Kutztown Folk Festival begins its 74th run on June 29

May 19—The 74th installment of the Kutztown Folk Festival, the oldest continuously operated folklife festival in the country, will be held June 29 through July 7 at the Kutztown Fairgrounds.

Generations of families, artists, musicians, craftsmen, quilters, entertainers, scholars and purveyors of iconic food and food experiences are drawn to a festival, recognized nationally for its authentic Pennsylvania German culture.

The festival was the winner in the 2024 USA Today 10 Best Readers' Choice Travel Award Contest for Best Cultural Festival. For several years, the festival has ranked in the top tier of this category.

The festival will feature Dutch food favorites like funnel cake, apple dumplings, corn pie, potpie and shoefly pie, as well as one reservation-only food experience called Country Kitchen and the popular Ox Roast.

There will also be five stages of entertainment, a Seminar Stage, a Children's Petting Zoo, an Antique Barn, the Lester Miller Family Dancers, authentic folklife demonstrations by traditional craftsmen and a Quilt Barn, which houses approximately 1,200 traditional quilts ahead of the Annual Quilt & Barn Star Auction, being held on July 6 at noon on the Main Stage.

Traditional demonstrations are part of the daily schedule. One such demonstration involves Eric

Claypool, a second-generation folk artist who is native to Berks County. Eric, Patrick Donmoyer,

director of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, and Andrew Shirk paint the Barn Stars

that are auctioned off on the second Saturday.

The event runs 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Ticket options include daily, weekly, mid-week, weekend, veteran and

student. Admission is free for ages 12 and younger. Advance ticket purchases are recommended, and available at kutztownfolkfestival.thundertix.com.

SPAC bookings

Two new shows have been added to the schedule at the Santander Performing Arts Center, Reading: Felipe Esparza, comedian, actor and 2010 winner of NBC's "Last Comic Standing," on Sept. 20, and Disney Jr. Live On Tour: "Let's Play" on Oct. 19. Tickets are available at santander-arena.com.

Esparza is known for his stand-up specials "They're Not Going To Laugh at You" and "Translate This," his recurring appearances on "Superstore" and "The Eric Andre Show," and his podcast "What's Up Fool?"

In the latest Disney Jr. Live production, Mickey is getting ready for the biggest playdate ever at the Clubhouse with all his favorite pals, including Minnie and Goofy, the Puppy Dog Pals, Ginny and Bitsy from "SuperKitties" and Ariel from "Disney Jr.'s Ariel," but mysterious weather keeps interrupting the fun. Can Team Spidey from "Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends" find out who is behind this and help save the playdate?

Art tour

All roads lead to local artists during the Hawk Mountain Arts Tour being held June 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The tour includes more than 35 artists and businesses stationed throughout the Kempton valley plus a satellite location hosted by the Hamburg Area Arts Alliance at Etchberger Memorial Park.

Stops include local businesses and studios hosting artists who will display a variety of crafts, such as pottery, woodcarvings, fine art illustrations, mixed media and jewelry. The free driving tour takes place within a 25-mile radius of scenic Albany Township, and a downloadable map of the stops can be found at hawkmountain.org/artstour. Printed maps will also be available to pick up at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary's Visitor Center, which is the first stop on the tour featuring five local artisans.

"This event is the perfect way to kick off the summer, exploring the local community and discovering a wide array of local talent and small businesses," said Hawk Mountain Communications Specialist Gigi Romano, who helps organize the annual event. "Many artists will have pieces available for purchase, and some will even be demonstrating their craft."

The stops are numbered, but the tour is self-guided. It is recommended that participants choose the artists that interest them the most and visit those first.

In addition to the displays, visitors will be able to purchase pieces and products at most stops. Multiple host locations will be open for business to provide refreshments and locally sourced treats.

Among the participating artists will be Jon Bond, who will be celebrating his 50th year as a professional artist in conjunction with the tour. Bond plans to exhibit 100 works created with egg tempera, oil, watercolor and ink. Many unique gift items based on Bond's art will be available for purchase. Bond's studio is located at 59 Kempton Road, Kempton.

For information about participating artists, driving directions or other event details, visit hawkmountain.org/artstour.

Music

Celt-tronic and world beat artist Melissa Cox, a citizen and resident of New Zealand and native of Delaware, will be a featured performer at the 2024 Berks Celtic Festival, being held June 29 at the Reading Liederkranz.

Cox creates hypnotic, ethereal Celt-tronic soundscapes using state-of-the-art looping technology and an arsenal of instruments to blend together Celtic, folk, electronic, trip hop and world. An award-winning singer-songwriter, she pushes the boundaries of Celtic music with feminine ferocity and honest, courageous lyricism.

A longtime touring artist of the eastern United States, Cox started her career as a folk singer, but has traded in her acoustic guitar-slinging folk girl image for a darker, more electrified persona, performing all of her upcoming shows in Middle Earth-inspired costume (complete with elf ears).

Critics and fans have compared her music and voice to Loreena McKennitt, the Cranberries, Clannad and Sinead O'Connor. When asked what her music sounds like, she will often reply, "Like Enya and Björk's musical love child."

Her new album, "Matriotism," released Friday, is an intricate sonic tapestry that personifies the Earth Mother and her rage, defiance, ecstasy and hope. Through music, Cox beckons the listener to listen, feel and remember our shared responsibility as stewards of the Earth.

"I think there's a lot that we can agree on, even if we differ on the politics of climate change," Cox said. "For instance, I think we can all agree that it's bad that 'forever chemicals' have contaminated our water supplies. We can agree that children breathing in toxic fumes from factories is bad. We can find common ground to heal our only home."

The album includes reimagined classics like Tom Petty's "American Girl" and Loreena McKennitt's "The Mummer's Dance" alongside Cox's originals.

Cox was voted Best Celtic Fusion singer by Celtic MP3 Music Magazine, and Best Folk Artist by the Delaware Division of the Arts. The former frontwoman of the Celtic Fusion band Mythica, she has opened for the Spin Doctors, Sister Hazel, Three Dog Night and Cyril Neville, Celtic Crossroads, Enter the Haggis and the Young Dubliners. For more information, visit www.melcoxmusic.com.

----Kutztown University's Jazz Ensemble I has been honored by the DownBeat Magazine Student Music Awards with the Outstanding Performance Award in the category of Undergraduate Jazz Ensemble College Performance.

The DownBeat Student Music Awards recognize the top jazz ensembles at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Nine judges evaluate the participating groups based on several performance criteria including overall sound, proper interpretation, improvisation, creativity, intonation, phrasing and dynamics. The honorees are selected from a competitive pool in which winners must demonstrate a distinct voice in addition to technical proficiency.

The DownBeat Student Music Awards are considered the most prestigious awards in jazz education. Since its founding in 1976, hundreds of musicians, music educators and music industry professionals received their first international recognition as DownBeat Student Music Award winners.

This is the 10th win for the KU Commercial Music program but the first for the Jazz Ensemble. Other winners in this category were Vanderbilt University and University of the Arts in Philadelphia.