Last night reminded me a bit of the opening night of the National Folk Festival in 2005. Back then, no one knew what to expect, and I found myself in the rain with, no lie, about 10 people, watching some Bulgarian jazz. Thankfully, as we know, more Richmonders caught on to the festival, the weather improved, and the National Folk Festival moved on a few years later but the Richmond Folk festival was born.

There was a lot more than 10 people there last night, and I hope more people will attend today and tomorrow as the weather improves. There were a few hiccups last night, with some performers delayed by traffic, but great music was present-

Reggae singer Don Carlos (I was very pleased to see actual horns instead of synthesizers!)

I believe this is Garifuna singer Aurelio Martinez, who played when not all the Stooges Brass Band were available.