Fox Valley Folk Music and Storytelling Festival marks 40th anniversary
There are longtime folk music enthusiasts and those who are new to the genre. Both are welcome at the 40th annual Fox Valley Folk Music and Storytelling Festival, which takes place Sunday and Monday, Sept. 4 and 5, at Island Park in Geneva.
The event will feature well-known musicians and performers from across the country performing on eight stages. The fest includes ghost stories, sing-arounds, bluegrass jams, an old-fashioned community barn dance, and children's activities spread across 13 acres.
Organizer and co-founder of the event Juel Ulven, 69, of Aurora recalled the first time he was "infected" by folk music while in the Navy.
"One of the guys used to play records in the barracks and I was fascinated," he said, of the first time he heard Bob Dylan. "I had never heard anything like that."
Ulven later joined the Fox Valley Folklore Society, one of the organizations presenting the festival along with the city of Geneva and Geneva Park District.
Attendees can listen to more than 100 hours of folk music over the two days as well as participate in workshops in a casual, learning atmosphere. There will be close to 30 professional acts, about 20 percent of which are new to the venue.
Any musician can attend the event and play their music on the grounds.
"People bring their instruments and just jam," he said, adding that every tree on the island will have at least one person leaning on it with a guitar or other instrument.
Touring artists from across the globe include Cajun fiddler Gina Forsyth from New Orleans, the Academy of Irish Music, and the Chicago Sacred Harp Singers. Well-known artists such as Lou and Peter Berryman, Bryan Bowers and Red Tail Ring will take the stage along with The Freight Hoppers, an old-time, iconic string band that was a last-minute addition to the lineup.
"They're really well-known and they formed back in the 1980s in North Carolina," explained Ulven.
Volunteer coordinator Cheryl Joyal, 56, of Naperville said performers love the community feel and workshop experience.
"We give them the opportunity not only to showcase their own talents but we group them so that three or four people who don't usually play together share a stage and it creates a different energy," Joyal said. "They're not just solo players."
Dan Keding, 68, of Urbana is a traditional storyteller/musician who performed at the first festival 40 years ago.
"It's a great event for the performers because it's a time when we can all get together," said Keding, who has toured professionally for four decades. He'll be telling traditional stories from around the world and personal stories of growing up in Chicago.
About 6,000 people will attend the event, many of them singers and songwriters looking to play music with seasoned professionals to learn new techniques. Musical workshops will take place under a large, semi-enclosed pavilion.
"We do a lot of hands-on teaching there," Ulven said. "There may be a style thing on banjo or on slide guitar, or finger style guitar. You're able to watch and ask questions. It's informal and there are demonstrations."
A main music stage tent will offer ghost stories from 7:30 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, following a fun barn dance from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the children's area will have craft projects, music sing-alongs, dancing, and more. Last year, kids made shoe box dulcimers and performed with Boo Bradley, a well-known jug band out of Madison, Wisconsin
The festival will include blues, traditional folk, Irish music and British ballads. Ulven said people can expect contemporary folk artists to deliver noncommercial music that highlights social issues or gives historical perspective.
"That's one of the reasons we do this," Ulven said. "You'll hear a lot of stuff that you aren't going to hear normally on broadcast media and you're not going to see at your other local arts events."
For those who want a preview of the festival, a live WFMT-FM broadcast/stream is planned for 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. Listen at midnightspecial.org to hear seven of the festival's artists, or listen in person at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Geneva. Ticket information for the live broadcast is available by emailing juelu@aol.com. Visit foxvalleyfolk.com for a complete schedule of performances.
If you go
What: 40th annual Fox Valley Folk Music and Storytelling Festival
When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4, and Monday, Sept. 5
Where: Island Park, 2 E. State St., Geneva
Features: Concerts, storytelling, instrument lessons, yodeling workshops, craft demonstrations, a barn dance, and more. Refreshments, records, tapes and more will be available for purchase.
Admission: $20 adults; $15 teens and seniors; children 12 and younger are free. Family passes available. No-cost parking is available at the Kane County Government Center, 719 Batavia Avenue, Geneva.
Details: <a href="http://foxvalleyfolk.com/">foxvalleyfolk.com</a>