Dick Weissman likes to joke that he's the only person who plays the banjo "quietly and slowly."

Not that all his music is like that.

The 73-year-old Weissman knows how to pick and grin -- quickly -- with the best of them. He was a member of the legendary folk trio the Journeymen, along with John Phillips, who went on to form The Mamas & the Papas, and Scott McKenzie, whose solo career included the hit single "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)."

However, Weissman doesn't just play traditional '60s Greenwich Village folk. He also incorporates world music and jazz elements.

"I try to expand people's perception of what it is," he says about the banjo.

And this weekend you can broaden your banjo consciousness when Weissman plays the 26th annual Yakima Folklife Festival. He'll be among more than 60 music performers and dance troupes at the free festival.

Folklife festivities officially kick off tonight with music in various downtown bars and restaurants. New festival participants include Santiago's restaurant, Buhrmaster Baking Co. and Masset Winery Downtown Cellars. (Check our map to see where you can get your folk on, but be aware that some venues are 21 and over.)

The festival moves to the Yakima Valley Museum and Franklin Park on Saturday, filling five stages and an open mike stage, beginning at 10:15 a.m. There, you'll also find food and craft vendors, a giant water slide -- adults, you can cool off here, too -- and the Medieval Faire.

On this year's Folklife bill are regulars such as Locust Street Taxi, the Bouncing Love Monkeys, Brendon Wires, Celluloid Cowboys, Crescent & Shamrock, Bye, Bye Chinook, Steve and Shelly Hines, the Blue Tropics, Colin Spring and the Naugahyde Nights, Humphrey and Hartman, The Drews, 1928, Zuva Marimba, Cleopatra's Veil and the Wapato Indian Club, among many others.

New acts include Ellensburg alt-country songstress Star Anna, Seattle's fast fiddlin' Celtic rock band Ockham's Razor (who played in the Yakima Folklife Concert Series in March), and teen rockers Captain Electric and the Anorexic Puppies, who recently won the battle of the bands at Davis High School.

The late-night music continues downtown Saturday -- including an eclectic world music lineup at The Seasons -- plus there's a contra dance at the Broadway Grange Hall. Head back to the park Sunday for more music beginning about 10:30 a.m.

In addition to performing, Weissman, a highlight of last year's festival, will lead a workshop on marketing your music at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, and a banjo and guitar workshop at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

A folk icon, studio musician, record producer, songwriter and teacher, Weissman is the author of 12 books, including "The Music Business: Career Opportunities & Self Defense" and "Which Side Are You On?: An Inside History of the Folk Music Revival in America."

"All the books I write are about music -- it's all I know," says Weissman, who now makes his home in Portland, Ore.

As always, all of the weekend's concerts and workshops are, as the longtime Folklife Festival motto states, "still absolutely free."

"It's pretty amazing that it's still free," Folklife president Jane Newall says, noting that it costs about $18,000 to put on the festival.

Performers essentially donate their time and talents, playing for a place to stay, if they need one, and Folklife's famous craft services spread. However, rising gas prices did force a few performers who live farther away to cancel, says Newall.

"We've always told the artists, if you get a paid gig (instead), great," she says.

Folklife funding comes from dedicated sponsors such as Yakima National Bank, Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital and Precision Sound, as well as the yearlong Yakima Folklife Concert Series and all those button and T-shirt sales. (This year's logo, chosen through a design contest, is by local artist Penn O. Shelton.)

And, of course, there are the volunteers -- more than 100 are needed just for emceeing the event.

"It's an eclectic group of people with a passion for music and we try to make it happen," says Newall, a longtime volunteer.

It's that group of people that made Weissman a return Yakima Folklifer.

"One of the things I go by is the people I meet," Weissman says about picking the festivals he plays. "As a performer, you don't do them for money, you do them because you want to do them. It's not a matter of money if you enjoy it."

IF YOU GO

Music

* 7 to midnight tonight and Saturday at various downtown Yakima venues. (See map.)

* Begins at 10:15 a.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Yakima Valley Museum and Franklin Park.

* Although not officially part of the Folklife Festival, also downtown tonight at The Seasons is singer-songwriter Sasha Dobson, who will be kicking off the performance hall's summer outdoor concert series. (See Night Life Spotlight on Page 14.) The Seasons is a Folklife venue Saturday night.

Activities

* The Society for Creative Anachronism's Medieval Faire sets up Saturday and Sunday in Franklin Park. This year's Middle Ages exhibition includes a coronation.

* Slip down the giant water slide Saturday and Sunday on the park's north slope.

* Grab yer partner and do-si-do the night away at the contra dance beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Broadway Grange Hall, with music by Quit Thinkin' and caller Mitchell Frey.

Auction

* "Fiddle Player," an original painting by local artist Penn O. Shelton, is the winner of the inaugural Yakima Folklife Festival poster contest. The design is featured on this year's Folklife T-shirts and the original painting will be auctioned off at the festival, as will several contest finalists. Visit the festival store in Franklin Park for more information.

Information

* All Folklife Festival events are free. For more information on the festival, links to the performers and volunteering opportunities, visit www.yakimafolklife.org.

Getting there

* Worried about finding a parking spot? There is additional daytime parking in Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital's east lot. A free shuttle van will take you to and from Franklin Park.

Weather

* According to AccuWeather.com, there will be sunshine this weekend with temperatures in the high 80s. In the evening, it'll cool off to the mid- to low 50s.