Biographical Note
The Indian Neck Folk Festival was founded by student members of the Yale University Folk Music Club, including musician John Cohen, and others. The festival was held in 1958, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1966, and then was held annually on a weekend in May. The group raised money for the festival by hosting a series of public folk music concerts on the Yale University campus and other locations. In 1970 the non-profit organization cut its ties with Yale, and moved the festival to a camp facility on Indian Neck Point in Branford, Connecticut. Jay Hartman-Berrier was the Indian Neck Folk Festival director for 51 years until her death in March 2017. In the early 1980s Jay Hartman-Berrier started a folk music concert series at Harrisburg Area Community College under the Indian Neck name, which ran for 5 years and then was taken over by the Susquehanna Folk Music Society. Because of her expertise and reputation, in 1983 she was approached by a group of five small colleges in Central Pennsylvania to organize the Pennsylvania Folk Festival, which ran for three years, showcasing Pennsylvania folk traditions, musicians and groups. The Indian Neck Folk Festival continued to be held during this time, by invitation only, in Falls Village, Connecticut. Since Hartman-Berrier's passing, the festival continues on with a different name.