Skip to main content

Doubled Up Festivals: Raccoons and Rivers

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.

Comments

  1. 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank 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.

      Delete
  2. Thank 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.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Ultimate Banjo Joke Compendium

This post is dedicated to my friend Joel Specht. Ever since the Olitsky & Moskovitz concert last month, my son has been obsessed with banjo jokes. During one of the MANY tuning breaks, they asked the crowd to fill the time by telling their favorite quips about the old five-string. Joel told many that night. I've been trying to remember them, along with best ones I've heard over the years for when my son asks again, so I thought I'd make this list. Question: What's the difference between a banjo and an onion? Answer: Nobody cries when you cut up a banjo. Question: How do you know if the floor is level? Answer: The banjo player is drooling out of both sides of his mouth. Question: What's the difference between a banjo and trampoline? Answer: You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline. Question: What's the definition of perfect pitch? Answer: When you can throw a banjo into a dumpster without hitting the sides. Question: How do yo

Clawhammer Picks and You: A Review

Clawhammer picks are a useful tool for increasing volume or to overcome fingernail challenges, such as broken, too short or weak nails. There are all sorts of commercial and homemade solutions available for banjo players, but it can be difficult to decide which options to choose. Thankfully, I've already done some of the work for you. Just to be clear, I prefer my natural fingernail for frailing. However, there was a time when I experimented with regularly using a pick, and there are instances now where I find that a pick is necessary. Today, I'll take you through the five options I've tried. These are all available online at prices ranging from about $1 to $13. Reversed/Reshaped Dunlop Pick ($0.75) This was the most common suggestion before other companies started addressing the gap in the clawhammer pick market. Take a bluegrass pick, flatten it out and wear it backwards. The problem is that it's hard to get the fit right. While Dunlop picks are cheap and r

Summer Blockbusters: Top 10 Banjo Movies

We’re nearing the end of the summer movie season, which this year has included blockbusters like Avengers: Infinity War , Solo: A Star Wars Story , Incredibles 2 and other movies, including some that weren’t produced by Disney. However, none of these films showcases a banjo in any way. It's not like the banjo hasn't been featured on the silver screen throughout film history. The five-string has starred in numerous movies, sometimes in its proper context as a musical instrument and other times as a comedic prop. Whether making a cameo or starring in the hands of the main character, it's well past time to present my Top 10 Banjo Blockbusters: O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, this movie sucked me into the realm of old-time , bluegrass and country music in general. The banjo is featured in a number of songs on the soundtrack and shows up on screen a few times throughout the movie. Top Banjo Moment: Delmar picks the banjo b