The Caroline Aiken Band, Ronny Cox Trio, The Kennedys, David Olney, and Tom Prasada-Rao co-headline the 2019 South Florida Folk Festival, Presented by the nonprofit Broward Folk Club, the festival takes place on Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 26-27. Nearly 50 artists/acts will perform on two stages at Fort Lauderdale’s Hugh Taylor Birch State Park (3109 E. Sunrise Boulevard, just west of A1A) over the weekend.
Since its inception, the festival has been a combination of a music fest, family reunion, community gathering, and weekend musical retreat, according to its organizers. Besides the co-headliners, among the other artists slated to perform are The Belle Hollows, Randy Brown, Ellen Bukstel, Escaping Pavement, Friction Farm, Anne Hills, House of Hamill, John Latini, Rod MacDonald, Austin MacRae, The Moon and You, Micah Scott, Cecilia St. King, Debbie Tassone & Gary Frost, Joe Virga, Dan Weber, Rupert Wates, Annie Wenz, and The Whispering Tree.
Some of the performing artists will also lead participatory workshops or jams during the afternoons.
Singer-Songwriter Competition to Feature 12 Artists
Kicking-off the weekend’s musical festivities on Saturday, Jan. 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., will be the 12 finalists in the 2019 South Florida Folk Festival’s singer-songwriter competition, each of whom will perform two songs. They are Jordi Baizan (Houston, TX), Robert Bruce Baldwin (Lake Worth, FL). Michael Stephen Borok (Peekskill, NY), Susan Cattaneo (Boston, MA), Gracious Me (Fairfax, VA), George Gray (Tallahassee, FL), Pat Lamanna (Hyde Park, NY), Conni Laine (St. Simons Island, GA), Grant Livingston (Miami, FL), Bob Patterson (Saint Augustine, FL), Paul Smithson (Eustis, FL), and Chuck Williams (Mattapoisett, MA)
Three winners selected by a panel of judges will each receive the Vic Heyman Songwriting Award – a $200 cash prize, will perform in a winners’ round on Sunday afternoon, and will be invited to perform at next year’s festival. In addition, all of the finalists will be afforded the opportunity to perform ‘in-the-round’ that second day
The songwriting competition is co-presented by Reba Heyman. Along with her late husband, Vic, Reba has been an integral part of the folk community in South Florida and nationally for many years. The couple, known for decades for their generous financial backing of folk festivals and artists, formerly ran a concert series in Rockville, Maryland known as Vic’s Music Corner. They also served on the boards of several music festivals and established a scholarship fund for performing artists.
For more information on the festival that is co-sponsored by Sea Turtle Oversight Protection (STOP) and to order tickets in advance, visit www.southfloridafolkfest.net.
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