Labor Day tradition returns with folk musicians and storytellers
The Fox Valley Folklore Society had perfect summer weather for its 48th annual Fox Valley Folk Music and Storytelling Festival.
The two-day festival has been a longtime Labor Day weekend tradition.
This year’s event on Sunday and Monday, Sept. 1-2, had to be moved to a new location at Wheeler Park, off Route 31 in Geneva, after last year’s successful return to Island Park. Weather events in July had made Island Park unusable and required a last-minute location change for this year’s festival.
According to a post on the society’s Facebook page, “The first day in a new location was a success. This is directly the result of the hard work of the festival leadership, dedicated volunteers, amazing artists, the Geneva Park District, and all the attendees that came today. The weather was fantastic. I mean, what one dreams of in a perfect summer day.”
The Fox Valley Folklore Society is an all-volunteer run organization with no paid staff. Its mission is to to educate and inform the public about traditional, revival and interpretative folk music, folklore, storytelling, folk dance and related folk-life art forms through the presentation of concerts, workshops, a yearly folk festival, and more.
Join the Fox Valley Folklore Society for an afternoon of fun dancing to live fiddle tunes performed by area musicians. All dances are taught; no partner needed. At 2 p.m., there’s an hour of kid-friendly dances, followed by contras, squares, and more.
The monthly barn dances are 2 to 5 p.m. on the second Sunday of the month at Grace Lutheran Church, 493 Forest Ave., Glen Ellyn. On Sept. 8, the caller will be Meg Dedolph with the band Really Cool Hats.
The suggested donation is $5-$15; children, age 12 or younger, are admitted free but must be accompanied by an adult. Visit foxvalleyfolk.com/barndance.html.
All of their events are funded by membership fees, donations, and event sponsorships. Membership is not required to participate in the events. Annual membership fees are $25 for an indviduals, $45 for a family, or $75 for an organization.
Learn more about the Fox Valley Folklore Society at fvfs.org/WordPress/events/ or www.facebook.com/fvfs1.