During her lifetime, Margaret MacArthur was both a singer and a collector of songs. For her work preserving oral traditions, she was designated a New England Living Art Treasure, and invited to sing at the Kennedy Center, and colloquially, she took on the name, "Vermont’s First Lady of Folk." In May, 2006, MacArthur died at age 78, in her home in Marlboro, after being diagnosed with a rare brain disease just a week earlier.
Now another Vermont folk musician is working to preserve MacArthur’s legacy. Hinesburg resident Rebecca Padula has produced a 90-minute documentary called Margaret’s Waltz. The film recently took top honors at the Northeast Alliance for Community Media’s Best Documentary. …and will be shown Friday evening in Burlington. She spoke with VPR’s Jane Lindholm about the film.