Honesdale Roots and Rhythm Music and Arts Festival

Get down to the sounds at free music and arts festival

Honesdale Roots and Rhythm Festival features major music, abundant arts, fabulous food

By SANDY LONG

sandylong@riverreporter.com

HONESDALE, PA — For 15 years, John Rocklin dreamed of bringing quality roots music to the region. He wanted some of the best blues, jazz, country, folk and rock musicians to play here, and he wanted it to be free and accessible to all who wanted to come and listen.

But Rocklin couldn’t quite see how it might happen. Surprisingly, it would take a chance encounter with Greater Honesdale Partnership’s Executive Director Gail Tucker, and ultimately, the greater Honesdale community, to implement and expand Rocklin’s musical vision. As a result, a full-blown music and arts festival featuring main-stage acts Sleepy LaBeef, Junior Watson, Little Sammy Davis; The Rockermen and Steve Guyger, fine arts and artisanal crafts and a tantalizing assortment of unique and home-made foods is headed for Honesdale on June 24.

The possibilities were born one fateful evening last June at Honesdale’s Fireside Inn, where Rocklin, a professional photographer and live music aficionado from Beach Lake, hosts an open mike for the Wayne County Arts Alliance, for which he serves as a board member. Tucker was in the audience and approached Rocklin to participate in one of Honesdale’s promotional street events. Rocklin pitched his idea. Of the chance encounter, today Tucker says, “I was ready to do something big.” And Rocklin responds, “Gail was the perfect person to help make it happen.”

It Takes A Community

Rocklin painstakingly researched regional music festivals to avoid any scheduling conflicts. As the two began talking to others, it became clear that support and interest would come from many sources. Honesdale artist Jeff George designed the festival’s impressive logo and promotional materials. Vintage-guitar dealer Peter Florance began crafting the festival’s grand prize guitar, which was later painted by Honesdale artist, Roger Hill. (See sidebar).

The business community rallied with funds and other resources enabling the event to continue taking shape. “It’s a great example of what can happen when many different people work toward a common goal,” says Tucker. “It’s a super community.”

The Music

Rocklin became the festival’s musical director and began focusing on finding acts that left an impression on him at the many music festivals he attends. “I picked the ones that got my toes tappin’,” laughs Rocklin. Festival planners wanted to kick off the first-ever event with as many big names as possible, but future events will feature more local talent, says Rocklin.

Various musical styles will be represented in a wide-ranging mix of talented performers. Artese N’ Toad, Funk ‘N Gumbo, Code Blue and Liz Moore will perform throughout town along with Sheryl Warner and the Southside Homewreckers, Caroline Doctorow and Marti Rogers and Tom Levy. MC for the event will be Michael Cloeren, founder of The Pocono Blues Festival and host of the weekly radio show, “Mountain of Blues.”

“A lot of people never get the chance to hear this kind of music,” said Rocklin. “That’s why we wanted it to be free, to give back to the people here.”

The Art and Food

Festival-goers will enjoy perusing the art, craft and food items offered for sale during the event. Paintings, photography, quilts, pottery, jewelry, tie-dyes and even aprons will grace the town’s streets. Sloppy Joes, shortcake and eclair sundaes, chocolate-covered bananas, wilderness cookies and Earthballs, grilled veggie and chicken sandwiches, buffalo wings, homemade kielbasa, sesame noodles, fresh-squeezed lemonade, root beer floats, curly fries and even homemade whoopie pies will be available to hungry patrons. Dan Brinkerhoff’s human-powered popcorn machine will delight both children and adults. And commemorative tee-shirts will be sold at the headquarters tent in Central Park.

WHEN and WHERE

Saturday, June 24, 3:00 to 9:00 p.m., Main Stage events, Honesdale Central Park, rain or shine. From 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., other musical events are scheduled throughout town (visit the festival website at www.HonesdaleRootsAndRhythm.com for details). Music continues in Honesdale restaurants and lounges from 9:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

From 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 95.3 DNH will broadcast live from Central Park with giveaways and interviews. Rocklin’s photography and Hill’s paintings are on display at the Himalayan Institute’s Main Street Cafe.

For directions to Honesdale, visit the festival website. Parking is available just outside of town at the Wayne County Fairground for $5, with free shuttle service into town.

Guitar raffle to award “First in a series”

As if a beautiful guitar, custom-built by vintage-guitar dealer Peter Florance, and hand-painted by Honesdale artist, Roger Hill, signed by the main stage performers and valued at approximately $2,500 isn’t enough to set your strings humming, how about a Martin D-16 RE guitar with case, valued at $2,000? Both guitars are up for raffle at the festival.

The grand-prize, solid-body, electric guitar is a Florance Model “T”, first in a series of guitars that will be raffled every year. The body is made of Louisiana swamp ash and the neck is carved from locally harvested hard maple. The electronics are Florance’s own “Voodoo Pickups,” hand wound and matched to the character of the guitar. The guitar will be signed by all main stage performers.

The first prize Martin guitar is sponsored by Connections Magazine in tribute to the late Edwin E. Bailey, father of the magazine’s publisher, Deborah Bailey. In the 70s, Ed Bailey played lead guitar in the Wayne County band, Carl Kennedy and the Country Kings. The last guitar he played in 1977 was a Martin. The festival guitar is an acoustic model equipped with Fishman Premium electronics.

Tickets are available for $5 each at the following locations: The Dime Bank, Davis R. Chant Realtors, Himalayan Institute Main Street, Nature’s Grace, Music and Video Express, Oui Three Antiques and the Greater Honesdale Partnership office in the Visitors Center. Both guitars are on display at the Dime Bank’s Church Street, Honesdale location.