Folkies soak up music, storytelling in Geneva

Dale Stallmann and his steel guitar were resting under a shade tree along the Fox River on Sunday when a spontaneous jam session broke out.

For the next few minutes, onlookers hummed and sang along to Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin' Heart," with the Aurora guitarist casually picking the way.

"We've got a case of the honky tonk-itis here," he joked. "That's an inflammation of the honky tonk."

It was a typical moment for the Fox Valley Folk Music and Storytelling Festival, which celebrated its 34th year over the weekend in Geneva.

Festival founder Juel Ulven said the event was meant to be a communal experience.

"It's music of the people," he said. "It's people learning from other people."

This year, 32 acts and more than 100 musicians took one of eight stages at River Park. But musicians clustered elsewhere throughout the park also performed.

Ulven said the idea is to promote and carry on traditional music that reflects the hopes, hardships and triumphs of our ancestors.

"A lot of people who wrote folk music were illiterate peasants," he said. "But over time, their songs were kind of polished into literature."

Dave Hrycewicz of Batavia found a shaded spot near the main stage, where he and his shih tzu, Ava, could relax and listen Sunday.

Hrycewicz said he's attended the festival on and off for 10 years and appreciates the social commentary folk music offers.

"It's interesting that some of the material that's been written is resurfacing," he said. "The names may change, but the stories don't."