The eighth annual Porcupine Mountains Music Festival, presented by the Friends of the Porkies, will take place Friday, Aug. 24 through Sunday, Aug. 26 at the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park Winter Recreation Area in the Upper Peninsula’s scenic Ontonagon County.
More than two dozen acts will perform on two outdoor stages during the three-day event. Canadian songwriter and iconoclast Fred Eaglesmith will roll his Traveling Steam Show onto the Porkies stage for two separate performances, along with a Q & A workshop with songwriting as the topic.
An independent musical artist, Eaglesmith’s songs have been covered by several country superstars and he has received a Juno Award for Best Roots and Traditional album. His music has been used in films by Martin Scorsese and others. When not writing, recording and performing, Eaglesmith creates visual art that is exhibited in commercial galleries and museums.
Eaglesmith’s appearance is supported by the Arts Midwest Touring Fund and the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.
Other headlining acts include:
-
The Holmes Brothers: Over the course of their 30-plus-year career, the Holmes Brothers have been feeding the souls of their devoted and ever-growing fan base with a joyous and moving blend of blues, gospel, soul, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll and country.
-
Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dream, aka the Grand Slambovians: After a two-year hiatus, audience favorites Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams will return to the Porkies stage. The Circus emerged from the misty hills of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., in 1988 and exploded upon the Hudson Valley music scene.
Numerous other activities will include the “Busking Barn,” located at the festival’s third stage, which will be the site of numerous acoustic performances and a daily jam session where all are welcome to join. A children’s tent area, designed to entertain young festival goers with various colorful activities, will also be available throughout the weekend.
The Porcupine Mountains Music Festival made state history in 2005 by becoming the first music festival to be held in a state park. Year after year, festival goers are treated to quality folk music in the wilderness setting of the park’s ski area.
The non-profit organization, Friends of the Porkies, represents the interests of all users of the Porkies and sponsors the annual music festival. The Porkies is a popular tourist attraction, with a breathtaking 60,000 acres of natural beauty located in Ontonagon County. Ontonagon is one of the least populated counties in Michigan, laid back and picturesque with wondrous natural surroundings – including more than 40 miles of Lake Superior shoreline, known as America’s cleanest beach. The area is rich with Native American and mining history, and encompasses thousands of acres of state and federal land, the Midwest’s largest span of virgin hardwood maple/hemlock forest and a community lighthouse.
Tickets are $90 for a three-day pass and $35 for a single-day pass, with a 20 percent discount available to seniors 60+ and teens ages 13-17. Tickets for children ages 7-12 are $10 for either a three-day pass or a single-day pass, and children 6 or under receive free admission when accompanied by a parent or guardian.
For more information about the eighth annual Porcupine Mountains Music Festival or to purchase tickets, visit www.porkiesfestival.org or contact Linda Kermeen, festival director, at 906-884-2653 or 800-344-5355.
For more information about the park, visit www.michigan.gov/porkies or call the park at 906-885-5275. Reservations at the Porkies can be made online at www.midnrreservations.com, or by calling 800-447-2757.
Click To Submit Press Releases, News, Calendar Items, and Community Events to mediaBrew radio stations WFXD, WKQS, WRUP, GTO, Fox Sport Marquette, and 106.1 The Sound
Marquette, Michigan Calendar; Ishpeming Calendar; Negaunee Calendar; Gwinn Calendar; Negaunee Calendar and Events; Upper Peninsula Calendar of Events; Escanaba Events and Calendar