It’s time to mark your calendar for the 2014 Folk Festival of Music and Dance on May 9-11 in Gays Mills.

The festival will feature headlining act Jack Klatt and the Cat Swingers along with the Norkedalen Trio and Marc and Brandi Jansenn.

The Minneapolis-based Klatt’s music has been described as a fusion of old-time barroom blues, folk-pickin’, burlesque, and gypsy jazz. The Norskedalen Trio plays old-time Norwegian-American tunes. And the Janssens’ blur the fine line between old-time and bluegrass music.

This festivities kickoff with a square dance at the Gays Mills Community Building on Main Street, Friday Night, May 9 at 7 p.m. with calling by Tim Jenkins and Sue Hulsether. The Folk Fest String Band will be providing the tunes, and the live callers will lead the dances: circles, squares, contras, and reels. All ages and all experience levels welcome. 

Workshops on May 10 will include old-time instrumentals, duet singing, finger-style guitar, square dancing, clogging, and more.

The event wraps up on Sunday with a gospel sing by the river.

Weekend family passes are $45. Individual passes are:

Friday - $5 adults/$2 kids

Saturday concert - $15 adults/$5 kids.

Sunday - free will offering

The folk festival is a project of the Kickapoo Cultural exchange.

For more information, please contact Jane at 608-735-4740 or Jesse at 608-629-6464.