Richie Havens, Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul and Bruce Cockburn were at the "top of their game" at this year's Boston Folk Festival

Spirits were higher than the few white wisps of clouds that floated high above the field as the ninth annual Boston Folk Festival got underway Saturday September 16th at UMass Boston. The weather cooperated by delivering the best weather in the nine years of the festival. Warm sunshine bounced off sparking waters, and gentle, refreshing breezes wafted.

Festival-goers were anticipating great music and got it: Jennifer Kimball’s ballads; Tish Hinojosa’s bi-lingual brand of country; intense and rhythmic folk-pop from folk icon Richie Havens; poignant tributes to Phil Ochs from Greg Greenway, emma’s revolution and Kim & Reggie Harris; and boisterous fiddling and step-dancing from Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul.

Volunteers and staff had plenty to smile about. Almost every crew chief was a returning veteran, who handled the few problems like the pros they are. Thanks to "The Pod", a portable storage unit that sat unobtrusively on the site, festival supplies were just a few steps away, and all the "behind-the-scenes stuff" could be tucked neatly out of site until needed.

Festival-goers impressed local humanitarian organizations with their generosity. The UMass Boston Women’s Center collected 116 used cell phones. The Golden Key International Honor Society asked festival-goers to "Get Nutty" and donate peanut butter along with other dry goods for Boston homeless shelters; they did, donating 600 pounds. "The Golden Key’s Links of Help and Hope" table raised more than $500, which went to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society this year.

The Summer Acoustic Music Week (SAMW) Showcase was new this year – a stage which celebrated the students of WUMB’s summer music camp. This stage was the place to see and hear real grassroots folk: people gathering together to share some tunes.

Upstairs the Ryan Lounge was transformed into a New England folk institution – the Coffeehouse. The intimate seating, warm coffee, delicious desserts, and friendly inviting that people encountered during the festival is repeated each week at hundreds of coffeehouses throughout the year in Massachusetts. Scott Ainslee delighted audiences with deft fingerpicking and blues, while Liz Carlisle and her band captivated the crowd with her fresh country-folk sound. All proceeds from the coffee and desserts went to the Laboure House in South Boston.

A large, inflated, yellow rubber ducky kept watch on the Field Stage area. Up close staff from the Massachusetts Bay Estuary Associated educated people about keeping Massachusetts waters clean. Next door, kids milked "Gurt," the interactive cow inhabiting Stoneyfield Farms’ Mooville. Kids planted beans to bring home while parents sampled Stoneyfield Farms yogurts and smoothies.

Sipping samples from Starbucks Coffee or Coke, festival-goers made their way along the festival walkway to Fox Point where the Pavilion Stage was the scene for some memorable workshops. Kim & Reggie Harris teamed up with City of Roses and Michael Troy in ‘Working Class Hero’ to sing songs of labor and praise. On Sunday Jesse Winchester, Red Molly, and Terence Martin had sang "Songs from the Heart".

Festival-goers proved to be a hungry bunch – the ice cream vendor and the barbecue guy both sold out and had to get more provisions. People also munched on Middle-Eastern Falafel, Pad Thai, Hawaiian shaved ice and festival favorites, hot dogs, and fried dough.

The Artisan Marketplace was ablaze with color. Skilled craftsmen shaped earrings, necklaces, skirts, shirts, and books from exotic fabrics, gleaming metals, and shimmering glass.

Jud Caswell won the songwriting contest held earlier in the summer. On Sunday afternoon, Jud sang his winning song "The Raven in the Apple Tree." to the appreciative field stage audience. By the time Bruce Cockburn finished the final set of the festival, the sun was setting on the 2006 Boston Folk Festival suffusing the field with a warm rosy glow, a glow that everyone who attended will carry with them until next year’s festival.

A great time was had by all!