Lake Erie Folk Fest returns to Shore this month!

The Chardon Polka Band will perform in the evening concert at the Lake Erie Folk Fest, and play at a Community Dance at the festival during the day. 

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Once again, the halls, classrooms and auditorium of the Shore Cultural Centre will resonate with folk and traditional music on Saturday, February 23 from 1:00pm-10:00pm.  The fourth annual Lake Erie Folk Fest will take place throughout the building with 40+ FREE Community Concerts, music and dance workshops, community jams, kids’ activities, dances and more, 1pm – 6pm, including:

– Community concerts with Gretchen Pleuss, Olivia Martinez, Lea Marra, Eden & Lukas Pool, Bob Frank, Paulo Costa Trio, Thor Platter Trio

– Special Performance by the Euclid High School Drumline

– Dance workshops: Dance Calling with Emily Rainbowface Able, Classical Indian Dance with Shri Kalaa Mandir, African Dance with TamTam Magic

– Shapenote singing

– Old-Time Banjo Summit with Richie Stearns, Lukas Pool, Mark Olitsky and Doug Ungar

– Irish Whiskey and Flute jam with Brian Bigley

– Fiddle from Scratch with Bruce Tackett

– Spoken Word workshop and open mic with Twelve Literary Arts

– Music workshops in ukulele, guitar, songwriting, mandolin, more!

– Polka with the Chardon Polka Band

– Old-time, bluegrass and Irish community jams

– Kids workshops & activities

That evening at 7:30pm, the Shore Auditorium comes alive with an eclectic array of music in a day-ending concert.  Featured that night will be New York-based Americana duo Richie & Rosie. Before joining forces, both members were well established within the Ithaca, N.Y. old-time music community. Rosie has toured with multiple bands, including an appearance while she was in high school with folk-rock band The Mammals, and Richie has performed internationally with bands such as Bela Fleck, Pete Seeger and David Byrne.

Sharing the bill that night will be Journeywork, a traditional Irish band, and also guitarist Jim Volk who incorporates traditional fingerstyle and electric guitar techniques for a truly “modern acoustic” presentation. Shri Kalaa Mandir, with classical Indian music and dance, will perform in the evening concert. Their dancers have been featured at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Playhouse Square, Cleveland Public Theatre, and more. The Chardon Polka Band brings modern polka music to a new generation and will join the lineup. They have become a well-known act in the fall Oktoberfest circuit, headlining at some of the nation’s largest seasonal events. General admission tickets for the evening concert are $10 in advance and available on-line at www.shoreculturalcentre.com. Tickets are $15 the day of the show.

The Lake Erie Folk Festival is a collaboration between the Shore Cultural Centre and Northeast Ohio Heritage Music Association (NEOHMA), the latter being a volunteer organization that produces the annual Blue Sky Folk Fest during the summer in Kirtland, Ohio.  “The festival features a broad range of folk and is very welcoming. This enables people of all ages and abilities to grow their skills, or try something new," said festival director Laura Lewis. "The festival brings together Northeast Ohio's folk music community; Euclid residents; and fans of the Shore Cultural Arts Centre.  We like to think that the festival is "by the people and for the people"."

The festival involves attendees through open jam, poetry and music sessions and dance lessons. People are encouraged to bring their own instruments and hand percussion to join in the music making throughout the day.  “Nothing brings people together like the common ground of music,” said Chris Cipriani, Shore Director of Programming and Marketing.

Food and beverage service will be available throughout the afternoon in the Culinary Bistro on the lower level of the Shore building.  The Bistro is both a working restaurant and classroom for students enrolled in area schools’ culinary programs.  It is run by Euclid Public Schools under the guidance of Chef Daniel Esquivel, former executive chef at the Chagrin Valley Country Club.

The Lake Erie Folk Fest is supported in part by The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation. For further information visit www.lakeeriefolkfest.com or call 216-289-8578.  The Shore Cultural Centre is located at 291 East 222nd Street in downtown Euclid.