The Kerrville Folk Festival is known for its music. But in the aftermath of last year’s tragic Fourth of July flooding, it became something else entirely.
Deb Rouse runs the Kerrville Folk Festival, an 18-day music festival held at Quiet Valley Ranch, about eight miles southwest of Kerrville.
For more than half a century, the festival has helped launch the careers of emerging musicians. But on the morning of the flood, Rouse quickly realized the ranch would serve a very different purpose.
“As I was sitting at my desk, my phone started ringing, both my cell phone and my office phone,” Rouse said. “And I can hear every other extension in the office ringing, and it was people from all over the country calling and saying, ‘We’re members of the festival community. How can we help? What can we do?’”
These were folk festival supporters who had seen news coverage of the flooding and wanted to help. Rouse initially directed people to organizations such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army, but eventually added a donation button to the Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation website.
“I anticipated we might get $10,000 just putting that button on our website. We raised $100,000 in about a two-month period,” she said.
But the festival wasn’t just raising money.
“We also made the decision to open the ranch up to displaced individuals who might need a place to go,” Rouse said.
Another call came from a nonprofit looking for a place to set up a kitchen to feed people affected by the flood.
“I said, ‘Well, actually, I have a commercial kitchen that’s not in use. Would that be helpful?’ And he was like, ‘That would be amazing.’”
Soon, the 50-acre festival grounds had become a hub for relief efforts, providing shelter, meals and support for flood survivors.
Now that’s a community. Not surprisingly, many people associated with the Kerrville Folk Festival had friends or family who died in the flood. Their urge to help, and all the offers of help they got from their wider community outside of Texas all make sense to me as someone who experienced Hurricane Harvey. We’re often told to look for the helpers in times of crisis. What I think doesn’t get enough attention is that invariably, the helpers come looking for you, too. Read the rest to see it in action.