Once again that magic combination of fine weather and good music had Wharfedale under its spell.

Summer reached deep into September for the weekend of Otley’s 18th annual Folk Festival with almost 70 performers plus a pleasing range of related activities.

After Thursday evening’s warm-up concerts at the Red Lion and Korks (when there was strong interest in the quartet Feldspar), continuous events began at Friday teatime with an explosion of concerts and other musical entertainments in pubs, clubs, halls and The Courthouse.

On Saturday and Sunday outbreaks of traditional dancing were frequent at various locations and the pace didn’t slacken (apart from a decent lie-in in the mornings of course) through to Sunday evening.

In addition to the music-crammed weekend’s concerts, visitors met to make their own music in at least eight pubs, including a much talked-about open mic at the Cross Pipes and also a flurry of poetry at the Red Lion. In one sense the busiest spot was the cricket and rugby complex, well positioned between festival campsite and town, and hosting about a third of Friday and Saturday’s total of 50 appearances.

Here Emily Williams and Rebecca Sullivan who perform as Ember gave two shows on Friday before delighting a packed Courthouse on Saturday.

Friday was a busy night for Nick Hall and Michelle Plum at Korks and at the Civic Centre, where they preceded the bagpipe-fuelled rock-folk of Something Nasty In The Woodshed.

But hundreds of eager listeners were ready for more when the Duncan McFarlane Band came on stage. “My size of venue!” announced Duncan, a reference to feeling overawed by the hugeness of the Shrewsbury festival crowd earlier in the Summer.

More was yet to come at Korks, with The Durbervilles headlining as part of a demanding weekend of multitasking especially for David Crickmore, as he recorded festival artists for future use on BBC Radio Leeds’s weekly Durbervilles Show.

Multi-tasking was in fact a prominent activity : Bradford’s blues virtuoso Gerry Cooper had MC-ing work in addition to his two performances, and Otley Folk Club die-hards Jim Lawton, Malcolm Devereux and Gerry McNeice were performing and MC-ing in addition to considerable backroom work – in which matter a mention has been well-earned by Steve Fairholme, Festival Organiser and multitasker on melodeons in the McFarlane Band.

Saturday was the day Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley hit town. Brilliant on concertina and guitar/vocals, deadly with repartee, they know our ways and we know theirs.

But that’s not why they keep getting the teetotal Methodist Hall as one of their venues. The intimate yet spacious hall, with its gallery on three sides, adds a sense of occasion for artist and audience alike - and the tea and cakes do a pretty good job as well.

These surroundings were the setting for the outstanding Sunday evening performance by Steve Tilston with bassist Dave Bowie, followed by Show Of Hands with Miranda Sykes.

After almost 20 years the Show Of Hands touch was still firm in the understated rock and roll attitude of Steve Knightley and his rock voice used with folk effect and Phil Beer’s contribution included exquisite fiddle-work, while at the other end of the scale Miranda’s bass fortified all other sounds.

The cricket club can’t be left out for long, and was still very much at the centre of things towards the close of the festival, with the Duncan McFarlane Band in front of the pavilion as Wharfedale’s expanse glowed in the afternoon sunlight. Yes, playing conditions were perfect both for them and the dedicated crowd occupying the outfield.

As the sun set for the last time on the 2009 Festival, its going down brought another sort of brightness at Korks to round off the whole event. Dave Vermond’s clever songs, known for their delicately robust indescribableness, once more left his listeners lost for words.

Rosie Doonan captivatingly brought a showbiz edge to the world of folk, very ably accompanied by Katriona Gilmore and Gary Stewart in the role of the Snapdragons; and finally this festival that arrived with a bang certainly went out on a wallop with Ben and Joe Broughton’s amusing stagecraft, and pyrotechnics of delivery with fiddle, guitar and voice.

Each year seems to have characteristics beyond those that were intended. This time people have been remarking on the number double basses in use, and indeed, our local blue-grass supergroup The Five and Dimers’ Ricky Silvers has an unusual example rebuilt for left-hand use.

And, yes, the aptly named Rejoice Catering stepped in at the very last moment as gastronomic saviours at the Civic Centre cafe.

Some things are hard to be sure of, but it’s safe to say we’ve seen and heard enough good reasons to look forward with confidence to festival nineteen next year.