ENTERTAINMENT

Bill & Leslie Penn
Playing at the Historic Midway Museum Store throughout the festival.

Bill & Leslie Penn are local favorites that own and operate the Historic Midway Museum Store. At the store you will find a number of wonderful books, gifts items, and souvenirs. Bill & Leslie often entertain their customers as they shop. Bill plays a mean fiddle, mandolin, and guitar. Leslie plays the flute and other wind instruments.

 

 

Whisper Garden

Songs designed to elicit emotions and tell stories through music are a specialty of Whisper Garden, both in their originals and in their eclectic selection of covers. Together, the band has well over one hundred years of musical experience. Ben Brown who provides vocals and guitar has a Masters in Music from the University of Kentucky. He has played in an amazing variety of bands over the past 25 years from Country to Salsa to Progressive Punk. Drummer Jim Corcoran received his Masters of Music from the University of Kentucky and teaches percussion at the University of the Cumberlands. Kim Herbert, editor of The Horse magazine, has been an amateur musician for many years and makes her first professional appearance with Whisper Garden. David Griffith has played bass with such illustrious bands as Summertime Blues, Cluster Duck, and Shtwsl (don’t ask). The band also features a rotating fifth wheel; a guest instrumentalist of professional caliber who adds color and class to the performance as well as a rare type of controlled indeterminacy: you’re never quite sure what might happen. This spot has been filled in the past by Nancy Clauter on oboe, Dave Clark on saxophone, and Joe Gierlach on dobro.

Blake Jones

Blake often says that his family was so poor growing up that the only thing they could afford to do was sit around and pick music with each other. Good thing.... Blake grew up with five brother and sisters and traveled the country with his family playing music for his father, an evangelist. His early musical upbringing on the tent revival stage has helped him become a stellar musician and performer. Blake plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, and mountain dulcimer, and he has greatly expanded his musical repertoire to include acoustic rock, bluegrass, and contemporary folk. Blake is a singer/songwriter in the tradition of James Taylor and Nanci Griffith, whose songs he covers with ease and style."

General Michael Collins Memorial Pipe Band

Named in honor of the man that led Ireland to independence from Great Britain in 1921. The band is comprised of pipers and drummers from age 13 up with experience levels of from less than 2 years to over 55 years. The pipers are led and instructed by Pipe Major James Nowlan, a native of New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland who has been teaching pipers all across the U.S. since leaving the Canadian Army in the late 1950's where he was a soldier/piper. James is also a prolific composer of pipe music and his tunes have been played all over the U.S and Canada. Additionally, his compositions were played by the Irish Army Pipe Band at the internationally renowned Dublin Horse Show to lead in both the Irish Army and United States equestrian teams in 1997.The drum section is led by David J. Hensley, a Right of Way Supervisor for the Transportation Cabinet in Manchester, Kentucky. Mike Begin, the band's bass drummer is a graduate student at the University of Kentucky.

Carla Van Hoose

Carla is deep in the "Americana" movement of today. Her repertoire dips into many shades of American music. Folk, blues, bluegrass and a little old rock and roll for spice are stirred up and delivered to you through her soothing vocals. She started singing before she went to school and was encouraged by performances in church choirs, high school concert choirs and special events. She is one of the original members of SisterSound, a Lexington based women's chorus. In the First Presbyterian Church Choir, she has worked with Marlon Hurst, Dr Everett McCorvey, and Dr. Gary Anderson, along with opera singers from University of Kentucky, Transylvania University and members of the American Spiritual Ensemble.

 
Kentucky McTeggart Irish Dancers
 
A non-profit organization that teaches children the art of Irish dance. Owned by Maureen McTeggart Hall, an internationally renowned instructor and judge, the school has been in operation since 1994. Classes meet on Monday nights at Arts Place in downtown Lexington, with the beginner classes starting at 4.15pm. All boys and girls aged 5 years and over are welcome to come and learn this exciting sport where dancers improve both their physical and mental skills, self-esteem and make friends while having fun. Our dancers love to perform and are regularly invited to participate in festivals and parades and to dance at nursing homes and churches.For questions regarding new student enrollment dates or performance opportunities, please contact Lynne Costello at 223-3239.

 

Yanko

The band was founded in Frankfort, Kentucky in the year 2000. It's members are originally from various part of Mexico. Yanco is a nickname that is commonly given to people named Adrian, in the area of Costa Chico in Guerrero, Mexico. Adrian the keyboard player is the founder of the group and that is why the name of the group is Yanco. The band is very versatile and plays the music of the people with the purpose of leaving everything on stage musically possible.

 

The Midway Baptist Praise Band

Great Heart

Marinated in the lore of Rock history, breaded with Country and Bluegrass, spiced by extensive exposure to Music of the World, slow roasted on the stages of a thousand sleazy dives, and bored to tears from playing countless weddings and bar mitzvas, we present for your listening pleasure: Great Heart, the heart of Rock n’ Roll. This ensemble has learned and forgotten more songs than the average person hears in a lifetime, selected and perfected the tunes that reflect and honor the best of modern culture. They present and represent Rock Music at its best, most sincere and heartfelt. Fiery guitar licks, thunderous drums beats, blistering bass notes; and over it all sweet lyrical harmonies as if sung by angels. Heaven and Hell on one stage! Guaranteed to move the halted, slow the hectified and warm the coldest heart. You will Feel, experience, love, vibrate, assimilate, celebrate, cogitate, appreciate, incorporate, contemplate, and never forget; Great Heart.

 

The festival features crafts, food, demonstrators, entertainment and children's activities.

Saturday, September 20th - 10:00a.m. - 6:00p.m.

Sunday, September 21st - 11:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.

  

For information, please email us at info@midwayfallfestival.org