The big white tent at the North House Folk School campus was the place to be last Saturday night if you like to hear great live music. Here the individual performers join in on a song that had the crowd singing along and ended with a standing ovation. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
North House Folk School
North House’s 18th annual Unplugged made one thing abundantly clear – the joy of celebrating under the big top just keeps getting better!
“From Friday’s sold out Birch Bark Bash to Saturday’s multiple standing ovations, the energy on campus and under the big top made the entire event tremendously satisfying,” said Greg Wright, North House executive director. “The involvement of local business partners, innumerable community volunteers and inspiring artisans and performers made the magic happen!”
More than a couple of years have rolled past since the first Unplugged was hosted in 2002, just a year after a fire in North House’s woodworking and boat-building shop. Minnesota-born and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Jon Vezner had crossed campus the year before as rebuilding was under way. The rest, they say, is history.
The very talented SVEA Singers, a local Swedish a capella folk singing group which performs in the county and across Minnesota for special Scandinavian events, sang for the crowd who was waiting to get into the Unplugged concert at North House Folk School. The members are, from L-R: Erika Ternes, Rose Arrowsmith DeCoux, Elunia Steckelberg, and Tina Hegg Raway. “We very much enjoyed singing at North House for Unplugged and at Radio Waves the previous weekend as well,” said Tina Hegg Raway. “They are such awesome community events!”
North House’s campus was animated throughout the weekend, hosting mini-courses, free community sing-alongs, and drop-in jam sessions. Hundreds of visitors experienced weaving and woodworking demonstrations and browsed instructor-made crafts at the Folk Artisan Marketplace.
Friday’s sold out Birch Bark Bash dinner and fundraising celebration set new records. Welcoming 250 guests, the event featured culinary talents of Judi Barsness and highlighted her commitment to local ingredients and providers. Also in the kitchen was Chef Scott Garden from New Scenic Café. Featured speaker Carol Sauvion, the creator and producer of the famed PBS show “Craft on America,” spoke about the growing vitality of craft and North House’s national visibility.
Friday night also included a live auction and Fund-Need Auction. Truly robust bidding secured funding on many fronts — from resources for North House’s growing youth programs to a 2019-2020 community boat building project, from new floor looms for expanding fiber coursework to timbers for a new green building entry.
Here are some of the winners of the 2019 Fall Plein Air contest: L-R: Dan Mackerman, Cheryl Leclair Sommer, Brock Larson, Joshua Cunningham (Competition Juror), Hannah C. Heyer, Kelly Schamberger, Bob Upton, Neil Sherman, Krystal Brown, Christopher Copeland, Phillip Alexander Carlton and Tom McGregor Photo courtesyAllison Eklund of Outdoor Minnesota
“This was our most successful Unplugged ever,” noted Tom Morse, development director, “and it’s a joy to see the North House community invest together to move youth programs, community events, and classroom/campus resources forward.”
Over 550 people made the most of Saturday night’s featured performance, which welcomed performers to the stage. Detroit roots musician and storyteller Reverend Robert Jones literally rocked the house, generating a standing ovation in the middle of the first set. “Music and storytelling are crafts that truly inspire community,” said Jessica Frost, program director.
Dates for next year are already in place: Sept. 17-20, 2020.
“Working with community and business partners is key for all of our events,” said Wright. “Visit Cook County absolutely leads the charge. This would be impossible without our partners, including East Bay Suites, Aspen Lodge, Best Western, Voyageur Brewing, North Shore Winery, Fulton Beer, and Vikre Distillery. Our sincere thanks to the entire community for helping make Unplugged into the success it is today!”
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