where I heard some of the best, corniest jokes. I still hear it around the festival, and it’s a really fun language.
What has most impressed you about our area’s history?
The many innovations of the Pennsylvania Dutch that enabled the founding of the entire United States. Local people invented the only type of plow that could turn the soil in the Midwest, thereby paving the way for farming the heartland. They also created rifles and wagons needed for expansion. Berks County was a hard place to live – particularly during the French & Indian War – and the tough people here were creative and crafty. They helped make America.
If life is like a book, what does your next chapter include?
Sailing. I’d like to run charter trips along the East Coast, from Maine to the Caribbean, as a sort of second career. Also, my wife has introduced me to global travel, so I’d like to do more of that with her. I’d like to see Italy, New Zealand and Australia, and, of course, learn the history of wherever I go.
The 63rd Annual Kutztown Folk Festival | June 30-July 8, 9am-6pm Kutztown Fairgrounds | Kutztownfestival.com
BY MICHELLE E. BIGGERSTAFF | PHOTO BY JOHN SECOGES
