Arts

July 29, 2010 at 5:34 PM

'Music Night at the Marsh' continues concert series

By Paul Osolnick
Collegian Staff Writer

At the last show of the season, fans of "Music Night at the Marsh" can expect to hear some "fine picking" from bluegrass players. The bluegrass and folk music band Tussey Mountain Moonshiners will perform from 6:30-8 p.m. on Friday at the Millbrook Marsh Nature Center. "Music Night at the Marsh" is a five-part bluegrass and folk concert series -- held on Fridays through June and July -- intended to provide family-friendly music while raising funds for the center. Melissa Freed, program coordinator for the center, said about 60 people have attended the previous Friday night concerts. Freed said the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners' performance will be the last of the series for the season. Freed said the series is in its third year and helps raise funds for the nature center. A $5 donation is requested, but children under 10 years old are free. "It's not like it's a huge fundraiser where we raise thousands of dollars. It's just a fun event for the community," Freed said. "Also, it's a way for us to support some of our programs and our material needs." The Tussey Mountain Moonshiners includes Bryan Homan, Gwen Stimely, Steve Buckalew and Karin Hastings. Stimely, banjo player and vocalist, said the band performs traditional and old-time bluegrass, folk music and some original songs. Stimely said people attending the concert should expect some "fine picking" and "harmonies." "We love it when people dance," Stimely said. "We love the music, so they can expect to see people who love to play and hopefully they love to listen." Stimely said the band has performed at several bluegrass concerts during its three-year run including DelFest -- a bluegrass competition in Maryland -- where the band won first place. "We play different styles of songs," Stimely said. "We'll go from kind of a blues original to a traditional bluegrass to an old-time fiddle tune. So there's a fair amount of diversity in the snogs that we play." Stimely said the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners have performed at the Marsh during previous events. "It's a very nice, relaxing atmosphere at the Marsh," Stimely said. "And it's a family-oriented place. Little kids are just natural dancers. They hear music, they dance. And it's a cool thing -- it's something that we seem to lose somehow as we grow up."

Arts

July 29, 2010 at 5:34 PM

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