Folk, fun and funnel cakes along the Fox River in Geneva
Hundreds of families spent Labor Day at Geneva's Island Park, soaking up sun and basking in the sound of fiddles, banjos and acoustic guitars as the Fox Valley Folk Music & Storytelling Festival capped its 33rd year.
About 120 performances were scheduled for the annual celebration of traditional music and storytelling themes, which takes place over two days at the park along the Fox River.
"It's a great way to punctuate the end of summer," said Trish Dredze, who along with her husband Barry biked over from their home in Winfield about noon Monday. "It's a great time, so laid back."
The Dredzes were sitting down for a snack - salad and funnel cake - as Memphis, Tenn., musician Andy Cohen wrapped up a set of folk tunes on the Main Stage.
Cohen, who began performing in Chicago in the late 1960s, chatted with audience members who approached him afterward. He said it was his first year playing the Geneva festival.
"I like festivals like this," he said. "They're not too big, not too small. And there's something for everyone."
Founder Juel Ulven of the Fox Valley Folklore Society said the festival seems to have thrived on consistency since its first run in Aurora more than three decades ago.
Ulven said organizers moved it to Wheaton briefly before finding their footing in Geneva, and have concentrated on building a festival that caters to not only the "smaller-interest community" of folk fans, but families who are interested in the educational aspects.
"For anything, it's consistency. Eventually, you'll get a core," said Ulven, who expected about 4,500 visitors a day. "We get a lot of people that are repeat visitors."
In addition to live music and storytelling acts, the festival featured folklore workshops, crafts and food. On Monday, several impromptu jam sessions also were sprouting up around the park. Wayne Weberpal, a gospel and bluegrass musician from DeKalb who came to hand out CDs, said he hoped to get in on the action by singing with some other musicians.
"Unfortunately, I didn't bring my guitar," he said regretfully.