Riverfolk prepares for Nov 27 #GivingTuesday

The southern band, Creole Du Nord, led by Mark Palms (on fiddle), performed to a packed house at the Blacksmith Shop on Saturday night.

submitted by Aileen Rohwer, Riverfolk Music & Arts Organization

At Saturday’s packed Blacksmith Shop Concert featuring Creole du Nord, Riverfolk Music & Arts announced it will participate in #GivingTuesday, a national day of giving tomorrow, November 27.

More than 50 guests gathered to listen to the colorful sounds and textures of the Manchester-based band led by Mark Palms. Playing Cajun, Zydeco, Creole and old time fiddle tunes, it was hard to sit still. By the second half, the chairs were cleared and the dancing started. Carol Wells Palms instructed the audience with a few simple steps and in no time at all, half the room was making the floor of the Blacksmith Shop bounce with joy!

Palms was instrumental in obtaining a 5 Healthy Towns grant to assist in scheduling several dances for Manchester this year including the Fall Farm to Table Dance at Albers Orchard in September. The next one will be scheduled on December 21 at Emanuel Church and will be free and open to the public, and will feature Joe Hall, famous Louisiana accordion player and singer.

In honor of #GivingTuesday, Facebook is partnering with PayPal to match donations a total of up to $7 million to U.S. nonprofits on Facebook. How can you help?

As a supporter of Riverfolk Music and Arts, we need your help. Create a Facebook fundraiser and share it with your friends on #GivingTuesday. Creating a fundraiser is easy and we welcome fundraisers with any goal amount. Start a Fundraiser

The money raised will go to Cultural Art Strings Music Education for Youth, the Art Kettle, The Blacksmith Shop Concerts, and Summertime Gazebo Concerts. Every $100 raised is supporting a month of student lessons, or providing free tickets to our events to families that cannot afford them, or bringing in new artists to work with our community.

You can also support Riverfolk by

• Mailing your donation to PO Box 146, Manchester, MI 48158. Donations not specifically allocated on checks will be evenly distributed among our programs.
• Donating online at  http://www.riverfolkarts.org/ or at  https://artkettle.com/
• Attending one of our upcoming events and donate in person!

Riverfolk’s mission is to engage the community in music and arts experiences which nurture creativity and promote cultural diversity. It cannot achieve this without the support of its community in the form of private donations. Private donations are used to secure much larger donations that will assist in building programs such as the Blacksmith Shop Concerts or the newest Riverfolk partner the Art Kettle-a residency art center, exhibit and flex-space. Every little bit helps, whether it’s $5 or $5,000!

On November 30, the Art Kettle will host the inaugural Yule Ball featuring Greenfield Village-famous Dodworth Saxhorn Band performing seasonal favorites and leading a lesson in historic dance. Guests are encouraged, but not required, to come in vintage dress. Seasonal sweet and savory edibles will be enjoyed by all. Owners Rich and Laura Earle, along with many volunteers have been busy decorating the space with handmade decorations and an artist led co-op retail space that will feature regional artists’ goods for sale. Tickets for the Yule Ball are on sale on Eventbrite.com, River Raisin Antiques, Andrews Family Chiropractic, or Two Black Sheep.

The second half of Saturday’s blacksmith shop concert had people up and dancing to the lively Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco sounds of Louisiana-based music!

Recent Donations or In-Kind Services received by Riverfolk

• Manchester Men’s Club $300 received by Cultural Art Strings. Utilized for purchasing music for our program, a guitar for student in need, a bass bow for a student in need. Thank you, Men’s Club!
• Manchester United Methodist Church space for lessons
• The Art Kettle space for lessons, space for jam sessions
• St. Mary’s Parish Center-space for lessons
• Manchester Area Historical Society-space for lessons and recitals, space for Blacksmith Shop Concerts, space for monthly board meetings
• Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation $5000 for Blacksmith Shop Concerts
• Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and Arts Alliance $3600 for
• Blacksmith Shop/Art Kettle Collaborations

Riverfolk Giving Back to the Community

• Cultural Art Strings Students- perform at countless outreach venues throughout the year including churches, community events, retail stores, private parties, etc.
• Cultural Art Strings Teachers- Moe than 25 percent of our students receive some amount of financial aid to be able to take lessons or participate in group classes.
• Summertime Gazebo Concerts-FREE and open to the public June-August once a week.
• Blacksmith Shop Concerts- Free workshops with visiting guest artists for students or adult amateurs.
• In-Kind Service Volunteers for Art Kettle-hundreds of hours given to the Art Kettle for cleaning, repairs and renovations in addition to prepping space for exhibits and working at the exhibits.
• In-Kind Service Volunteers for Administration of Riverfolk: hundreds of administrative hours are given every year by volunteers who lead the organization, write grants, marketing, publicity, keep track of schedules, communications, financials, and organize events, concerts, lessons, classes, jams, etc. for all branches of Riverfolk, including the Blacksmith Shop Concerts.

Carol Palms (right) instructed the dancers in the two-stop and waltz.

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

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.