5th Annual Lake Erie Folk Fest
returns Feb 21-22, 2020

Dear Music Friends:

The Lake Erie Folk Fest is only weeks away; we’re so excited!

First, let us remind you that the Lake Erie Folk Fest depends on the generosity of artists, donors and volunteers. Our online campaign ends in 11 days! THANK YOU to all those who have already given, and to those who will give today.

Friday, Feb 21

The festival kicks off on Friday, Feb. 21 from 7 to 9 p.m. with something very new! Our headliner Carolina Blue, acclaimed Bluegrass band from Brevard, North Carolina, will present master classes for intermediate musicians in Fiddle, Banjo, Guitar, Mandolin and Bass at our Bluegrass Band Lab, followed by workshops on how to play in a band.

Earlier on Friday at 10 a.m., Carolina Blue plays at our Friday School Program. Educators, bring your students to learn about the rich musical melting pot that created Bluegrass. This assembly is open to students K-12 as well as home schoolers.

Student admission is $5, with teachers and chaperones attending free. Reservations are still available. A “History of Bluegrass” study guide is provided.

Saturday, Feb 22

Day Program: On Saturday, Feb. 22 the Lake Erie Folk Fest gets into full swing with a day bursting with workshops, concerts, jams, dances and more starting at 1 p.m. (doors open at noon). You’ll find more than 30 events to attend, all for FREE! Wooza!!!

All of the Lake Erie Folk Fest events are held at Shore Cultural Centre, 291 E 222nd St, Euclid, OH 44123.

“Love the venue. Love the community feel of the festival. It had the same warm and enthusiastic spirit as the old Kent fest. Thank you!”

Evening Concert: Finally, after the daytime events and a short dinner break, settle in for an evening concert in the Shore Cultural Centre’s historic auditorium. The concert will feature Carolina Blue – Bluegrass from North Carolina; Luca Mundaca – Brazilian Singer-Songwriter;   Distinguished Gentlemen of Spoken Word – Performance Poetry; and Harmonia – Music of Eastern Europe. Tickets here.

We’re so-o-o excited for the music community to gather for this wonderful celebration of traditional music and dance. If you’re excited about it as well, send this flyer to your friends, share our Facebook page, and check our website for updates.

And if you’re REALLY excited about the festival, consider volunteering! Anyone who fulfills a two-hour volunteer shift gets a FREE pass to the evening concert. You can access the volunteer signup sheet here.

We also invite sponsors to support us at various levels. One of the sponsorship levels, for instance, is to provide buses for the Friday Morning School Show. We have a number of schools that would like to participate, but transportation is expensive! We encourage you to “pass it on” – sustain your love of folk music so future generations can discover the joy, inspiration and education that music can bring.

Visit LakeErieFolkFest.com for more in-depth information on performers, workshops, dances, jams and childrens’ activities as information becomes available.

We look forward to seeing you at the 5th Annual Lake Erie Folk Fest!

Sincerely,

The Lake Erie Folk Fest Committee

The 2020 Lake Erie Folk Fest is sponsored by Studio Strings and Village Blacksmith, Inc., and made possible by grants and donations from the Ohio Arts Council and the Funny Times Peace Fund, An Anonymous Donor-Advised Fund of The Cleveland Foundation.

Studio Strings

The Lake Erie Folk Fest is a collaboration between the Northeast Ohio Musical Heritage Association, producer of the annual Blue Sky Folk Festival in Willoughby at the Fine Arts Association, and  Shore Cultural Centre, a former high school turned innovative arts center in downtown Euclid. The afternoon workshops and evening concert bring together Euclid’s diverse artistic community and the Northeast Ohio folk music community in a late-winter cross-pollination of the arts.