Nice weather brought people out in droves Saturday to take part in the 36th annual Shawano Folk Music Festival at Mielke Park.
Becky Van Buren, one of the co-directors, noted that the parking lot was already packed with people when the festival opened at 10 a.m., and it was completely full 45 minutes later. That was after an almost sold-out opening performance the night before, Van Buren said.
More young people are enjoying the music along with their elders, Van Buren said. She attributes the interest by younger fans to bluegrass, Celtic and other folk musicians being more down to earth than the popular musicians of today.
“Folk music has become so real, and young people are realizing this is not about a super power, this is everyday life,” Van Buren said. “This is people talking about how they were born, how they were raised, how their parents were raised and life on the road.”
Folk music performers are akin to the traveling troubadours of old who traveled from town to town, sharing stories from their journey, Van Buren said.
“We’re seeing a lot of families, and it’s not just parents bringing the kids through. It’s the grandparents, too,” Van Buren said. “This kind of music makes you happy, and it’s easy to listen to and sing with.”
Ken Lonnquist provided plenty of entertainment for the children Saturday afternoon as he played songs and told stories. One of those songs was a Burrell Ives song called “Old Witch,” which Lonnquist noted was from a time before “everyone was afraid of witches.”
“I used to dress up as a witch for Halloween,” Lonnquist joked with the audience. “I even did it last year.”
Matt Brunette, a teacher from Shawano, was among those bringing their families to enjoy the music. A first-time attendee, Brunette said his family didn’t listen to folk music much, but everyone seemed to enjoy what they heard.
“It’s good to get the kids to listen some different types of music. It’s something new,” Brunette said. “It’s good music, and it’s good to listen to.”
The festival gave Boy Scouts from Troop 32 a chance to meet new people and raise money for troop activities such as summer camp by selling yummy donuts.
“People don’t know what they are at first, but when they taste them, they love them,” said Steve Stomberg, one of the troop leaders.
The troop also cooked up hamburgers and hot dogs to keep the bellies of festivalgoers full.
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