Riverfolk receives grant for 2016-17 season!

Top Hats & Monocles performed in 2014 at the Blacksmith Shop to benefit CAS/Riverfolk. A $4,000 mini-grant will help the music performance series at the Blacksmith Shop continue, as well as provide funding for other CAS and Gazebo Concert projects in the coming year.

A $4,000 mini-grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) will provide additional support for special performances during the upcoming season of Riverfolk Blacksmith Shop concerts and Cultural Arts Strings (CAS) music education, as well as 2017 Gazebo concerts in Wurster Park.

The grant is intended to support local artists and communities by promoting cross-cultural and educational events throughout the community, and is also sponsored by the Ann Arbor Arts Alliance.

Riverfolk Music and Arts is the grant recipient, which serves as a non-profit umbrella and encompasses all three of these major events in Manchester. The MCACA grant award will support each entity in unique ways.

“Riverfolk plans to bring performers into the schools for educational workshops and performances via this mini-grant’s programs,” explained Carol Palms, Riverfolk board member and chair of the Gazebo Concert committee.

Palms added that she is working with popular musician Joe Reilly to present a children’s Gazebo concert on June 8, 2017, in conjunction with an assembly at Klager Elementary School.

Another Riverfolk board member, Aileen Rohwer, who coordinates the CAS and Blacksmith Shop concerts, plans to invite Red Tail Ring for a CAS workshop and Gazebo Concert performance in late June. There are also Blacksmith Shop concerts in the works that will bring musicians into the schools for special programs.

“Riverfolk Music and Arts is thrilled to be receiving this MCACA grant for the full amount we requested,” Rohwer said. “The grant process is extremely competitive and requires many hours of compiling materials, writing, and editing in addition to showing proven outcomes with past efforts.

“The project we proposed will allow Riverfolk to partner its three arms (Gazebo Concerts, CAS, and Blacksmith Shop Concerts) to bring quality programming and educational events to our community.

The newly updated Riverfolk website can be seen HERE. Watch for more information about these and other upcoming events!

Joe Reilly will perform a kids concert at Klager and at the Gazebo Concert next spring as part of the grant approved by MCACA.

Red Tail Ring will also be among the artists selected to provide musical opportunities through the MCACA grant.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.