Lake Erie Folk Fest a Hit!

The fifth annual Lake Erie Folk Fest was a resounding success, with more than 1,000 visitors flocking to Euclid’s Shore Cultural Centre for two days of top-quality programs February 21 and 22. The fest kicked off with an educational concert Friday morning, attended by hundreds of local area students. Dedicated musicians had a chance to participate in an exclusive Master Class on Friday evening. Saturday was packed with a full day of free workshops and performances. And it was all topped off with a show-stopping concert Saturday night.

“This was our best festival yet,” said Artistic Director Laura Lewis. “The fantastic workshops. The outstanding musicians. The enthusiastic audiences. It just gets better every year. We’re already looking forward to next year!”  Attendees seemed to agree, as community concerts, dances and demos were often standing room only on during the festival main day. Impromptu jams struck up throughout the building, and instruments were in sight everywhere as musicians of all ages gathered to learn, to play and to enjoy a vibrant sense of community. Hundreds more made their way to the evening concert, which featured an impressive and diverse line-up, beginning with Brazilian singer-songwriter Luca Mundaca, and moving from there to the Eastern European traditions of Harmonia. In the second half, the audience was impressed with the poetry performances of Distinguished Gentlemen of Spoken Word, whose founder, Honey Bell Bey, was recently named Cuyahoga County Poet Laureate. And the headliners Carolina Blue, fresh from winning an impressive string of Bluegrass awards, left the crowd cheering for more.

To see images of this year’s fest, and video of some great unplanned backstage jams, visit the festival’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LakeErieFolkFest/. And mark your calendar for February 2021 when the fest will return – by all accounts, it will be another party you won’t want to miss.

The Lake Erie Folk Fest is presented by the Northeast Ohio Musical Heritage Association and Shore Cultural Centre.