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Our mission is to encourage the performance and presentation of
folk music in Nebraska, to educate the public
on the unique cultural and artistic value of folk music,
and to create and promote venues for folk music performances.

The 7th Annual
2008 PlainSong Folk Festival
is Sunday, September 28, 2008
at The Isles Reception Hall in the Historic Havelock Area!
6232 Havelock Avenue, Lincoln, NE

The venue is just awesome! The large room seats over 250 comfortably. That allows us to position the movable stage  centrally near the elbow of the large "L" shaped hall for maximum visibility. Acoustically, this room is just what we're looking for, too. The audiences will appreciate the theatre seating curving around the stage, and table seating behind that on both sides of the "L", facing toward the stage.

Artisans' booths will be at one end of the "L", and food and beverage services will be located at the other end of the "L". The Native American Teepee will be just outside the door between the back parking and the back entry door. We'll have more info on the food and other items in the coming months.

Parking is excellent in this historic area of Lincoln, and the hall is newly redecorated and just perfect for the 7th Annual PlainSong Folk Festival. The entire venue is family friendly and accessible to all, which is very important to us. Thanks to Dave at the Isles Reception Hall for working to make this a reality after the original venue for this year's Festival decided to close and sell their building this spring!

We are a Nebraska Non-Profit Corporation
and have Federal 501(c)3 status

 Tickets for 2008 PlainSong will be available for advance purchase here in late April

 

PlainSong Folk Festival History

The Plainsong Folk Festival began in the fall of 2002, as a showcase for local musicians and dancers.
The first two seasons were held indoors at Southeast Community College in Lincoln, NE, and featured a variety of multi-cultural acts as well as limited cuisine for Festival go-ers. Workshops were also held throughout the day.

The next two seasons were held in an old barn at an orchard just outside Lincoln, with a shift toward national and regional acts and some hometown music and dance, as well as poetry and songwriting workshops,
and some space for local artisans.

Another move to a facility just east of Lincoln for the 2006 and 2007 seasons brought a lovely outdoor setting with a gazebo stage, as well as some different cuisine options. Again, nationally known musicians were interspersed with local talent. The workshops continued, as did some limited booth space for local artisans. (Fortunately, there was also seating for inside performances because Nebraska weather can be tricky!)

As lovely as the outdoor setting was, uncertain fall weather the past two years brought a reality check to the Festival planners, We need an indoor venue! We're growing the Festival slowly and surely, and an indoor venue brings assurances to both the crowd and the performers that the show will be comfortable for all concerned. So we looked around and then we booked PO Pears late in 2007 for the 2008 Festival.  PO Pears was the one of the venues for the 2007 Meadowlark Chamber Music Festival and we were impressed with the expertise shown by Pears.

YIKES! But then in the spring of 2008, Pears announced that they would be closing after 20 years as a downtown Lincoln restaurant. The closing date was late March of 2008, and that left us without a venue for 2008. So, we began looking again, this time widening our search area, but still staying within Lincoln. AND, after a suggestion from a PlainSong Fan, we found a super venue in the historic Havelock area of North Lincoln! We'll be at the Isles Reception Hall, and it really fits our needs perfectly. And we know our audiences and performers will love it, too!

2007 Festival Main Stage
Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas | Denice Franke | Chris Talley Trio
The String Beans | Nebraska 2 Nashville
held at Country Pines just outside Lincoln, NE

2006 Festival Main Stage
Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion | Oceans Apart | Kusi-Taki
 Terri Jo Dodson & Chris Sayre | Toasted Ponies | Emanon
held at Country Pines just outside Lincoln, NE

2005 Festival Main Stage
Special Consensus | Five Mile Chase | Dorian Michael
 Marge Saiser, Poet | Phyllis & Bob Dunne | Capital City Cloggers
Doris Winkler | Tractor Bob, Poet
held at an Olive Creek Apple Orchard in Hickman, NE

2004 Festival Main Stage
John McCutcheon | Frank Meyer | Blues Therapy | Edgar Clemens
Bill Kloefkorn, Poet | Lincoln Irish Dancers | In Your Dreams
held at an Olive Creek Apple Orchard in Hickman, NE

2003 Festival Main Stage
Josh White | Victoria Parks | Jubilant Bridge
& local musicians on other stages
spread throughout Southeast Community College in Lincoln, NE

2002 Festival Main Stage
Guy Davis
& 15 local musicians and acts on other stages
spread throughout Southeast Community College in Lincoln, NE
 

Fiddling Grasshopper Image Courtesy of www.childrensbooksonline.org