The 2021 Schedule
Saturday, August 14
11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Franklin Park in Downtown Shawano
It's a shorter schedule than usual, but we promise it'll be every bit as good as usual. Just shorter.
Music begins at 11:00 am
No ticket required. Just walk right in.
Some Special Pre-Festival Programs for 2021
Saturday, June 12
1:00pm
Franklin Park in Downtown Shawano
The Shawano County Arts Council (SCAC), The Box in the Wood Theatre Guild and the Shawano Folk Music Festival join forces this summer to present music, drama and comedy at Shawano’s Franklin Park. The first program in the summer series is Saturday, June 12tt and includes live music and short theatrical productions. The program begins at 1:00 pm.
Pat Wiley and Frogwater provide music during the day. Pat Wiley is a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and dance caller with bluegrass and old-time roots. He plays guitar, fiddle, banjo and a little button accordion. In 1979, Pat was a performer at the first Shawano Folk Music Festival. Since then, he’s returned to the festival as a musician and an MC, doing both with humor and grace. Frogwater is a duo from Milwaukee. John & Susan Nicholson’s repertoire goes from Celtic to Delta Blues, Classical to Pop with a healthy dose of unique original material. Fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo and voice combine to create unforgettable music. Frogwater has been honored with awards from the Shepherd Express Reader’s Poll and Wisconsin Area Music Industry awards (W.A.M.I.).
The theatrical parts of the program include Little Miss Fresno, by Ara Watson and Mary Gallagher. It’s a one-act light comedy about two women whose daughters are competing in a beauty contest. In Andrew Bliss’ one-act play The Skewed Picture, Bob and Betty are enjoying a peaceful evening at home when they discover a new dimension (universe?). In The Backward Bank Robber by John Dressler and Lawerence Phillis, it seems someone forgot to rewind the scene after the last rehearsal. Three excerpts from Don Everts’ play Characters will also be presented. The excerpts are “The Geezers” about two brothers reminiscing; “Nathaniel Hicken and Molly Brown” is about a man who connects with objects and a neighbor; and “Jim Johnson,” about a happy man.
On July 10, SCAC, Box in the Wood and the Shawano Folk Music Festival will present another joint program, featuring a different array of music and theater at Franklin Park. Music will be provided by Dorothy Zerbe and Becky Van Buren. More details about this date will come soon.
The one-day Shawano Folk Music Festival at Franklin Park on Saturday, August 14th, will feature Tom Pease and Stuart Stotts, Matt Watroba, The Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers and the Georgia Rae Family Band.
These events are free to the public, and appropriate for all ages.