Huntington Folk Festival set for July 16 at Heckscher Park

Huntington Folk Festival set for July 16 at Heckscher Park

The Levins will perform at the Huntington Folk Festival on July 16 at 4:30 p.m.

The 16th annual Huntington Folk Festival is set for Saturday, July 16, on the Chapin Rainbow Stage at Heckscher Park, 2 Prime Avenue, in Huntington.  Extending from noon to 10 p.m., with a dinner break from 5 to 7:15 p.m., the free event is co-presented by the Huntington Arts Council, Folk Music Society of Huntington and AcousticMusicScene.com as part of the 57th Huntington Summer Arts Festival produced by the Town of Huntington. 

The Festival will include a tribute to the late singer/songwriter Lois Morton.

“An Evening with Paula Cole and Sophie B. Hawkins” will be preceded by a series of amplified showcases and song swaps, along with a musical tribute to Lois Morton and an open mic, during the afternoon.

Artists slated to showcase their talents during the afternoon include Allison Leah, Brett Altman, The Levins, Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale, The Royal Yard, Alan Short, Hank Stone. Christine Sweeney, Us!, Drew Velting, Bob Westcott, and Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes. 

Prior to the evening concert on the park’s [Harry] Chapin Rainbow Stage, Michael Kornfeld, president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington and editor & publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com (an online publication for the folk, roots and singer-songwriter communities), will conduct an on-stage conversational interview with the evening’s featured artists at 7:15 p.m. 

Kornfeld will also host a series of amplified showcases and song swaps from 2 to 5 p.m.  near a canopy tent on the upper lawn area overlooking the stage. These will be preceded by an hour-long open mic hosted by singer-songwriter Toby Tobias, who runs the NorthShore Original Open Mic (NOOM), an Acoustic Ally of FMSH, from noon to 1 p.m.

From 1 to 2 p.m, a number of artists will perform and share their reflections on Lois Morton, the late Huntington-based singer-songwriter who delighted audiences throughout the New York metropolitan area and beyond for years with her abundant charm and humorous songs of social commentary on such subjects as cell phones, clutter, diets, psychotherapy, and road rage. Participants in this tribute will include Josie Bello, Kirsten Maxwell, Larry Moser, Richard Parr, Glen Roethel, Dave Anthony Setteducati, Linda Sussman, and others.

Schedule of Events:

Noon — Open Mic

1 p.m. — Remembering Lois Morton: A Musical Tribute

2 p.m. —Song Swap: Hank Stone and Bob Westcott

2:30 p.m. — Us!

2:45 p.m. — Drew Velting

3 p.m. — Christine Sweeney

3:15 p.m. — Brett Altman

3:30 p.m. ­ Allison Leah

3:45 p.m. — Sea Chanteys: The Royal Yard and Alan Short

4:15 p.m. — Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale

4:30 p.m. — The Levins

4:45 p.m. — Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes

5 p.m.   Dinner Break

7:15 p.m — On-Stage Conversation with Paula Cole and Sophie B. Hawkins

8 p.m. — Evening Concert on the Chapin Rainbow Stage: Paula Cole & Sophie B. Hawkins

Festivalgoers are advised to bring lawn chairs and blankets and a picnic supper (or they can walk into Huntington Village and enjoy a meal at one of its many restaurants).

The Huntington Summer Arts Festival is produced by the Town of Huntington and presented by the Huntington Arts Council. Additional support is provided by Presenting Sponsor Canon U.S.A., with partial funding from the New York State Council on the Arts and the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning.