Fox Valley Folk Music & Storytelling Festival returns to Geneva's Island Park on Labor Day weekend
After two years of online-only performances and a hybrid virtual and in-person festival last year, the Fox Valley Folk Music & Storytelling Festival returns for its 47th year to Island Park in Geneva on Labor Day weekend.
This year's festival is dedicated to the memory and legacy of founder and director Juel Ulven of North Aurora, who died last September at age 75.
The festival will be 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and Monday, Sept. 3-4, with special evening events on Sunday. The Fox Valley Folklore Society puts on the annual event in cooperation with the Geneva Park District.
There will be seven stages, including the Kids Zone and a teaching stage, as well as space for open mic.
The lineup features nationally acclaimed performers from the Chicago area and other parts of the country who will perform both days of the festival.
Featured performers include: folk singer and songwriter Anne Hills; Beth Horner, storyteller with a comic sensibility; autoharp master and folk singer Bryan Bowers; Bill Robinson and Friends, a third-generation master dulcimer player; Gina Forsyth, New Orleans-based singer/songwriter on fiddle and guitar; Joe Filisko & Eric Noden, an American roots duo from Chicago; Matt Watroba, community singer; banjo and fiddle player Mean Mary; the Rev. Robert B. Jones Sr., American roots storyteller and songwriter; Sarah McQuaid, folk singer and songwriter; Shanta Nurullah, Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist, storyteller and educator; Small Potatoes with Jacquie Manning and Rich Prezioso; Snorty Horse, playing traditional, old-time and contemporary folk music, especially from the Ozark Mountains; Sons of the Never Wrong, an alt-folk trio; and Zoe Mulford, singer/songwriter on guitar and banjo.
From 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, all ages are invited to a barn dance with live music by Snorty Horse & Back Porch Crew and caller Meg Dedolph. Get ready for the dance by joining the "Old Time Jam & Barn Dance Basics" with Dedolph and the Back Porch Crew from 5 to 6 p.m.
After the barn dance, the Storytelling Stage will be hosting a twilight "Spine Tingling Tales" performance from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday with Beth Horner, Shanta Nurullah, Margaret Burk, Lee Murdock, Carolyn Thomas-Davidoff and others. Bring a flashlight to guide you out of the park after the Sunday night performance.
Opening the festival will be the Chicago Songwriters Collective on Sunday and Fox Valley Folklore Society on Monday, as well as the Lake County Folk Club and Plank Road Folk Music Society on both days.
Additional performers include folk singer and instrumentalist Lee Murdock; Cajun accordionist, guitar, fiddle, and bass player Charlie Terr; Jordan Wankoff on guitar and fiddle; storyteller Margaret Burk; February Sky with traditional singer and Celtic guitarist Phil Cooper and songwriter/singer Susan Urban.
The Green Man Group Storytellers, who are part of the Green Man Theatre Troupe in Elmhurst, also will be performing.
In the Kids' Zone on Sunday, make and decorate a shaker instrument, then join in a "Rhythm Sing-Along" where Amy Sebastian can teach new songs and how to play it. You also can visit the "Instrument Petting Zoo" or make a recycled instrument. The afternoon activities will end with balloon rocket racing and "Bubbles & Art & Songs, Oh My!" On Monday, kids can make their own sensory toys; learn how to play a ukulele; or join a jug band for a family jam and sing. There also will be wacky races, games and contests in the Kid's Festival Olympics.
In addition to live music and storytelling, a fine art fair is included in the festivities from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with jewelers, basketry, weaving, woodworking, instrument makers and other fine arts available for demonstration and sale.
Visit the exhibit booths set up on the Island, representing the organizations, crafters and artisans whose work is complementary to the folk arts mission. There will be hands-ons in some of the booths, and nearly all exhibitors will offer items for sale.
Vendors include: American Science & Surplus in Geneva with musical and novelty items; Mallory Castaneda, Bling Bunny, jewelry, Bartlett; HANDS: Hammers & Noters Dulcimer Society/Gebhard Woods Festival, Morris, Ill.; Patrick Jaromin, Jaromin Guitars, Naperville; Greg Orlando, 33 Acoustics, guitar-maker, Lombard; Plank Road Folk Music Society, Downers Grove; and Mark Poulterer, Chwecko T's, DIY tie-dye, West Chicago.
In the juried fine arts area, there will be Ellen Greiner Bevill, Threadings Handwoven Designs, Morris, Ill.; Ron Diller, Woodworking, Geneva; Eric Hill, Wild Hill Pottery LLC, St. Charles; Chris Hodge, prints and drawings, Batavia; Illinois Prairie Weavers Guild, weaving hands-on and demo, Fox Valley; Lindsey Kirk, "Lindsey the Ladysmith," jewelry, metal smithing, Oreana, Illinois; Michael Kriz, Kriz Toy Creations, Walnut, Illinois; Lizzie Lowrie, Indie Art Park Gallery, Warrenville; Ellen Phillips, basketry, St. Charles; Sandy Squillo, WOW by Sandy Jewelry; Amy Taylor, jeweler, silver & gold, Glenview; and Brian P. Walsh, Brian Patrick Photography, Forest Park.
Food, soft drinks and ice cream vendors will be on-site or bring a picnic lunch.
Support this all-volunteer event with a donation, which goes to the costs of production and performers. Suggested admission is $35 a day for adults, $20 a day for students and seniors; youth under age 12 are free, but a donation of any amount is appreciated. Cost for both days is $60 and $35. Family passes are available for $80 a day or $150 for the weekend.
The festival is held in Island Park along the east bank of the Fox River. Bring lawn chairs or blankets.
Access is available by the footbridge that crosses the Fox River beneath the Geneva Metra train tracks.
Although there is construction in the area, ample parking is available using the Metra commuter lots and the parking ramp on Third Street. All parking is free. Signs will direct pedestrians to the footbridge.
For information, visit the Fox Valley Folklore Society website at fvfs.org or facebook.com/fvfs1/.
Fox Valley Folk Music & Storytelling Festival
When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and Monday, Sept. 3-4; evening barn dance and twilight “Spine Tingling Tales” between 6 and 9 p.m. Sunday
Where: Island Park in downtown Geneva
Requested donation: $20-$35 a day; $35-$60 both days. Family passes available for $80 a day or $150 for the weekend
Parking: Ample parking at Metra commuter lots and the parking ramp on Third Street. Then follow the signs to access the footbridge over the Fox River. Check the traffic detours at