Old-time Tunes & Rare Song Gems from the Past
Please consider all events tentative at this time, and as the weather forecasters say, "Check back often for updates."
05/05/20
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Godfrey Daniels, Bethlehem PA
Old-Time music played for the sheer joy of swapping tunes and having a good time.
There is no fee, but donations are welcome. Just drop a few dollars in the guitar that hangs on the wall in the doorway.
To learn about the other Lehigh Valley old-time jam on the third Tuesday, at King Koffee, Emmaus PA, photo below links to the LV Old Time Music Jams Facebook page.
Third Thursday at Symphony Hall
05/21/20
5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Lyric Room
We'll avoid the "how do you get to Symphony Hall?" approach and just promote this partnership among Miller Symphony Hall, the downtown Allentown business community and musicians. Norm Williams joins us.
We'll share our usual blend of voices, instruments, stories and tunes with you in this lovely setting. No admission and "signature cocktails" will be available at the bar. A unusual setting for us, but perhaps a little like a farmers market in an urban location, without the kombucha or garlic scapes.
Make Music Upper Perk
06/21/20
with Norm Williams
We invite everyone to come out and be a part of the eighth year celebrating music in the Upper Perkiomen Valley; all day, all free, all over the Valley.
Venues TBD.
Make Music Upper Perk (MMUP) is part of a world-wide celebration of music held every year in 108 countries on the summer solstice, June 21st; always free and open to the public. MMUP is an all-volunteer event. No one, not even the musicians, is paid. June 21st is National Music Day.
Upper Perkiomen Valley, Pennsylvania (northeastern PA, 40 miles north of Philadelphia, 17 miles from Allentown, 10 miles from Quakertown)
07/12/20
10:00 a.m. until dark Blandon, PA
Our 12th Annual Festival! (Can't believe it, but true!)
Master Teachers: Joe Newberry, banjo and song, Mike Compton, mandolin, Jesse Milnes, fiddle
More details coming soon!
07/18/20
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Old-time music in the natural setting of a living historical farm. There will be informal presentations and just plain playing of music across the farm, including the open barn, the farmhouse back porch, a small stage near the gift shop, and possibly under the grape arbor near the bake oven. It's great fun for visitors and musicians, too!
09/19/20
Godfrey Daniels 8:00 p..m.
We love doing this, and are pleased to have been invited back again! Don't miss a great opportunity to share a back-porch visit with three friends who've become family as well as companions in old-time music. We'll swap some songs and tunes and trade a few stories, too. Invite your friends and family for some old-time fun: no set list and no sound system between us and the audience, either - we're unplugging for this one.
09/20/20
37th Annual Festival, 9:00 a.m. until dusk
Pretty much anything you'd want in a volunteer-run community event - jamming, fiddle contest, craft vendors, giant kettles of soup, huge portions of ice cream, stage entertainment and an appreciative and diverse audience of thousands.
10/10/20
10am to 5pm, Rain or Shine.
Heritage crafts. old-time music around the farm all day, good country food, children’s activities, pumpkin decorating, a quilt raffle, pony rides, horse drawn wagon rides, one room schoolhouse presentations, outdoor brick bake oven - we'd go just for the bread! Harvest Festival happens both Saturday and Sunday; we'll know which day we'll be there a little closer to the time.
(All funds raised support the mission of the non-profit farm museum.)
10/11/20
Augusta Heritage Center, Elkins WV
October Old-Time Week focuses on West Virginia’s rich traditions of old-time music. Workshops meet 9 a.m. to noon, with an afternoon cultural session each day and afternoon workshops. Presentations from master artists, evening jam sessions and much more fill out the week. Stay for the Old-Time Fiddlers’ Reunion, October 16 - 17th, a celebration of West Virginia fiddlers. The Reunion kicks off Friday night with a square dance and continues Saturday with performances by West Virginia’s master fiddlers, a flatfoot dance contest, instrument vendors, and the Augusta Store.
10/16/20
Davis and Elkins College, Elkins, WV
October 16-17, 2020
On Friday night, October 16, the Fiddlers’ Reunion kicks off with a Halloween Square Dance.
On Saturday, October 17, from 10:00am to 4:00pm, you will be able to enjoy the music of a series of performances by dozens of invited old-time musicians from all over West Virginia. A freestyle clogging and flatfooting contest will be held on the stage around 4:00pm. Cash prizes will be awarded. Exhibits and sales by instrument vendors will be nearby, and food will be available for purchase. Throughout the day, tune and song swaps feature traditional singers from all over the region, and jam sessions happen all day.
More than any other holiday, Christmas celebrations center on the traditions of our families and our heritage. Begin a new tradition with your family this year with a visit to Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm, where the Christmas customs of the past are brought to life. From the softly glowing lantern light of the 19th century farm to complimentary hot chocolate and cookies, Old Time Christmas is sure to become a favorite holiday pastime for many years to come.
29th Annual OLD TIME CHRISTMAS
Saturday & Sunday December 5 and 6, & Saturday & Sunday December 12 and 13, 2020
An annual event featuring songs, tunes and stories about mountain Christmastimes long ago. We'll keep some old favorites and add a good selection of new songs and stories. Part family reunion, too. With Nate Druckenmiller, Norm Williams, Charles Kiernan.
