December Carson arrived in Sisters earlier this summer to take over at SFF Presents as its executive director, and immediately experienced life as a Central Oregonian when she was evacuated for the Akawa Butte fire. She didn’t let that slow her down, jumping right into all things Sisters and Folk Festival. She hopes to help continue the ongoing legacy of building and supporting the arts in Sisters, right alongside a community whose resilience she finds inspiring.
the Source: What was it about the Sisters Folk Festival that inspired you to move here?
December Carson: For me, I have worked my entire career in the performance arts arena. I started right out of college with my own marketing and booking agency that I co-founded. That agency started out in the jam band world and ended with alt-country and Irish music and old-time American music. I just have such a love of those genres, which is why I have been attending this folk festival for many years.
For me, having the combination of a career in the performing arts and a background specifically focused in folk music, when this job came up, so many people shared it with me. They just know that I am a lover of traditional music and I have been working in that space for a long time. It felt like all of my skills came together when I saw this job posting.
tS: How would you define what folk music is in 2026?
DC: For me, it is music that is rooted in people’s cultures and musical traditions. I think folk music is also world music and falls in that category. It is a music that is really rooted in the traditions of every different culture — Irish music, African music, American music — it’s really music of the people by the people. It’s those deep-rooted traditions that are passed down from person to person to person.
I am a big Dolly Parton fan. I put on a Dolly Parton hoot night for 20 years in Portland. What resonated with me about Dolly was her interpretations of these family legacy songs that were taught to her by her parents and grandparents that she would continue to sing throughout her career. You can hear those songs woven into the fabric of her own songwriting.
I think people resonated with her because she sang these songs that reflected the human experience around her. They just flocked to her because they knew she was singing about their lived experience and was really genuine. I come back to that — the folk music tradition is really around people’s lived experience and culture.
tS: What do you think makes the Sisters Folk Festival unique—not just for Central Oregon, but for folk festivals in general?
DC: I love that it takes place throughout the whole town. You are experiencing Sisters as much as you are experiencing the folk fest. It’s one of the most unique festivals I’ve experienced in that aspect. It’s not like you are going to a field in the middle of nowhere —you are going into businesses and restaurants. You’re walking past people’s houses and you might see deer or elk. It’s a nice little snapshot of Central Oregon.
It’s a big part of why I took this job. I want to make sure this festival and the organization continue because it is a really unique experience for people to have, and I want to make sure that tradition keeps going.
tS: What do you think needs to happen to ensure that those traditions keep going?
This organization has faced many challenges, from COVID to wildfires — this community is so resilient. They really believe in this community and this organization. It is our staff, our volunteers, our donors and the community of Sisters that keep it going. They pour so much love and energy and time into bringing something so joyful to the community.
tS: What do you hope people will experience and what do you hope they leave with?
DC: Making sure our programming really reflects what is happening in the world — really reflects what people are needing, even if they don’t know they need it. The kind of nurturing that happens through listening to music. I think Brad Tisdel — who does our booking — does a really great job of curating artists that reflect what’s going on in the world around us. The festival is this mini reflection of that, and he does this great job of mixing genres under the folk music banner.
DC: My hope is that people would be surprised by the breadth of the musical talent that is offered. They may come for one or two artists they know, but by staying the weekend and walking around, they would be surprised and delighted and excited by the artists they don’t know.
My hope is that people who come here leave with a Rolodex of new artists that they can go home and listen to for the rest of the year.
Sisters Folk Festival
Fri., Sept. 25-Sun Sept. 27
Various venues in Sisters, Oregon
sistersfolkfest.org
This article appears in the Source September 17, 2026.
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