In these modern times, never it let it be said that the old spirit of Appalachian culture has been lost among mountainous advancements.
For 42 years, Tennessee’s Cripple Creek Cloggers have kept that spirit alive with authentic performances of historic Tennessee folk dance and music, even going so far as to display period-accurate clothing. Founded by Steve Cates in 1967, the group has had the opportunity to travel domestically and abroad, representing Tennessee and the United States in various international folk festivals.
“I was a teacher and served as volunteer leader in the clubs at Kittrell. One of the activities we always used to do when I was 4Her was folk dancing, but that had sort of died away because boys and girls no longer camped together. So, I hunted down some old records and a record player, and we had a weekend outing at a place called Camp Woodlee up near McMinnville. During the evenings, I led these folk and square dances and we formed a little performing group out of that in 1967,” Cripple Creek Cloggers Director Steve Cates said.
As the group performed, its membership and notoriety grew. The cloggers appeared on television shows like “Hee Haw” and “Reading Rainbow,” performed at the opening of Opryland USA and the 50th anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry, and at state and national events. The group also began touring abroad, attending international folk festivals. In July and August of 2008, the Cripple Creek Cloggers flew to Belgium and the Netherlands, which played host to particularly massive folk festivals with representatives from numerous countries. Nathan Horton, a member of the troupe for more than 15 years, has been with the group on many of these trips.
“It’s been a great opportunity to see different cultures and how others live. It really makes you appreciate the United States because a lot of people don’t have the same things we have,” Horton said.
Aside from attending festivals, the cloggers have also created one of their own. Murfreesboro’s International Folk Festival was founded by the group in 1982 to bring home some of the experiences they’d had abroad.
“We loved that international spirit we found when we attended our first international folk festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1977. We saw the spirit of these festivals?the various cultures and the excitement of the music, dance, and costumes?and we wanted our people to experience that, and thought ?Why not organize our own festival here?’ Many people here are interested in the festival and what it brings,” Cates said.
Since its inception, the International Folk Festival has grown to accommodate guests from more than 75 countries, each bringing with them a piece of their culture. For all the group’s exploits, Cates numbers the festival as its greatest. However, Cates never imagined his pastime would take him to where it has today.
“I was just a green country boy from Cripple Creek. I had no idea it’d lead to this sort of thing. But I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on it. I’m always concerned with the next performance and the next practice . . . In the end, I feel your life is enriched by the people you interact with. As far as looking at the big picture, I’m proud of what the dancers have been able to do because wherever we travel, we have the American flag and we represent Tennessee. It makes me happy to know that we are preserving that part of Appalachian Tennessee folklore. Something gets lost over the years, but each of has something we can pass on,” Cates said.
The Cripple Creek Cloggers’ next bout of globetrotting will take them to the “Festival International des Pyrenees” in Jaca, Spain, and then to the “Festival International de Folklore” in Quillan, France, in July and August.
For those interested, the Cripple Creek Cloggers maintain an open membership and train new dancers every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at 118 W. Vine St.
More information can be found at cripplecreekcloggers.org, or mboro-international-folkfest.org.
