Woodstock Folk Festival

Sunday, July 15th, 2012, Woodstock Square, 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

2006 Woodstock Square Bandstand with Festival Banner

Photo by Alvin McGovern

The Woodstock Folk Festival in Woodstock, Illinois, has been in existence since 1986, proudly bringing McHenry County some of the best in family musical and storytelling entertainment.

2011 Woodstock Folk Festival

The 26th Annual Woodstock Folk Festival will be held on Sunday, July 17th, 2011, from 12:30 to 6 p.m., on the historic Square in Woodstock, Illinois. It will feature a Main Stage, Open Mike Stage, and Children's Area. Main Stage performers will include Albert & Gage, Old Sledge, Claudia Schmidt, Tangleweed, Pat Wictor, and Doug & Telisha Williams. The Festival will present its Tenth Annual Lifetime Achievement Award to Joann and Lee Murdock.

Chuck VanderVennet and Rich Warren will co-host the Main Stage; Rich will feature Festival performers Albert & Gage on “Folkstage” the night before the Festival (8 p.m./CDT, WFMT/98.7FM). Mark Lyons will coordinate and host the Open Mike Stage which has its own Featured Performer, Macyn Taylor, and is where Colin O'Brien will present his “Featuring Feet” Foot Percussion workshop. The Children's Area will also feature Gary Plazyk and Amy Beth, and Lia McCoo

The Main Stage will take place outdoors on Woodstock Square; in case of rain, it will be at the Woodstock Unitarian Universalist Congregation, two blocks south of the Square at the corner of Dean and South Streets. The Children's Area will be in the northeast corner of the Square and will include performances and hands-on activities. The Open Mike Stage will be at the air-conditioned Stage Left Café, adjacent to the Woodstock Opera House on the Square.

Woodstock, Illinois, is one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Dozen Distinctive Destinations; it was the film location for the movie Groundhog Day.

This year's Festival will offer something for everyone. And in celebration of our 25th year, the Woodstock Opera House will be presenting Chicago folk legend Bonnie Koloc in concert on Saturday night, July 17 (Festival eve), at 8 p.m. Tickets for that concert are available from the Opera House Box Office at 815-338-5300.

We will also celebrate our fellow folk music organizations that are part of our Woodstock folk community year-round by featuring the “Best of Woodstock” segments programmed by Amy Beth and Friends, Masthouse, and Off Square Music.

Main Stage

Our Main Stage performances begin at noon. In addition to the fine artists we have lined up this year, we will be presenting our Ninth Annual Lifetime Achievement Award to Bonnie Koloc from the stage at 3:15 p.m.

Workshop

A guitar workshop will being given by Laura Doherty. The workshop begins at 2:00 p.m.

Open Mike Stage

In addition the to Main Stage performances, there is an opportunity for anyone to share their talent on our Open Mike Stage with Mark & Jean as Master of Ceremonies. It has its own Featured Performer at 4:00 p.m.; artists from the Best of Woodstock.

Kids Area

Your children will be entertained all day in the Kids Area with hands-on activites just for them, and performaces by Lia McCoo at 1:15 p.m., and Laura Doherty at 3:45 p.m.

Mark Your Calendar

So make plans right now to come out, rain or shine, and join us at noon on Sunday, July 18th. Don’t forget to bring chairs, blankets, picnic baskets, etc. Also note that the city does not allow pets in the park, only in the streets on the periphery.

The Two Way Street Coffee House Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary

The Woodstock Folk Festival is happy to help celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Two Way Street Coffee House in Downers Grove on Saturday, November 6. In response to their invitation, the Festival will present the Kishwaukee Ramblers that afternoon. We will be joined in the Woodstock Room by Amy Beth & Friends, and Off Square Music. Check back here or at their website closer to the date for more details.

Afternoon festivities, featuring ten rooms of fun, will begin at 2 p.m.; the evening concert featuring Mark Dvorak, Small Potatoes, Kat Eggleston & Kate MacLeod, and Patchouli will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the First Congregational Church. Tickets are available at Two Way Street and at the door; an all-day pass (including concert) is $12; concert only, $10; afternoon only, $5. There's free parking on the street and in nearby lots; there's also a parking garage one block east.

Two Way Street Coffee House
1047 Curtiss Street (across from the public library)
Downers Grove, Illinois

Come join the celebration!

The 2010 Festival

The 2010 Woodstock Folk Festival, our 25th annual, was very successful. It was a warm, sunny day, but the real reason for the festival's success was the people who participated; our wonderful audience, our talented performers, and our many generous contributors. The Festival presented its Ninth Annual Lifetime Achievement Award to Bonnie Koloc. The Main Stage featured Joel Mabus, The Flyin' A's, Meg Hutchinson, The Henhouse Prowlers, Greg Greenway, and the Sons of the Never Wrong. The Open Mike Stage was coordinated by Mark Lyons. Laura Doherty offered a Guitar Workshop. The Children's Area presented performances by Lia McCoo and by Laura Doherty, and also had hands-on activities all day. The Festival also featured the other venues who present folk music in Woodstock all year long: Amy Beth and Friends, Masthouse, and Off Square Music. Collectively they were identified as the Best of Woodstock and they each had a set on the Main Stage and the Open Mike Stage.

Here's what the President of the Board wrote to the people who helped:

And some comments we received:

Please mark your calendar now and plan on coming to the next festival on Sunday, July 17, 2011—always the third Sunday in July. Meanwhile you can check this site often to find out when the next Woodstock Folk Festival Concert will be, you can help us by volunteering for a pre-festival and/or festival activity, and you can become a sponsor.

Food

Photo by Alvin McGovern

Enjoying the Main Stage, the Children's Area, or the Open Mike Stage can work up an appetite, and there really isn't time for a sit-down meal between performances. So once again the Tasty Dawgs (TastyDawgs.com) hot dog cart will be located on the street in front of the Woodstock Opera House where you get a quick meal and a cold drink, and you won't have to miss anything.

Donations Appreciated

Photo by
Alvin McGovern

Entrance to the Woodstock Folk Festival is by donation. The suggested donations are:

$15/individual
$25/family
$10/seniors and students

Since the festival is held in a publicly accessible location, our audience pays on the honor system. Please be conscious of this and make sure you find out where the donation is being collected as soon as possible after arriving. Thank you.