3rd Annual Black Swamp Old-Time Music Festival

[PhilGE]

The 3rd annual BLACK SWAMP OLD-TIME MUSIC FESTIVAL will be held July 8-9-10, 2005 in northwest Ohio at Seven Eagles EARTH Center (16486 Wapakoneta Rd, Grand Rapids, OH). The festival begins with a concert and dance on Friday evening, runs all day Saturday with jams and workshops and an evening concert, and continues Sunday with a gospel jam in the morning and a concert until 4:00 pm. This family-oriented festival features old-time music (fiddles, banjos, guitars, string bands, dulcimers, vocal traditions, etc.), dancing (flatfoot/clogging workshops, contra and square dancing), vendors, and children's activities.

Performers will include Dan Gellert and Debbie Posey, Whitt Mead, Art Lang and Cathy Ciolac Half of The Red Mules, Dave Rice, Mark Ward and Joe LaRose, Ann and Phil Case, Judy and Warren Waldron, the Lonesome Moonlight Trio, The Hippie-billies, Root Cellar String Band, Celery City Sod Busters,# Tina Bergmann# and Bryan Thomas, Jim Hall and Cindy Morgan,# Fiddle Faddle, and more. Dance callers and teachers include Marlin Whitaker, Barry Dupen, Judy Waldron, and Marilyn Branch.

Located 1/2 hour southwest of Toledo, the festival site is an arts, history, and nature center and is home of the endangered cricket frog. The festival site is rustic with appropriate ADA accommodations. Primitive (no showers) camping ($5.00 per night per person, July 8-10) and food vendors are available.

The town of Grand Rapids is one mile north with antique stores, restaurants, parks and a pleasant canal walk along the Maumee River. Providence Metropark is on the opposite banks and offers canal rides and living history. Sauder's Village in nearby Archibold holds a fiddle contest that Saturday. Hotels and full hook-up camping are nearby. Bowling Green has a Hampton Inn (419) 353-3464, a Holiday Inn Express (419) 353-5500, a Best Western (419) 352-4671, Days Inn (419) 352-5211, and a Quality Inn (419) 352-2521. There's a state park with some camping in Grand Rapids, Mary Jane Thurstin State Park (419) 832-7662. There are also two bed and breakfast accommodations listed in Grand Rapids: Mill House (419) 832-6455 and Sisters of Thurston House (419) 832-0915.

Tickets are available at the gate: Gate opens Friday at 3:00
Weekend--$25;
Friday evening dance/jam--$5.00
Saturday day and evening--$15
Saturday/Sunday day or evening only--$10.
Children (13-17) and seniors-- 1/2 price; 12 and under--free.
Camping available-Fri.-Sunday.

Hours: #
Fri. concert: 7-9; dance -9:00-11:00
Sat: jams/workshops10a.m.-5 p.m.; concert: 6-10; dance: 10-12
Sun: jam/sing-along:10:00 am - 1:00 pm; concert: 1-4.

Black Swamp Webpage or
another Black Swamp site.
Lucy Long (419) 372-7862; LucyL@bgnet.bgsu.edu###
Brenda Holdridge# (419)923-8641; Indridge@fulton-net.com
Sponsor-- Arts Council Lake Erie West: Martin Nagy (419) 531-2046 (www.artscouncillew.org)

DIRECTIONS: [I-75 south from Toledo to Bowling Green; Rt.6 west to Wapakaneta Rd., right turn towards Grand Rapids; festival site on right.]

**# Old-time music is the hand-made and homemade music of the southern Appalachians and rural pioneer America. Growing out of Anglo-Scots-Irish traditions with some African-American elements thrown in, it was commercialized in the 1920s and 30s as hillbilly music. String bands usually include a fiddle, banjo, guitar, and string bass, but mandolins, dulcimers, and other instruments are also used. Old-time vocals include gospel, ballads, and lyric songs.

[PhilGE]

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

the festival site has been changed to the Mary Jane Thurston State Park - about a mile down the road from the old location at 7 Eagles.

Please visit the festival webpage for more information.

-Phil

[mandolinquent]

My goodness my eyes must decieve me! This festival sounds like so much fun and is only minutes away from my home. Too bad I'll be having a baby on the 9th or else I'd be there for sure.

[PhilGE]

Here's another update with schedule included. This is from Lucy Long, the organizer of the festival.

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Hello Everyone, # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # 6/28/05
Here's the latest information on the 2005 #SWAMP OLD-TIME MUSIC FESTIVAL, including the schedule. There #may be changes #to it (in keeping with the spontaneous nature #of old-time music), but this is basically #it. (Participants should let me know #immediately #of time conflicts, etc.)

Also, please make sure everyone knows that we've had a last minute#change #of location. The new site is on a river (which means fishing, boating, and wading in the water), has lots of shade, and is adjacent #to (walking distance) the town of Grand Rapids, which is having their Rapids Rally Days festival the same weekend. #We've only moved one mile west of the original site (7 eagles) to Mary Jane Thurston State Park on the west side of Grand Rapids, Ohio. Camping is available and reservations are necessary. Please contact Leslie Lippert at Llippert@Yellowsprings.com or # 937-767-2999. #Overflow camping will be sent over to Seven Eagles, but everyone wanting to camp at the festival site should make reservations.

The other change is that we're not allowed to actually charge admission (state park rules), so we'll be asking for donations and a minimal participation fee.
The minimal participation fee ($10.00) will be charged for the workshops and dances. Camping includes the participation fee ($35.00 per weekend per person, July 8-9. Youth (12-17) and seniors $25.00. Children free.) These campsites are prime locations on the bank of the Maumee River! There are no electrical hookups or showers, however, there is running water and flush toilets in the main restrooms. Dogs on leashes are welcome, and food vendors will be available.
**Donations will be appreciated to cover costs** Gate opens Friday at 3:00. Camping available-Fri.-Sunday.
Fri. concert: 7-9; dance -9:00-11:00; Sat: jams/workshops10a.m.-5 p.m.; concert: 6-10; dance: 10-11; Sun: jam/sing-along:10:00 am - 1:00 pm; concert: 1-4.

Lucy Long, Festival Director
BLACK SWAMP OLD-TIME MUSIC FESTIVAL # 2005

FRIDAY (7-9)
STAGE
Root Cellar String Band
Art Lang and Cathy Ciolac
Lonesome Moonlight Trio
The Hippie-Billies

DANCE: 9-11
Caller-Marlin Whitaker
Band-Yellow Springs Cornfield Orchestra

SATURDAY DAY
STAGE (12-5)
#Hand Hewn
#Cindy Hall and Jim Morgan
#Root Cellar String Band
#Canadian string band
#Judy and Warren Waldron
#Art and Cathy Ciolac

WORKSHOPS-VOCAL
#Songs for and with children-Sherry and Jason
#Political Protest Folk Songs-Spencer Cunningham
#Folk Song Sing-Along (Rise Up Singing)-Cindy and Jim
#Old-Time Harmony Singing-Ann and Phil Case
#Old-Time Minstrel Songs-Judy and Warren Waldron

WORKSHOPS-INSTRUMENTAL
#Autoharp-Cathy Ciolac
#Clawhammer Banjo-Dan Levinson
#Guitar-(Steve O'Regan)
#Dulcimer, Lap-
#Dulcimer, Hammered--
#Fiddle-Whitt Mead (old-time bowing)
#Harmonica-Dave Rice
#Old-time Jam Session-Dan Gellert & Deb Posey

SATURDAY EVENING CONCERT #(6-10)
#Hippie-Billies
#Tina Bergmann and Bryan Thomas
#Dan Gellert, Deb Posey, Whitt Mead
#Ann and Phil Case
#Celery City Sod Busters
DANCE (10-11)
#Caller-Judy Waldron
#Band-Root Cellar String Band

SUNDAY
#STAGE # (10:30-4:00)
#GOSPEL JAM (10-30-12:30)-Lonesome Moonlight Trio
#Anne and Phil Case
#Dave Rice, Joe LaRose, Mark Ward
#The Red Mules (Lynn and Beth Frederick)
#Dan Gellert, Debbie Posey, Whitt Mead

DANCE
#3:00-4:00 #Dance workshop (flatfooting)-Marilyn Branch
#4:00-5:00 #Old-Time Dance
# Caller-Barry Dupen or Judy Waldron
# Band-Fiddle Faddle