|
Register now for
classes. Get your tickets for the evening concert!
We are pleased to announce that the 5th
Annual Fortune Lake Festival is ready to deliver a great line-up of music
for 2008. The Fortune Lake Festival is a springtime folk music event in
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and will be held on Saturday, May 10, 2008. We
are presenting great folk and traditional music artists including Glen and
Judi Morningstar, Duo Borealis, the bluegrass music of Detour, Corinne
Rockow, and Kay Seppala. We plan a full day and evening of fun that includes
Morning Music Classes, Afternoon Dance and Jam Sessions, and the Evening
Concert.
WHERE
– The Fortune Lake Festival will be held on the campus of Fortune Lake
Lutheran Camp located between Iron River and Crystal Falls, Michigan, 3
miles west of Crystal Falls on US-2. Turn south on Bible Camp Road and drive
for less than a quarter mile. Turn right on Fortune Lake Camp Road and drive
just a short distance. Home of the long-running Second Sunday Folk Dance
series, the Fortune Lake campus is ideal for the Festival.
WHEN
– Saturday, May 10, 2008. Morning Music Classes are from 9:00 to 11:45AM-CT.
Dance and Jam Sessions are from 1:30 to 4:30 PM-CT. The Evening Concert is
from 6:30 to 9:30 PM-CT.
WHO - Detour – Featured musicians this year will
include Detour a brand new bluegrass band hailing from Northern Michigan.
Detour combines original contemporary bluegrass sounds along with great
traditional favorites. With tight focused harmonies, precision
instrumentals, and creative melodies, Detour takes you down a unique
bluegrass road. This group features the stellar banjo playing of 2001
National Banjo Champion Mike Sumner, the high lonesome vocals and low
lonesome string bass of Zak Bunce, the soulful guitar of Scott Zylstra, the
smokin’ fiddle of Peter Knupfer, and the hard driving mandolin and superb
songwriting of Jeff Rose. Detour has quickly become a standout new bluegrass
band and performs high energy, high quality, original music that appeals to
a broad audience and is fun for the whole family. Visit
the website
of Detour, pictured below. |
|
|
| Glen and Judi Morningstar – Other headliners will be
Glen and Judi Morningstar who perform throughout Michigan and surrounding
parts and founded the Olde Michigan Ruffwater Stringband. Glen is a renowned
fiddler as well as a very popular dance caller of contras, waltz contras,
squares, English Country Dance, and crazy formation dances. Glen's wife Judi
performs and teaches hammer dulcimer and plays piano and dulcimer for contra
dances and several music groups. She has published quite a few books of
traditional and original music which are used by dulcimer clubs, dance music
groups, and folk music organizations. Here are the
websites of Glen and
Judi,
pictured below. |
 
|
| Duo Borealis - Soprano Mary Bonhag and Double Bassist
Evan Premo began collaborating as undergraduates at the University of
Michigan. Their name, Duo Borealis, was inspired by the northern regions of
the United States where they were raised: Mary from New Hampshire and Evan
from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Duo Borealis weaves classical,
traditional, folk, and original music. In April 2007 they released their
first CD, which features many of Evan’s compositions. Here are the websites
of Evan and
Mary, pictured
below. |
|
Corinne Rockow - Corinne Rockow’s first children's
recording, “I Sing Every Day of My Life!” received the Notable Recording
Award from the American Library Association that said the recording “might
encourage a new generation to take their music to work with them and
actually sing rather than just listen.” Rockow’s newest recording, “Mama
Jam!”, is due out in June. Corinne is mother of two youngsters, teaches in
Northern Michigan University’s Education Dept. and UW-Madison's School of
the Arts in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and is a Michigan WolfTrap
Artist-in-Residence. She traveled Michigan as part of the Humanities
Council's Summer Culture Tour, with a lively program about the Finnish
sauna. Corinne is pictured below with family.
|
  |
Kay Seppala – Kay is our teacher of the Finnish Kantele and has been
member of the Minneapolis based Koivun Kaiku and leads the Kivajat
Children’s Finnish-American Folk Dance Group. Kay is
pictured above playing Kantele.
|
| The Front Parlor Dance Band - In fall of 2006, Bette
Premo organized the Front Parlor Dance Band as the house dance band for the
Second Sunday Folk Dances. As the ensemble increased their repertoire and
skills, they began to play outside of the Second Sunday context. They play a
balanced mix of American dances, International dances (eastern European),
ballroom dances (waltzes, two-step, and polka), contra-dances, circle
dances, line dances, mixers, sprinkled with schottisches, hambos, mazurkas,
and more. Bette is the dance teacher and principal dance caller for the
Front Parlor Dance Band. She also lends her instrumental strength to the
group as a fiddler, mandoliner, and dulcimer player. Dean
Premo plays rhythm guitar. The other band members include Bob Arthur
(fiddle), Nancy Lewis (fiddle), Mike Lewis (bass), John Sundquist (tin and
wood whistles), Pat Oakes (accordion), and Bonnie Krueger (piano/keyboard).
The Front Parlor Dance Band will be the house band for the afternoon contra
dance led by Glen Morningstar. |
|
 |
|
WHAT – The Fortune Lake Festival hosts music classes, singing and
dance sessions. The Music Classes are held in the morning of the festival
day. Participants register for one or two classes. The Slow Jam and Dance
Sessions will be in the afternoon. The Slow Jam session is open to all and
is an opportunity to learn a few tunes in an easy, comfortable atmosphere.
The afternoon dance will include contra and mixer dances. The Music Classes
are learning and doing workshops where master teachers will lead small
groups of participants in specific topics. Participants should bring their
instruments. We plan eight Music Classes in four concurrent sessions during
the mid-morning (MM = 9-10:15 AM) and late-morning (LM = 10:30-11:45 AM).
 |
Bluegrass Fiddle – Peter Knupfer – (MM).
Develop your fiddle playing skills in the bluegrass style.
|
|
5-String Kantele – Kay Seppala –
(MM). Learn how to play this traditional Finnish instrument, the
instrument is provided for this class.
|
|
Hammer Dulcimer – Judi Morningstar
(MM). This class is intended to teach techniques and tunes on the hammer
dulcimer.
|
|
Family Workshop – Corinne Rockow –
(MM). This workshop is geared toward families (even with small children),
or groups of children that would like to learn rhythms and sounds on
unique homemade instruments. ($10 per family, $5 per person).
|
|
Bluegrass Mandolin – Jeff Rose –
(LM). Jeff brings a wealth of teaching experience to each mandolin
workshop.
|
|
Bluegrass Banjo – Mike Sumner –
(LM). Learn from the two-time National Banjo Champion.
|
|
Bluegrass Guitar – Scott Zylstra –
(LM). Guitar players can learn from Scott’s soulful style.
|
|
Shapenote Singing (Sacred Harp
Singing) – Glen Morningstar (LM). This is a family workshop ($10 per
family/$5 per person) that invites any singers to try this traditional
form of singing. To get more information on this type of singing
click here (PDF format). |
Jam and Dance Sessions are intended for those that want
to play their instruments and/or dance. Two concurrent sessions will take
place in the afternoon from 1:30-4:30 – one for dancing and one for a slow
jam.
|
1:30-4:30 Contra Dance - Glen Morningstar will lead us
through contras, reels, line dances, and mixers.
|
|
1:30-4:30 Slow Jam – Start slowly and work up a couple
of tunes with members of Detour.
|
The Evening Concert (6:30-9:30 PM) will feature Glen
and Judi Morningstar, Duo Borealis, and the bluegrass music of Detour. Food
vendors will be on campus. Music will be indoors.
HOW – Tickets for the Music Classes and the
Evening Concert are limited so early registration is highly recommended.
Registration fee for the morning Music Classes is $10 per class (75
minutes). The two Family Workshops (including Corinne’s and the Shapenote
Singing) are $10 per family or $5 per person. The afternoon jam session is
open to the public at no charge. The afternoon dance is $7/adult and
$5/student A ticket for the Evening Concert is $10/adult in advance and $12
at the door, students $5.
To help support the festival, consider becoming a
festival sponsor or donor...see note and link at bottom of this page.
To download registration form,
click here (PDF
format).
To download a flyer for the Fortune Lake Festival 2008,
click here (PDF format).
 |
Adobe Acrobat Reader is
required for
viewing/printing PDF files. Make sure your system is capable and meets
minimum requirements. The installation file
is a large download (from 14-28 Mb). Other versions are available for
older and other operating systems. |
Lodging is available on campus on a
first-come-first-serve basis. Call Fortune Lake Camp at 906-875-3697 for
information and reservations.
To Register Contact:
Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp
138 Fortune Lake Camp Road
Crystal Falls, Michigan 49920
Phone: 1-877-JOY-4-YOU
Fax: 1-906-875-4829
Email:
registrar@fortunelake.org
Festival Organizers: Jeff Clark and
Dean & Bette Premo
The Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp is Smoke, Alcohol, and
Drug-Free. No pets permitted on campus. An adult must accompany children
under the age of 16.
Sponsors and Donors
Thanks to the help of last year’s sponsors and donors,
combined with the dedication of festival volunteers, the First and Second
Annual Fortune Lake Festivals were successful. We are dedicated to making
this folk music event high quality, family-oriented, and affordable. We
solicited comments and critique from previous year festival-goers and
received both praise and practical suggestions – we have incorporated the
latter into the 2008 festival. We seek festival sponsors and donors in
categories described below. Donations are tax-deductible and sponsors and
donors receive additional benefits.
For information on becoming a festival
sponsor or donor, click here.
|
|
