‘A healthy dose of weirdness’

A yodeler, an Indian slide guitarist and a zydeco musician walk into a bar . . .

It could be the start of a joke, but, as bizarre as that combo sounds, that's whom you would have found along the downtown riverfront last night at the launch of this weekend's Richmond Folk Festival.

Now in its fifth year three as the national, two as this local offshoot the fest hasn't diminished in size or range.

More than 10,000 people strolled between Brown's Island and the Tredegar Iron Works area, checking out music from Wylie & The Wild West, Jeffery Broussard & The Creole Cowboys and Paul Williams & The Victory Trio.

"I think it's one of the wildest lineups we've had," said Jim Wark, chairman of the programming committee that chooses the festival acts. "It's a healthy dose of weirdness."

Backstage at the Ukrop's/First Market Bank Stage before kicking off the festival at 7 p.m., Wylie Gustafson stood tall in his cowboy hat and said he planned to keep the audience's toes tapping during his three weekend performances.

"We hope to bring a reflection of our Western culture and plant it on the East Coast for a little while," Gustafson said.

The Montana resident will also teach a yodeling class today at 1:15 p.m. at the MeadWestvaco Family Stage.

Who is invited?

"Anybody who is young at heart and has no inhibitions," Gustafson said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Broussard and his Creole Cowboys brought the party to the Richmond Times-Dispatch Dance Pavilion. Hundreds of people crammed outside the tent, wanting to get close enough to hear the spirited zydeco music, steered by Broussard's chatty squeezebox.

Also last night, the first Virginia Heritage Awards were given to six Virginians -- Grayson Chesser, Maggie Ingram, Joyce Pale Moon Krigsvold, the Rev. Frank Newsome, Roy Odell Tolliver and Bobby Patterson -- for their contributions to the cultural heritage of Virginia.

Ingram, looking regal in a purple tunic, was escorted on stage by her daughter and granddaughter.

"I love every one of you," she said to the few dozen people gathered at the Altria Stage, smiling and waving.

She and her family then burst into a few minutes of powerful gospel harmonizing.

This year, festival organizers are being more aggressive in soliciting donations from attendees. The "bucket brigade," volunteers in green shirts, toted large orange buckets with signs suggesting a $5 donation.

The free festival costs about $4.1 million to produce.

"We've only been out here about 10 minutes and have had about 20 donations," said volunteer Amanda Krick, a VCU student who learned about the festival last year from friends in Northern Virginia who had attended. "I think it's going to be a prosperous year."

Her brigade partner, Sheila Brinkley, said that "for the most part, we haven't even had to ask for donations people are calling us over."

Along with the usual array of food vendors (alligator bites or a Nathan's hot dog, anyone?), the Richmond record store Plan 9 Music also has music and merchandise tents where several artists pop by for autograph sessions, and the Virginia Department of Health is on site to inform people about the H1N1 virus and give demonstrations of proper hand washing.

Throughout the 3½-hour opening last night, a mighty wind occasionally kicked up some dust on Brown's Island and up the hill behind Tredegar Iron Works, but a strong breeze was no deterrent for Richmonders Valerie and Ken Wermuth.

The couple has attended the folk festival every year -- starting with the national version in 2005 -- and love it for its diversity.

"I try to tell my friends at work to come and they say, 'I'm not feeling very folky.' I can't get them to understand that it's international, that it's all kinds of music, things you aren't going to hear anywhere else," said Valerie Wermuth.

"And it's always such a well-behaved crowd a good family outing," added her husband, Ken, as pockets of kids raced around the grounds near the Ukrop's stage.

Though the night had barely begun, Valerie Wermuth was looking ahead.

"We already have it marked on our calendar for next year."

Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or .