Since 1995, the small town of Sisters has played host to some of the most well-known Americana and folk acts in the world during their yearly end-of-summer music celebration. Twenty-three years later, the Sisters Folk Festival (SFF) has expanded to 11 stages showcasing 48 acts, transforming this mellow mountain town nestled beneath the Cascades into a true “picker’s paradise” and providing an inspiring community experience for both performers and festivalgoers alike.

From eclectic backyard restaurant venues to the 1,400-seat tent behind Sisters Art Works, patrons have the opportunity to experience strains of Americana music that range from the emotive folk of Boston singer/songwriter Dar Williams to the sweet island swing of Hawaiian band Kahulanui to the Emmy-nominated hip-hop/bluegrass fusion of Gangstagrass from New York City. Performances start at 6 pm on Friday, September 7, and at noon on Saturday and Sunday, September 8 and 9, with a special community celebration hosted by Beth Wood beginning at 10 am on Sunday. A few remaining tickets for the entire weekend as well as Sunday-only passes are still available for purchase through www.sistersfolkfestival.org, though advance sales end August 31, and the festival historically sells out.

“It’s a festival of discovery,” said Brad Tisdel, SFF’s creative director. “We want to do the best job possible in curating a musical experience that has broad appeal to our audience, with artistic authenticity being the most important element. There is always something unexpected, along with music that is right down the middle of the plate with what listeners are most drawn to.”

Tisdel’s duties as talent buyer have him traveling yearly to the Folk Alliance International Conference, meeting with performing artist promoters in New York City, and even volunteering backstage at Pickathon every year to scope out the more progressive side of folk in the forest.

Tisdel recommends festivalgoers check out Songwriters in the Round on Friday night at three different venues, which will provide the opportunity to see many different acts in a short amount of time to better plan for their must-see shows throughout the weekend.

SFF patrons are a dedicated bunch, and one thing you will not find them doing is looking at their cell phones and talking loudly at the front of the stage. Not only is the audience unique, but the town of Sisters itself is deeply invested in the event, from private businesses that transform into venues to students in the schools who are given special performances by the artists during the week of the festival as part of SFF’s Americana Project.

“People are here for the music. It’s intimate. There is a felt sense of community and a focused nature to the audience. Artists are ready to deliver their very best performances because of that feeling,” Tisdel said.

But the sense of community reaches far beyond the festival itself, Ann Richardson, SFF managing director, explained.

“SFF is a nonprofit that puts $200K in funding for kids in the schools, supports a scholarship fund for private music and arts classes, provides a free summer concert series for the community, and even pays teacher salaries that are part of the Americana Project,” Richardson said. “The money that is spent on tickets for the festival goes directly to support these programs and many more.”

Tisdel also emphasized that the festival as an organization is so much more than any one of its parts, and that from its early days, programming was inextricably integrated into the festival itself. Over the years, SFF has expanded to include the Americana Project, which provides arts and music classes in everything from songwriting to guitar building; an Americana Song Academy for youth and one for adults; and the My Own Two Hands auction/fundraiser, which honors the contributions of many of Central Oregon’s most talented visual artists. This list goes on, but the bottom line is that the festival has maintained sustainable and intentional growth that benefits the community and fosters interest in the arts for the next generation.

With a capital campaign recently announced to raise funds for the nonprofit to purchase the building they currently rent, the development of future programming for youth and adults will expand as SFF eventually achieves the stability of a permanent home.

“We are investing in continuing excellence in music and arts education, because investing in youth and valuing their voice is really key to the sustainability of what we do,” Tisdel said.

Overall, SFF is a dynamic organization that offers some of the best music one can find in the Pacific Northwest, in an epic setting with a charming small-town vibe.

“The energy is exciting and dynamic,” Tisdel concluded. “This gives us all the chance to feel some hope in the world.”