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.
2012 Woodstock Folk Festival
The 27th Annual Woodstock Folk Festival will be held on Sunday, July 15, 2012, from 12:30-6 p.m., on the historic Square in Woodstock, Illinois. The Festival will present its Eleventh Annual Lifetime Achievement Award to Tom Paxton, who wrote modern standards such as "The Last Thing On My Mind," "Ramblin' Boy," and "Bottle of Wine." His songs have been recorded by artists as diverse as Willie Nelson and Placido Domingo. Pete Seeger said, "Tom's songs have a way of sneaking up on you. You find yourself humming them, whistling them, and singing a verse to a friend. Like the songs of Woody Guthrie, they're becoming part of America." Born in Chicago, Tom Paxton has been an integral part of the songwriting and folk music community since the early 60s Greenwich Village scene, and continues to be a primary influence on today's "New Folk" performers. Tom will also perform in concert at the Woodstock Opera House on Saturday night, July 14, the eve of the Festival.
Other Main Stage performers will be RJ Cowdery, Tim Grimm, Anne Hills, Joe Jencks, Kate MacLeod and Kat Eggleston, and Small Potatoes. The Georgia Rae Family Band will be the Featured Performer at the Open Mike Stage. Mark Lyons and Jean Adaskavich will perform in the Children's Area. Lil' Rev will lead a Ukelele Workshop.
Chuck VanderVennet and Rich Warren will co-host the Main Stage; Rich will feature Festival performers Kate MacLeod and Kat Eggleston on "Folkstage" the night before the Festival (8 p.m./CDT, WFMT/98.7FM). Mark Lyons and Jean Adaskavich will coordinate and host the Open Mike Stage. Maurice Smeets will provide sound for the Main Stage and Andy Andrick will provide sound for the Open Mike Stage.
The Main Stage will take place outdoors on Woodstock Square; in case of rain, it will be at the Unity Spiritual Center, 225 West Calhoun Street, Woodstock, IL (corner of Calhoun and Tryon near Woodstock Square); please note this is a new rain location. The Open Mike Stage, including the Featured Performer, as well as the workshop, will be at the air-conditioned Stage Left Cafe, adjacent to the Woodstock Opera House in the Square. The Children's Area is held in a corner of the Square.
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:
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.
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.
Among the many people and organizations that help fund the Woodstock Folk Festival, we would especially like to acknowledge the following:
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And some comments we received: