On Saturday May 31, get your summer started with the Doodle Folk Music Festival.
The festival takes place in Bishop Hill and features some of the best-known Illinois folk musicians including Chris Vallillo and the Bucktown Americana Music Show. The music starts at 10 a.m. and continues throughout the day.
Peoria’s singer-songwriter Barry Cloyd will start off the day playing songs from his 10 CDs. At 11:30 a.m., Chicago’s singer- songwriter Buck Halker will be performing American Coal Miners and their Songs, 1890-1960s.
At 1:30 p.m., Macomb’s Chris Vallillo will kick off the afternoon. A master of bottleneck slide guitar, he weaves original, contemporary, and traditional songs and theatrical narratives into a compelling and entertaining portrait of the history and lifestyle of the Midwest.
The Bucktown Americana Music Show will then step on stage at 3 p.m. to finish off the day. If you’re a fan of bluegrass, folk, Celtic, Americana or old-time music, you’ll love the Bucktown Americana Music Show.
In addition, P.L. Johnson’s will be having a dinner party that evening from 4 to 8 p.m. by reservation only. The menu includes beef bourguignon, Swedish meatballs, cheese tortellini and Oskar chicken. The dessert menu includes pavlova and chocolate lava cake. For reservations, please call 309-927-3885.
This free event is funded in part by the Illinois Arts Council, Illinois Humanities Council, Galesburg Community Foundation and the Geneseo Foundation. For more details, you can call 309-927-3899 or email bhha@mymctc.net. Information about this festival is also posted on www.bishophillheritage.org and the Bishop Hill Heritage Association Facebook page.
The festival derives its name from Doodle, Bishop Hill’s first folk musician, and a display about Doodle (Jonas Danielson) will be located in the park gazebo.
All the park concerts are free and open to the public. Attendees are reminded to bring lawn chairs and enjoy the music.
