We're lucky in Northeast Ohio to have a handful of local festivals that feature plenty of old-time performances and open sessions. However, we're unlucky to have these events stacked on top of each other.
I've written in the past about how the Raccoon County Music Festival in Burton, Ohio, is my favorite of the local events. Another well-regarded festival is Music Along the River (MATR) in Harpersfield, Ohio.
Usually, these two events are a week apart, but this year they occur on the same weekend — i.e., this weekend. Raccoon County is Saturday, Aug. 18, while MATR runs Friday-Sunday, Aug. 17-19.
Luckily, circumstances allow for someone to attend both events, if they were so inclined. However, there will no doubt be some people will only have time for one. It's a shame that two great events will likely experience reduced attendance because of this scheduling conflict, as these festivals attract the same crowd.
To make matters worse, another strong festival is scheduled for the following week in Kirtland, Ohio. The Blue Sky Folk Festival, which used to be in mid-September, has been moved up to Saturday, Aug. 25. I'm especially upset about this change because I was hoping to finally attend the event this year considering my travels prevent me from going to the other two.
When you include Music in the Valley, which was July 14-15, in Bath, Ohio, there are four excellent festivals for hearing and playing old-time music in this region during the summer. The old-time community in Northeast Ohio is relatively small, so I hope the organizers will find a way to coordinate and spread out the events in the future.
I know scheduling can be challenging because many locals also travel to the big name festivals like Mt. Airy, Battleground and Clifftop. However, these are great festivals in their own right, and we shouldn't be forced to make tough choices about which events to attend when they're in our own backyard.
Usually, these two events are a week apart, but this year they occur on the same weekend — i.e., this weekend. Raccoon County is Saturday, Aug. 18, while MATR runs Friday-Sunday, Aug. 17-19.
Luckily, circumstances allow for someone to attend both events, if they were so inclined. However, there will no doubt be some people will only have time for one. It's a shame that two great events will likely experience reduced attendance because of this scheduling conflict, as these festivals attract the same crowd.
To make matters worse, another strong festival is scheduled for the following week in Kirtland, Ohio. The Blue Sky Folk Festival, which used to be in mid-September, has been moved up to Saturday, Aug. 25. I'm especially upset about this change because I was hoping to finally attend the event this year considering my travels prevent me from going to the other two.
When you include Music in the Valley, which was July 14-15, in Bath, Ohio, there are four excellent festivals for hearing and playing old-time music in this region during the summer. The old-time community in Northeast Ohio is relatively small, so I hope the organizers will find a way to coordinate and spread out the events in the future.
I know scheduling can be challenging because many locals also travel to the big name festivals like Mt. Airy, Battleground and Clifftop. However, these are great festivals in their own right, and we shouldn't be forced to make tough choices about which events to attend when they're in our own backyard.
Yes, it is a challenge to schedule these festivals! As one of the coordinators of the Blue Sky Folk Festival, I've found we are always trying to work around other festivals - plus the availability of volunteers and sites, and the vagaries of weather. (Mid-May for our first two festivals was NOT a good choice!) I guess the best that can be said is that the two weekends spanning August 17 through August 25 offer a total immersion folk festival experience in Northeast Ohio.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. If there is anything I can to do to help or better promote the event in the future, please let me know.
DeleteThank you. As you may have heard, the coordinators of all the festivals met recently to work out non-conflicting dates among them and spread the dates throughout the summer.
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