Gays Mills Folk Festival of Music & Dance

media release: May 12-14, Gays Mills, Wisconsin

The weekend kicks off with a square dance on Friday night at 7:00. There will be lively live music with the Folk Fest String Band and guest callers teaching and calling the dances: squares, circles, contras, reels, as well as waltzes and polkas. Everyone is welcome, no partner is needed and the dance is open to all ages and abilities. It will take place at the new Community Commerce Center on Highway 131.

Saturday afternoon activities, as well as the evening concert, will also be at the new Community Commerce Center. Saturday festivities begin at noon with May Crown making and an open stage. May crowns are made with willow branches woven into a circle and  adorned with fresh flowers then worn as a crown.  You can wear your May crown as you dance around the May Pole beginning at 1:00. What a glorious way to celebrate Spring! The open stage is open to all with 20 minute slots. The afternoon also has workshops conducted by the Saturday evening concert performers.

And who will that be, you ask? There will be a great lineup. The performing acts include the Awful Purdies, the Sapsuckers and Ember.

Awful Purdies is a Folk-Americana collective of five multi-instrumental women, powered by seamless harmonies, banjo, accordion, cello, guitar, mandolin, and bass. The sound is an earnest nod to traditional American music, folk, old country, bluegrass, honky tonk, and soul. 

The live performance experience is intimate, containing both humor and insight. On stage, Awful Purdies actively share gratitude and support of one another and take turns stepping up as lead singers and songwriters.

Since 2006, Awful Purdies have been raising families, telling women’s stories, advocating for human rights, and engaging with their communities in Eastern Iowa.

The Sapsuckers write and perform original country/Americana songs that blend humor, heartache, and honky-tonk.

 With an eclectic style that ranges from hillbilly roots to Nashville pop, the Sapsuckers, consisting of Nikki Grossman and Joe Hart, have developed a lively, contemporary take on country music. Their creative lyrics, catchy melodies, and clever stage show have earned them a growing fanbase in the Midwest and beyond. 

Grossman (guitar, fiddle, vocals) and Hart (guitar, mandolin, vocals) got their start as an old-time fiddle band, performing for square and contra dances. Both had performed in a variety of musical acts—including prog rock, punk rock, and other old-time outfits—and an early connection was their interest in reproducing the close-harmony sounds of early country duos like the Blue Sky Boys and Callahan Brothers. Gifted writers and self-described country music dorks, they soon started writing and performing their own songs.

Grossman and Hart live on a rural homestead in Southwestern Wisconsin. They tour frequently throughout the Midwest and beyond.

Ember  is an eclectic choir bringing to life old world polyphonic folk singing traditions, with primary focus in the oral traditions of the Black Sea and Caucasus regions of Europe.

In addition, there will be a Silent Auction throughout the weekend with interesting items to help support the Folk Festival. As always, the Kickapoo Exchange, will host a Chili Supper and Irish Jam after the workshops and before Saturday night's concert. And, as in years past, there will be a Sunday morning Gospel Sing at 11:00 by the banks of the Kickapoo River at the Lions Shelter, weather permitting. If not permitting, we will meet in the New Community Commerce Center. So many good things to look forward to!

Also be sure to check out the concurrent Gays Mills Spring Festival events, including antique tractors, rodeo and pancake breakfast and more at gaysmillswi.com