Special Thanks to Our Newest Promotional Partner–The Ferdinand News!!
We at Ferdinand Folk Festival central would like to humbly thank our newest media promotional partner, The Ferdinand News. Owners and staff at the News have been amazingly great to work with in providing local promotional coverage for the fest. In addition, they are donating the printing and staff creative time to create a Ferdinand Folk Festival insert for their paper. They plan on printing a couple thousand copies to have as handouts the day of the festival. All on their dime! Thank you Ferdinand News!!! For additional information on the Ferdinand News, visit www.ferdinandnews.com.
Hear us on the radio!!
Our PR machine is cranking up and ready for a media blitz! Locally, we will be featured heavily on our promotional partner station WBDC (100.9). We will also have some spots on WITZ (104.7), WBTO (102.3), and WWBL (106.5) and public service announcements on WZDM (Vincennes), WAOV (Vincennes), WUZR (Bicknell), WREB (Greencastle), WQTY (Linton), WYFX (Mt. Vernon), and WTYE (Robinson).
In addition, we will be featured heavily on NPR stations the week of the event in Evansville, Louisville, and Indianapolis.
We also will have a commercial in heavy rotation on WTTS (92.3) the week of the event. You can actually preview that commercial right here: WTTS Folk Fest Commercial.
Thanks for stopping by! Things are really starting to crank up around here and we’re doing our best to make sure that everyone–visitors, vendors, musicians–have an enjoyable experience at the first Ferdinand Folk Festival! Be sure and take a look around our site, we have a ton of information on the musicians, the vendors, the demonstrations, the food, and much, much more! Also, take a look at our online store. There are a couple of t-shirt options that will leave you looking terribly stylish and amazingly cool. PLUS, you’ll be a walking billboard promoting the festival!!
Ferdinand Folk Hour – 100.9 WBDC, Mondays at 6 p.m. (eastern)
Thanks to our promotional partner, 100.9 WBDC, we have began hosting a one-hour promotional radio show on Monday evenings at 6 p.m. (eastern). The first show was on Monday, August 16. The upcoming Ferdinand Folk Hour shows are scheduled for:
- Monday, August 23, 6 p.m.
- Monday, August 30, 6 p.m.
- Monday, September 13, 6 p.m.
Gary’s Place, 104.7 WITZ, Friday, August 27, 7 a.m. (eastern)
Special thanks to Gary Lee, host of Gary’s Place on 104.7 WITZ, for giving us some airtime on his program on Friday, August 27, at 7 a.m. (eastern). Ferdinand Town Council president, Ken Sicard, will be discussing several Ferdinand topics, including the Folk Festival. Folk Fest performer and Jasper, Indiana, native, Eddie Rasche, will perform a couple of songs live to help promote the Ferdinand Folk Festival! Tune in!!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, August 2, 2010
CONTACT: Marc Steczyk, 812-367-2282, msteczyk@ferdinandindiana.org
Inaugural Ferdinand Folk Festival to Debut in September
A family-friendly folk music festival featuring nationally-acclaimed musicians will make its debut in nearby Ferdinand, Indiana, on September 18th, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. (all times EST) in the Town’s beautiful 18th Street Park (322 East 18th Street, Ferdinand, Indiana 47532). The event is free and will also feature arts, crafts, and a wide variety of food choices.
The Ferdinand Folk Festival, www.ferdinandfolkfestival.com, is an earth-friendly, family-friendly music festival promoting the arts and the environment. The inaugural line-up of musicians features four nationally-acclaimed and award-winning artists: Will Kimbrough, Sarah Siskind, John Flynn, and the Rachael Davis Band.
- Will Kimbrough, Nashville, TN, is the 2004 Americana Music Association’s (AMA) Instrumentalist of the Year, a GRAMMY-nominated producer, serves as Rodney Crowell and Todd Snider’s touring guitarist, and has had his songs recorded by Jimmy Buffett, Jack Ingram, Little Feat, and Snider. He has been nominated as the AMA’s Instrumentalist of the Year again in 2010. Kimbrough also will lead a songwriter’s workshop at the festival. His songs and guitar work were recently featured and broadcast live on CMT’s Jimmy Buffett & Friends Live From The Gulf Coast. Additional information can be found at www.willkimbrough.com.
- Sarah Siskind, Nashville, TN, was the recipient of the Nashville Music Award’s 2009 Americana Album of the Year (Say It Louder) and has had songs recorded by Allison Krauss and Randy Travis. One of the Krauss-covered songs (“Simple Love”) was nominated for a GRAMMY in 2008. Additional information on Siskind can be found at www.sarahsiskind.com.
- John Flynn, Wilmington, DE, is a Notable Recording Award winner (American Library Association) and a Shining Star Award winner for artistry and service. Flynn has shared the stage with Willie Nelson, Arlo Guthrie, and Kris Kristofferson, to name a few. His song “Semper Fi” is about post traumatic stress disorder and an Indiana soldier. Flynn also will lead a children’s concert at the festival. Additional information can be found at www.johnflynn.net.
- Rachael Davis, Lansing, MI, is the 2001 recipient of the Boston Music Award “Best New Singer-Songwriter” and, in 2003, Davis earned the grand prize at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival’s Troubadour Contest. She has shared the stage with Taj Mahal, Robert Earl Keen, Ralph Stanley, and Fred Eaglesmith, among others. Additional information can be found at www.rachaeldavis.com.
- The festival will also include a variety of regional talents including the Troubadours of Divine Bliss, Beau Troesch, and Eddie Rasche.
There will be a handicapped-accessible drop-off point, additionally, there will be ample parking for bicycles. Guests are also encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets to listen to the performances. Coolers will be allowed, however, glass bottles will be strictly prohibited.
“In addition to the award-winning music, our festival will feature more than 60 food, art and craft, and environmental awareness vendors,” said Ken Sicard, Ferdinand’s Town Council president. “Our local and regional artists will display and sell their work, area gardeners and farmers will sell fresh produce, and groups dedicated to creating vibrant communities and a sustainable environment will provide education on a variety of topics.”
For a complete list of vendors and products, please visit www.ferdinandfolkfestival.com/vendors/.
“Our family-friendly activities include a children’s concert by John Flynn,” said Pat Miller, Ferdinand Chamber of Commerce president. “There will also be storytelling sessions, face painting, a guided nature walk, and falconry, pottery, lutherie, and chainsaw carving demonstrations.”
“Animal lovers and their four-legged family members will appreciate the Mutt Strutt held by the Dubois County Humane Society,” said Sicard. “It will take place on the 18th Street Park’s scenic asphalt walking trails (created with an environmentally-friendly mix of used tires and asphalt). The trails will take them through densely wooded areas to wide open green spaces–they provide a great opportunity for young explorers.”
The cost to participate in the Mutt Strutt is $15 if you pre-register, $20 the day of the event. This cost includes a t-shirt and a toy for your dog. All other proceeds will benefit the Dubois County Humane Society. For additional information or to pre-register, visit www.duboiscountyhumane.org.
Additionally, the park has top-of-the-line playground equipment, which features rubber fall protection mats.
A unique part of the Ferdinand Folk Festival will allow music lovers an opportunity to take their love of music an extra step. Don Pennington and John Sheckler are “The Folk Jammers,” and will be at the festival offering a daylong teaching jam like the one they led at the 5th annual Ohio River Valley Folk Festival held recently in Madison, Indiana. Well-known Ferdinand music teacher Ray Major will join the Folk Jammers for this festival. Music fans are welcome to listen to the Folk Jammers or actually bring their own instrument and participate, regardless of skill level.
The Ferdinand Folk Festival’s primary mission is to promote, through music, the health and wellness of community, culture, and environment. This folk music festival—folk music defined as “music originating among the common people of a nation or a region”—has its roots in the Town of Ferdinand’s desire to hold more cultural events and activities within its borders, along with several well-received, local house concert series, and a desire to share outstanding singer-songwriter-musicians with a broader audience. By bringing people together in a festive spirit, the event organizers wish to celebrate the natural beauty found here, share our neighborly values, and offer a unique venue to experience quality music, good food, and original art.
The Ferdinand Folk Festival is sponsored by the Town of Ferdinand (www.ferdinandindiana.org), the Ferdinand Chamber of Commerce, and the Dubois County Visitors Center (www.visitduboiscounty.com).
Ferdinand, Indiana, is situated in the rolling hills of southwestern Indiana just north of I-64. Local area attractions, a high quality of life, and an ideal location make Ferdinand a great place to start a business or raise a family.
A complete schedule of events can be found at www.ferdinandfolkfestival.com/schedule. For all Ferdinand Folk Festival information, please visit www.ferdinandfolkfestival.com.
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Well, hello, faithful website visitor! Wondering what we’ve been up to since our last update? Hmmmmm…let’s just say it hasn’t been slow around these parts.
We’ve added a page for Eddie Rasche. Eddie is a brilliant local singer/songwriter that will be performing all day in the “Market Square”, which is what we are, affectionately, referring to our vendor area. Eddie will take the second stage in between the main stage performers. We hope you take the time to listen to him as he is an amazingly gifted, talented musician. I could keep throwing positive adjectives your way to describe him, but, what the heck, check out his bio and listen to a couple song clips by clicking here.
Of course Eddie is one of the handful of great musicians that we’ll be bringing you over the course of Saturday, September 18, here in lovely, beautiful Ferdinand, Indiana!!
For all of you out there like me that are interested in the inner workings of this amazing thing we like to call the Ferdinand Folk Festival, here’s a bit of info for you. On Monday, August 2, we will begin an earned media campaign from Indianapolis all the way down south. Cross your fingers for us and hope that it’s successful! We’ll post the media release right here when the timing is appropriate!
Our schedule of events is pretty close to being solid. Don’t forget to check out what we have going on by clicking here!
Also, we are so close to having our white t-shirts up on the web (they have our beautiful guitar logo on them) and ready for sale. Keep checking back and visiting our store!
We’re working as hard as we can to bring yet another first class event to Ferdinand, Dubois County, Indiana, and the great Midwest. Please, please, please: help us spread the word, will ya??
You could be the first one on your block to purchase our new environmentally-friendly, terribly cool, and amazingly stylish official Ferdinand Folk Festival t-shirt. Here’s the good news: they’re only $15, including shipping. Here’s the better news: by wearing it around your town, city, county, state, you’ll be a walking billboard for our little ol’ festival.
Our new online store can be found by clicking HERE. Oh, and we proudly accept paypal.
Help us spread the word, will ya?
Come on up, down, across, or over and see us sometime! Anytime, really! Saturday, September 18, 2010, would be a great time! Ferdinand is in beautiful Dubois County in southwestern Indiana and, as you can see, we’re a short drive from just about anywhere in the region thanks to our wonderful Interstate system. While you’re at it, go ahead and book your hotel for the evening of Saturday, September 18. Our lodging locations can be found by clicking here.
Hey, as always, thanks for stopping by! We’ve made a couple minor and a couple major tweaks to the website in recent days and just made them live. First of all, we’ve listed all of our food, art and craft, and environmental and education vendors. Click the links to visit those pages or go to the “Vendor Info” link in the header of any page on the Ferdinand Folk Festival site. A drop down will then appear, revealing your options. We will continue to add to these pages as new vendors come in–I’ll also tweak the pages in the coming weeks, adding links to web pages, etc. So check back and check back often!
Additionally, we’ve added another sample of Beau Troesch’s to his little home on our fine, fine site here. Click here to check it out. The track is called “Southbound” and is another fine example of this young man’s abilities. I have another track that I’d like to upload, but I can’t compress the file any further than what I have. Anyone that has expertise in compressing windows media files, feel free to contact me at msteczyk@ferdinandindiana.org. This track is a cover of John Butler’s song “Ocean” and is really something special. We’d like to let you all listen to it! If you can help me, shoot me a message!
Please don’t forget to check out our recently announced tentative schedule for the Ferdinand Folk Festival by clicking here. It’s shaping up to be a pretty busy and exciting day!
Oh, and for all of you local folks, you’ll soon start seeing our promotional posters around the county! Let us know what you think!!!!
Thanks for stopping by! It’s been a while since our last update…All apologies to you the loyal website visitor! June is a very busy time here in Ferdinand.
We’re still waiting on the t-shirts, I apologize for the delay for anyone that might be interested. I promise we’ll get them out as soon as possible!
Since our last update, we have TENTATIVELY set the schedule for the Ferdinand Folk Festival’s activities on Saturday, September 18! Check it out HERE. We are currently finalizing the details on the jam tent…here’s what I can tell you as of right now: we’re bringing in talent from Scottsburg and combining them with Ray Major’s original “Forming Your Own Folk Group” event to create a jam tent for the entire day of the festival. We’re terribly excited about it, as the talent we’re bringing in worked their magic for our friends at Madison’s Ohio River Valley Folk Festival just a month ago. And, of course, we’re excited to have Ray involved with them, as he is a phenomenal local musician.
We’ve extended our vendor application date for a little while longer, as we had some vendors come in just after the deadline and we still want them to be part of the festival. So, if you are still interested or know of someone who might be, it’s not too late. Click HERE for our vendor form. Very soon, we’ll put together a list of vendors (food, art, craft, environmental, and educational) for the web site. It’s a quite impressive list and we’re very excited about making it public!
Greetings, loyal website visitor. Greetings. I hope this week has treated you well!!! Things are going pretty well for all of us in the Ferdinand Folk Festival command center. We’ve hit a couple of bumps here and there, but, all in all, we’re no worse for the wear.
We’re very excited to officially announce that we have added Ferdinand’s own Beau Troesch to the music lineup for the Fest. Beau is a tremendously gifted songwriter with a wonderful voice and we’re proud to say that he’ll be kicking off the Festival’s music at 12 p.m. eastern standard time. For all of you fine, fine folks coming from out of town, we know Beau’s peformance will be enjoyable for you! We don’t have bio information for him, yet, but we were able to get a couple of his original songs on our site. Click here to visit Beau’s home on our site and check him out!
T-shirts, t-shirts, t-shirts. We’ve been hearing from quite a few of you out there that you might like to purchase a Ferdinand Folk Festival t-shirt. Some have said they would like the official logo on the shirt, others have said they would like the design that we posted on Earth Day. Well, guess what? We’re going to give you options…not one, not two, but three Ferdinand Folk Festival t-shirts to chose from. We should be able to get our online “store” open, hopefully, within two to three weeks. There will be the aforementioned versions of the shirts and one brand new one that we haven’t debuted (and it’s pretty cool, I might add!!). This is a bit of a contest, in a way…Whichever one sells the most will be the one that we mass produce to sell the day of the festival. SO, when we open up the online store, if you feel passionately about one or the other, don’t just buy one, buy five! Only kidding, of course. We are going to sell these as cheaply as we can, because we know your purchase only helps us promote the Festival. I hope to be updating you with more information very, very soon on this.
If you are a vendor (or you know someone that would make a good fit with what we’re doing) and you want to get involved with the Ferdinand Folk Festival, it’s not too late!!! Click here to view our vendor application form.
Last but certainly not least, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the Town of Ferdinand’s Recreation Manager, Ali Wylam, and Andrea Schroering, the Town’s current student intern from Forest Park Jr./Sr. High School, for their collaborative effort in creating a promotional video for our Festival. Great work, ladies, and thank you! Loyal website visitor: share this video on your facebook and myspace pages or your personal websites, forward the link to your entire address book, please!! Help us spread the word, will ya?
If you don’t live in southern Indiana, then you might not be aware of this…this weekend was a wet one! More than four inches in our rain gauges. In honor of the pending sunshine this week, let’s get away to warmer, brighter days with Ferdinand Folk Festival musician John Flynn: