Sat 8/20 @ noon-6PM
In case you didn’t know, the word “Geauga” meant “raccoon” to area Native-Americans, who found the adorable masked creatures numerous in what’s now Geauga County (they still are.)
That word lent its name to the Raccoon County Music Festival, taking place in downtown Burton, hosted by Geauga County Historical Society Century Village Museum.
It features an afternoon of traditional folk music of various types, with both and outdoor and indoor stage. Roots rockers the Hickory Rockers kick things off outdoors @ noon-1pm, followed by Irish band Ten Penny Bit @ 1-2pm, old-time string band Barefoot in the Briar Patch @ 2-3pm, bluegrass band Young and Blue @ 3-4pm, traditional Italian folk music by Alla Boara @ 4-5pm, and Americana, swing & soul from Bonnis & the King @ 5-6pm.
The church stage will feature eclectic traditional music by Little Ol’ Me’s (noon-1pm), blues by Mike Lenz (1-2pm), Harp & vocalist from Tiffany Schaefer (2-3pm) slack key Hawaiian guitar by Guy Pernetti (3-4pm), original old-time-style music by the Oak Island Skunk Jumpers (4-5pm) and a one-song showcase featuring seven acts playing traditional songs (5-6pm).
And yes, the music is continuous; a great thing about traditional, acoustic-oriented acts in minimal set-up time!
The festival also features a variety of hands-on workshops for those who’d rather play than listen, taking place all afternoon, including learn an old-time fiddle tunes, followed by a jam session, beginning bluegrass banjo, ukulele for all, learn an Irish tune and finally a community Irish jam session. Bring your instruments because informal jamming is encouraged. The raccoons will be tapping their paws!
There’ll be food, drink and merch from the performers available for purchase. Bring your chairs and blankets and don’t worry about weather: if it rains, everything moves inside. Admission is $10 for 13 and up, $5 for 6-12, free for under 6.