I will never be able to stop calling it the Kent State Folk Festival. That’s just what it is in my mind – forever burned there. But in reality, it’s now called Kent State ‘Round Town Music Festival. It doesn’t really matter though. If you went, you know it was indeed full of folks and it was certainly another grand festival of music!
I went on Friday, FREE Friday. The air was warm and the town was full of art and culture and interesting music goers as usual. I was with one of my son’s and his wife, their new baby, and their friends. We started here at Ray’s Place. YUM! Our server was a super friendly and very efficient redhead who was delightful. I had the Grecian salad and wish I had ordered two of them!
After dinner, we squeezed our way over to the Ohio Stage where we saw our first band, Hey Mavis. Actually – it was hard to see, but we did hear them and stayed for probably 30 minutes or so. Standing, of course!
Next up was Scribbles Coffee Co. on North Water St. The Traveling Cats were playing in the back room. The gal you see on the left was quite a good fiddle player and the man next to her was seen playing at least three instruments; his guitar, a drum he sat on the floor to use, and a harmonica. Heavenly scents of bakery and fresh coffee contributed to the cozy atmosphere there.
Our third stop took us over to the very cool cobblestoned Acorn Alley where we were all jarred out of our mellowed mindsets and thrust into our imaginary dancing shoes to keep the beat with the high energy Bethesda players. It was an upbeat, stomping affair for sure. Like them on their Facebook page.
For our last stop of the night, we found ourselves drawn toward some pretty amazing bass playing that was broadcasting from an outdoor stage at Bar 145 on Erie Street. These guys were so good, they had the crowd completely engaged and calling our for more and more. Perfectly timed, each a true pro at their specialty which included an outstanding drum player, bass player, and saxophonist, they seemed to be directed by an invisible conductor who never ceased to extract only excellence from his orchestra. The video does little justice, but you’ll get the idea.
We stayed until they closed out their night then made our way back to the car with plans to follow them to another venue on another evening. You can like them on their Facebook page to keep up with their schedule.
So another Kent State Folk Festival has come and gone, but the memories linger, complete with the tastes, sounds, and a feeling that only this one-of-a-kind event can leave you with.