Folk festival brings music and storytelling to Geneva for Labor Day weekend
For nearly 50 years, the Fox Valley Folklore Society has been bringing local, national, and international talent to the western suburbs, and this year’s festival promises the same.
Enjoy the last summer holiday weekend listening to live music and storytelling with over 20 featured performers and other local and regional artists.
Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31, and Monday, Sept. 1, at Wheeler Park, 822 N. First St. (Route 31) in Geneva. On Sunday, there will be barn dance and spine-tingling tales until 9 p.m.
Six stages run continuously, with choices of mini-concerts and topical stages, storytelling, instrument petting zoo, and a Kids Zone with music and craft activities, co-sponsored with American Science & Surplus. Find some tasty treats with the food vendors. Hands-on workshops are offered on Irish fiddle, dulcimer, old-time fiddling, bluegrass banjo, fingerstyle guitar, folk harp, and more.
On Sunday, join John Morris and Fox Valley and Chicago Sea Shanty Groups members as they host a Sea Shanty Sing-along. On Monday, join in Chicago Spelmanslag, a tour of Scandinavian music and traditions with introductions to the nyckelharpa and other instruments. Balfolk is a hands-on workshop of social folk dances from western Europe.
Stroll through the arts and crafts area and bring your instrument to play along at some jams. Twirl at the old-fashioned Barn Dance from 6 to 7:30 p.m. then thrill to some spine-tingling tales as the crickets and train whistles blow through the dark.
Join them on Labor Day Sunday and Monday for a weekend full of fun for the whole family! Support for the festival is provided by the Dunham Foundation, Illinois Arts Council, and the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley.
Suggested donation is $35, $20 for teens and seniors; family and weekend rates available. All ages are welcome. Visit fvfs.org.
The featured performers will be:
• Rock guitarist Anne Harris, who recently released her seventh solo studio album and has performed with Poi Dog Pondering and Cracker, will be joined by guitarist Ernie Hendrickson and Ryan Carney
• John Gorka, leading singer/songwriter of the New Folk movement, with his son, singer and songwriter Joe Gorka
• Chris Walz, a member of the Grammy-nominated Special Consensus, and he played Woody Guthrie in a national touring show. He will be teaching a hands on Bluegrass Banjo Class on Sunday. Bring your banjo; tab will be provided.
• Curtis & Loretta, folkie power duo, and winner of folkradio.org’s 2016 Album of the Year
• Tim Grimm, international touring artist with the number 1 album in folk radio in 2021, with Sergio Webb
• Dennis Stroughmatt et L’Esprit Creole, National Oldtime Fiddlers Hall of Fame
• Kate MacLeod, lead singer, violinist and guitarist for Red Rock Rondo, and winner of International Folk Alliance's 2019 Best of the West
• Hammered dulcimer singer Bill Robinson, winner of numerous Country Music Association awards
• Sparky and Rhonda Lynn Rucker, winners of the Artists of Change Award and Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong Legacy Award
• Katie Dahl, Kerrville New Folk winner and finalist, and Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist (2023-24)
• Joel Mabus, Detroit Music Awards Hall of Fame and winner of the inaugural Lantern Bearer Award from the Folk Alliance Region Midwest
• Deidre McCalla, the 2023 Jane Schliessman Award for Outstanding Contributions to Women’s Music winner.
• Annie and Rod Capps with Jason Dennie, New Folk finalists at the Kerrville Folk Festival
• Two Way Street favorite Heather Styka and The Sons of the Prairies
• Bobcat Opossum, with Sean Hoffman and Ellen Coplin, draw inspiration for original music and repertoire from traditional music across several genres including Irish, Americana, bluegrass, classical, and old time music.
The featured storytellers are Jasmin Cardenas, Jennifer Munro and Susan Stone. Local storytelling groups will include The People Tree in Naperville, Fox Valley Storytelling Guild, Chicago Songwriters Collective, Fox Valley Folklore Society, and GreenMan Theatre in Elmhurst.
Award-winning songwriter and vocalist Joe Jencks will close out the main stage on Labor Day with a solo set, followed by an all-star cast of musicians in the festival finale.
Storytelling workshop
On Saturday, Aug. 30, acclaimed storyteller Jennifer Munro will guide participants through the art of crafting meaningful, memorable, and joy-filled tales.
“Creating Stories that Matter and Make Us Smile” will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Tobias Music, 5013 Fairview Ave. in Downers Grove
This workshop is open to everyone who tells stories — on stage, on paper, around the dinner table, or at bedtime. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, you'll leave with tools, inspiration, and a few laughs along the way. Come connect with a vibrant community of storytellers and rediscover the power of a well-told tale.
Register at www.fvfs.org/storytellerworkshop. Tickets are pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $35.