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<p class="MsoNormal">Hello,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There may be an interest in some of us attending parts of the Folk Life Festival.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">John Halverson, Corresponding Secretary<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">
<a href="mailto:tracy.soforenko@gmail.com">tracy.soforenko@gmail.com</a> <<a href="mailto:tracy.soforenko@gmail.com">tracy.soforenko@gmail.com</a>>
<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, June 11, 2025 2:05 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> 'Halverson, Sandy' <<a href="mailto:sjh300@outlook.com">sjh300@outlook.com</a>>;
<a href="mailto:evelyn.valdez212@gmail.com">evelyn.valdez212@gmail.com</a>; 'Grassman, Christine' <<a href="mailto:cfgrassman@icloud.com">cfgrassman@icloud.com</a>>;
<a href="mailto:loudoun@nfbv.org">loudoun@nfbv.org</a>; <a href="mailto:markadamross@icloud.com">
markadamross@icloud.com</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> FW: Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2025 Invitation <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Sharing with our Northern Virginia Chapter presidents. Consider sharing with your chapter members.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Tracy Soforenko <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><a href="mailto:Tracy.soforenko@gmail.com"><span style="color:#0563C1">Tracy.soforenko@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">202-285-4595<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> Pulliam, Bella <<a href="mailto:PulliamB@si.edu">PulliamB@si.edu</a>>
<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, June 11, 2025 10:45 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:tracy.soforenko@gmail.com">tracy.soforenko@gmail.com</a><br>
<b>Cc:</b> Nutting, Diane <<a href="mailto:NuttingD@si.edu">NuttingD@si.edu</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2025 Invitation <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Hello from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">My name is Bella Pulliam and we have gotten your contact from Anil Lewis from the National Federation of the Blind. I am the Accessibility Intern for the 2025 Folklife Festival, working with Diane Nutting (Visitor
Accessibility Manager), who I am cc’ing on this email. We are reaching out to blind, low vision, and disabled communities throughout the DMV to share information about this year’s Festival and to invite you to spread the word among your community contacts
and networks. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">The Festival will be held July 2 – July 7 on the National Mall between 7th and 12th streets. The Festival is FREE to attend and is open from 11AM until 5:30 PM daily, with additional featured concerts and events
on Thursday – Sunday evening. A full </span><u><span style="color:#467886"><a href="https://festival.si.edu/schedule" target="_blank"><span style="color:#467886">schedule of events</span></a></span></u><span style="color:black"> is available on our website. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">During the Festival there will be audio described events, sighted guides on request, visual description tours, braille, and large-print materials. Learn more about
</span><u><span style="color:#467886"><a href="https://festival.si.edu/accessibility" target="_blank"><span style="color:#467886">accessibility information</span></a></span></u><span style="color:black"> on our website. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">This year’s Festival theme, </span><i><u><span style="color:#467886"><a href="https://festival.si.edu/2025/youth-future-culture" target="_blank"><span style="color:#467886">Youth and the Future of Culture</span></a></span></u></i><span style="color:black">,
focuses on youth impact and engagement in areas such as art, traditional building trades, music, food, native language reclamation, lowrider culture, film and media making, spoken word, and storytelling. With such a diverse group of participants from across
the US and internationally, there will be many opportunities to see how this generation interacts with culture and tradition and makes it their own. Visitors will have opportunities to learn and explore through hands-on demonstrations, collaborative events,
demonstrations and discussion panels, and by being present in this unique space. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">We are particularly excited that as part of our Emerging Media Makers program, the Festival will feature a screening of
<i>The Ride Ahead</i> by Emmy Award winning filmmakers Samuel and Dan Habib. This documentary film has embedded audio description and follows Samuel as he explores what it means to be an independent adult through interviews with disabled adults and leaders including
Judy Heumann, Bob Williams, Maysoon Zayid, and others. </span><u><span style="color:#467886"><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ride-ahead-film-screening-and-discussion-tickets-1394743026939?aff=oddtdtcreator" target="_blank"><span style="color:#467886">Advance
registration for </span></a><i><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ride-ahead-film-screening-and-discussion-tickets-1394743026939?aff=oddtdtcreator" target="_blank"><span style="color:#467886">The Ride Ahead</span></a></i><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ride-ahead-film-screening-and-discussion-tickets-1394743026939?aff=oddtdtcreator" target="_blank"><span style="color:#467886">
is required</span></a></span></u><span style="color:black">. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">The Festival strives to maintain an accessible and inclusive environment for all. Some other accessibility services and supports that are provided include accessible seating, wheelchair loans, ASL interpretation,
live, real-time captioning (CART), and a Festival sensory guide. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Additional </span><u><span style="color:#467886"><a href="https://festival.si.edu/accessibility" target="_blank"><span style="color:#467886">accessibility information</span></a></span></u><span style="color:black">
and detailed service schedules can be found on our website. If you have any questions or anticipate needing additional support, please do not hesitate to contact us. To reach out you can reply directly to this email (</span><u><span style="color:#467886"><a href="mailto:PulliamB@si.edu" target="_blank"><span style="color:#467886">PulliamB@si.edu</span></a></span></u><span style="color:black">),
call us at 202-633-7488, or email </span><u><span style="color:#467886"><a href="mailto:folklife@si.edu" target="_blank"><span style="color:#467886">folklife@si.edu</span></a></span></u><span style="color:black">. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">We thank you in advance for sharing this information with your own networks to help spread the word about this event. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">We look forward to seeing you at the Folklife Festival! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Warmest regards, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Bella Pulliam (she/her) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Visitor Accessibility Intern <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Smithsonian Folklife Festival, 2025 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="color:#467886"><a href="mailto:PulliamB@si.edu" target="_blank"><span style="color:#467886">PulliamB@si.edu</span></a></span></u><span style="color:black"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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