I was in New Zealand when Rolf Kaufman passed away a couple of weeks ago. The Folkmoot international dance festival that Rolf and many others made a signature event for 30 years in Western North Carolina helped feed in me what was already an intense interest in foreign travel, always searching for the shared compassion and humanity that is often the bedrock of international connections. 

In 1983, when Rolf Kaufman attended a small meeting at the Waynesville home of his neighbor Dr. Clinton Border, he couldn’t have known that he was stepping into his life’s work. He’d simply said yes to an invitation, but not long after, Folkmoot USA would become inseparable from his name. 

Kaufman, who passed away on Feb. 15 at age 95, was more than a founding board member. Over four decades, he became the festival’s ambassador, diplomat, fundraiser, strategist and quiet guardian. To many, he was simply “Mr. Folkmoot.” 

In a move that will raise some eyebrows and just as many questions, the decades-long dance festival put on by Folkmoot USA in Waynesville has quietly been eliminated. 

July 2012. When I was in the running for the open position of arts and entertainment editor here at The Smoky Mountain News, I had to drive from where I was living at the time (Plattsburgh, New York) to Waynesville (1,100 miles each way) for the final interview. 

Featuring Celtic/world musical ensemble Eireann’s Call, the “A Kilted Christmas” concert will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center. 

Folkmoot USA will present world-renowned American cellist and composer Michael Fitzpatrick at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. 

Folkmoot USA will present an electrifying evening of music and cultural celebration with the Black Sea Beat Society at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. 

Folkmoot kicked off its 41st Summer Fest celebration last Thursday with its Summer Soirée. Guests gathered at the Folkmoot Friendship Center to travel the world together without boarding an airplane. 

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority announced last week that it had awarded just over $250,000 in grants to 18 organizations for more than two dozen community projects all across the county. 

Folkmoot USA is pleased to present “An African Cultural Experience,” which will feature Percussion Discussion Afrika and Chinobay at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 13, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.