Tucson Day Trip - Arizona Folklore Preserve
Dolan Ellis had a dream. Unlike most of us, Dolan ignored the "It Couldn't Be Done" naysayers and set about to create a magical venue for folk music in beautiful Ramsey Canyon.
There were many reasons to say it couldn't be done. Ramsey Canyon is far from Dolan's home base of Phoenix and Scottsdale, and even more than an hour's drive from Tucson. At the time, the nearby town of Sierra Vista had little to offer culturally. Its Symphony Orchestra was born about the same time the AFP's shows began, and the Cochise Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering, now reocgnized as one of the Best in the West, was struggling to get started. Dolan and the AFP have lent their support to both organizations; Dolan has performed with the Symphony for three different pops concerts and in celebration of the city's 50th anniversary. Each year in February, the AFP hosts a day of four shows on Friday to help kick off the Gathering.
It took more than 6 years and a lot of money and a lot of help from family and friends, but shows started in the tiny Moffett House in June 1996 and moved to the fabulous New Folklore Center in May 2001. Now there is a very special place for talented artists to perform for attentive audiences, in a pristine setting that automatically lowers blood pressures a few notches and makes people kinder to one another.
The AFP is now owned and operated by the University of Arizona South, and Dolan remains as Artist-in-Residence. He performs there about once a month, while keeping a busy schedule around the state, and touring with the New Christy Minstrels.
Go to the AFP Web site and check out the schedule, and be sure to take that drive from Tucson for a Saturday or Sunday matinee performance. You'll be glad you did. Artists there are carefully selected, not only for talent, but also for their ability to hold an audience's attention for 90 minutes and for cultural content in their programs. You don't find that in many places.
NOTE: Along the way, you may want to stop at Kartchner Caverns, Tombstone, Fort Huachuca Museums, or any of a number of other interesting spots.
