Planning starts early for Roots & Rhythm

HONESDALE, PA — Honesdale Roots & Rhythm Music & Arts Festival Co-Chairs and Founders Gail Tucker (Greater Honesdale Partnership) and John Rocklin (Wayne County Arts Alliance) have not let the grass grow under their feet in planning next summer’s event. They have already announced the official date of the festival, which is set for June 23, 2007 in Central Park, and have set other details including some of the performers.

The festival will be free to all who attend, and will kick off at approximately 10:00 a.m. with music playing on Main Street until 12:00 noon, and music starting on the main stage at 1:00 p.m., three hours earlier than last year. An acoustic stage will be added in the park, which will host music between the main stage performers. Michael Cloeren, host of Mountain of Blues radio show and founder and producer of The Pocono Blues Festival, will once again be the festival’s Master of Ceremonies.

The headliner for the 2007 festival will be blues man Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials, from Chicago’s Southside. Recently, Lil’ Ed was featured on Late Night With Conan O’Brien when the show was broadcasting from Chicago. Also featured on the main stage will be Wayne “The Train” Hancock, the master of hillbilly swing, a roots Renaissance man, and a country singer’s country singer. Opening the festival will be Red Molly, playing a variety of stringed instruments and singing in tight three-part harmony.

The festival committee has also announced that Peter Florance of Florance Custom Guitars and Voodoo Pickups has donated another beautifully handmade guitar for the raffle, valued at $2,500. Graphic designer Jeff George of Jeff George Design and creator of the Honesdale Roots & Rhythm Music & Arts Festival logo will be the artist painting the guitar this year.