Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Shawano Folk Music Festival?
A weekend celebration of music, dance and crafts, held at Mielke Park in Shawano. There are two concerts inside Mielke Theater (Friday night and Saturday night), each featuring 4-5 different performers. On Saturday and Sunday during the day, outdoor stages are filled with music and dance. There are food vendors, crafters, an open stage – and our annual Quilt Raffle. It’s music, dance, friends and family. The festival is put on each year by a group of dedicated volunteers, under the sponsorship of the Shawano County Arts Council.
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When is it?en is it held?
The Shawano Folk Music Festival is the second full weekend in August.
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How long has it been going on?
The festival began in 1979.
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What kind of music is featured? (I thought “folk music” ended in the ‘70’s.)
“Folk Music” is as hard to define as other kinds of music. It includes much of the music we all know - but we can’t quite say where we learned it. It tends to be acoustic – but not always. It can include audience participation – but not always. It can be very old music (decades and centuries old) – but not always (it could be music that was written last week). It’s old favorites, sing-alongs, blues, bluegrass, jazz, children’s music, ballads, dance tunes and silly songs. It can be the music we call “classical.” It’s music that comes out of the culture of Appalachia, the American west, American cities, the Louisiana bayou and Tin Pan Alley. It’s music that comes out of the cultures of the British Isles, Europe, South America, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Australia. It’s music for every age group, from very young children to grandparents. Folk music doesn’t get played much on the radio, but it’s as alive as rock and roll (which can be folk music!) Hope that clears things up …..
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What about crafts?
Although we’re not a craft fair, crafters are an important part of the Shawano Folk Music Festival. Fine artists and crafters join us in Mielke Park. Many of them demonstrate and teach. They include potters, weavers, jewelers, candlemakers, woodcarvers, blacksmiths, sculptors, painters, toymakers, instrument makers, writers and others
What if it rains?
The Festival goes on rain or shine! Evening concerts are held indoors. Most of our outdoor stages are under tents. If that’s not enough protection from the rain, we move the music inside. Somehow, we make it work. After all, music doesn’t melt when wet.
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I’m coming from out of town. Where can I stay?
Unfortunately, we can’t offer camping at the Festival grounds but the Shawano area has many fine motels, campgrounds and B&B’s. You can get information about them from the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce at www.shawanocountry.com
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What about food?
Local food vendors offer a wide variety of freshly made and reasonably priced food, including soups, sandwiches, burgers and brats, sweet treats and a variety of vegetarian and gluten-free items. Shawano also has many good restaurants close to the Festival grounds. If you'd rather bring a picnic basket, that's OK, too.
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Can I bring my dog?
The Festival is held in Mielke Park, a Shawano County Park, so County dog rules apply (all dogs must be leashed, and under control at all times, and you must clean up after your dog.) Well-behaved dogs that do well in crowds are welcome. However, if a dog causes problems of any kind, we will ask the dog’s owner to make other arrangements.
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Should I bring my own chair?
We have chairs at all our stages, and picnic tables scattered throughout the Park. You don’t have to bring your own, unless you really want to.
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Are the Festival grounds accessible to wheelchairs?
Some of the footpaths are a little rough, but wheelchairs can make their way through the park without problem. Mielke Arts Center, where the evening concerts are held, is fully wheelchair accessible. If you need special parking arrangements because of a physical condition, tell the people at the gates, and they’ll direct you to the handicapped parking area inside the grounds.
What about parking?
There is a small parking lot on Airport Road. When that’s full, find parking on the roads around the Park (but watch for “no parking” signs on Airport Rd.). There is a second small parking lot on the north side of Mielke Park. Parking for performers, vendors, staff and people with special needs is available inside the grounds. But parking is at a premium, so please be careful to only use one parking space.
Who are the festival volunteers?
They’re people from Shawano and other communities. They’re 8-80 years old, teachers, business people, artists, musicians, social workers, salesmen, nurses, retired people, students, technicians, parents, grandparents, and sportsmen. Some have been festival volunteers since 1979 – others since last year. The Planning Committee works on the Festival all year, other volunteers work for a few hours Festival weekend.
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And what do the volunteers do?
Volunteers choose performers for the festival, plan the weekend, sell ads and tickets, find crafters and food vendors, make quilts, set up stages and take them down, sell CD’s, house performers, cook, clean, plan and supervise children’s projects, and do everything else that needs doing. There’s a place in the festival for you, no matter what your skills, time constraints, experience or interest.
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