The North House Folk School Unplugged celebration will feature the Birch Bark Bash fundraising dinner that explores the northern landscape provided by chefs Judi Barsness and Scott Garden, followed by guest speaker Carol Sauvion of PBS’ Craft in America. Photos courtesy of Kristen Rebollo
National headliners will be featured at this year’s Unplugged celebration in Grand Marais. New to Unplugged are Carol Sauvion, creator, producer and host of the PBS series “Craft in America,” and blues legend and storyteller Rev. Robert Jones Sr. from Detroit.
According to Acoustic, Folk and Country Blues, “Some people falsely believe that blues is ‘The Devil’s Music.’” Not this man of the cloth Rev. Jones, Sr., who declares, “The blues is good. It’s a gift by the African-American community to the world.”
For more than 10 years, North House Folk School (NHFS) has sponsored Unplugged, its signature fall fundraiser and celebration of community, craft, storytelling, and music on the north shore of Lake Superior.
According to development director Tom Morse, NHFS is excited by the continued evolution of Unplugged. With leading crafts people from across the country demonstrating their work at the Folk Artisan Market Place, great speakers sharing their stories of craft, and even an opportunity to join the choir on stage, there’s a lot of different pieces that draw folks to Unplugged Weekend at North House.
Wielding his guitar in one hand, the Rev. Robert Jones Sr. gets ready to speak. Pictured next to him is comedian Kevin Kling, who will once again host the Unplugged celebration.
This year’s event will be Friday, Sept. 13 – Saturday, Sept. 14 and will feature courses, lectures, the Birch Bark Bash fundraising gala, the Points North Auction – an online auction, and a special musical performance on Saturday evening. Here’s a quick peek at this year’s events.
Friday night features the Birch Bark Bash, a time for supporters to come together to support the mission of North House. The Birch Bark Bash will feature a multi-course celebration dinner inspired by the local northern landscape provided by chefs Judi Barsness (Chez Jude) and Scott Graden (New Scenic Cafe), the Points North fundraising auction, and a featured talk with Carol Sauvion of the PBS show Craft in America.
On Saturday evening, Detroit-based roots and blues musician/ storyteller Rev. Robert Jones Sr. will join Claudia Schmidt, Prudence Johnson, Dan Chouinard, Marc Anderson, Simone Perrin, and Dane Stauffer in a memorable night of music and stories, hosted by renowned storyteller Kevin Kling.
Throughout the weekend, visitors can appreciate and purchase handmade crafts during the Folk Artisan Marketplace. Featured international instructor Anders Lindberg, a woodworker from Gothenburg, Sweden will teach two courses in green woodworking and offer a public demonstration on Saturday.
For additional information on the Unplugged event, follow this link: www.visitcookcounty.com/ event/unplugged-birchbark bash/.
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