Folks pick and sing at annual festival

Musician and singer/songwriter Gina Forsyth, who hails from New Orleans, was among the first to take the GottaGetGon stage during the Saturday morning sampler concert. She plays fiddle and guitar, performing songs the festival program described as unpretentious and heartwarming.

She categorized “Sparrows,” from her album “Promised Land,” as Appalachian New Age Gospel, the story of a sad heart lifted like birds’ wings from the weary world. The lively “We Shall Be Reborn” drew much applause for its lyrics and Forsyth’s fiddling:

“Someday, we’ll look back at the days of yore,

And the soldiers come home four by four.

We’ll say we’ve had enough of war.”