This year marks the fifth annual Lake Erie Folk Festival, presented Feb. 21-22 at the Shore Cultural Centre, a former high school that has been transformed into an innovative arts center in Euclid, Ohio. With the festival a little more than a week away, this seemed like the perfect time to provide a sneak peak at the event. Located within the heart of the Lake Erie snowbelt, winter may seem like an odd time to host a music festival. But not to Laura Lewis, the Artistic Director for the Lake Erie Folk Festival (LEFF), who cited some precedent when asked why this was a good time for such an event. “I asked the same question about the Kent State Folk Festival when I first started coming to the area in 1991,” Lewis said. “I'm from Virginia where snow brings everything to a halt. But the Kent State Folk Festival happened regardless of the snow and cold, and provided a welcomed break from hibernation for the music community.” Considering that the Kent State Folk Festival ...
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