If you love bluegrass music, clear your afternoon calendar for Saturday, June 21, 2014. The City of Fulton and the Early American Crafters will host Fulton’s 2nd Annual Bluegrass/Folk Music Festival, on the grounds of Heritage Canyon, 515 N. 4th Street, Fulton, IL. Six bands will entertain from noon to 6:00 p.m. Admission is $5 per person at the front gate and $10 per family–with a limit of two adults per family. However, those age 14 and under are free to attend.
Heritage Canyon is the picturesque venue for sitting outside the church. Nine of the ten other buildings in Heritage Canyon will not be open during the concert, but one can look inside them.
Food and beverages are available for purchase. The Early American Crafters, volunteers who bring the canyon to life, will sell vanilla and chocolate cones (one scoop for $1; $2 for a double), and popcorn and bottled water are $1 each at the Town Hall atop the hill.
The entertainers are listed below.
- noon–The Wise Apple Riders (Illinois Quad Cities)
- 1:00–Big Foot’s Brother (Dixon, IL)
- 2:00–Dirt Simple (Wisconsin)
- 3:00–The Matriarchs (Galena, IL)
- 4:00–The Way Down Wanderers (Peoria, IL)
- 5:00–Frank Sidney’s Western Bandit Volunteers (Peoria, IL.)
The festival’s organizer, Bob Whitten, had this to say about the festival, “Make sure and bring your lawn chairs and blankets, pick out a shady spot, and enjoy the music. D’s Smokin’ BBQ will be cooking up rib eye and pulled pork sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, and chips down in the canyon, so bring your appetite.”
This is a family event, so bring the kids. They will enjoy the new “music petting zoo”–by trying various instruments. “Shocko the Clown” will visit from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. making free balloon animals. Free face painting will be available, too.
Craft vendors also will have items for sale.
Parking attendants will be on hand, and a shuttle bus will be provided for overflow traffic in the parking lot of First Christian Reformed Church on 14th Avenue, between 7th and 8th Streets in Fulton. Look for big, pink signs along 14th Avenue.
Transportation for the elderly and handicapped will be provided inside Heritage Canyon, so don’t let the terrain stop you from enjoying this event.
For more information or to reserve a crafter spot, please contact Bob Whitten at 309-887-9210 or email whitten_bob@yahoo.com.
