Arts & Entertainment

Library Kicks Off 2010-2011 'Friday at the Ford' Season

Patchouli folk-music concert draws about 100 people, filling the Thomas Ford basement at the first of the five-concert series.

The music was light, the crowd was dense, and Thomas Ford Memorial Library scored a hit with its concert by Patchouli, a Wisconsin folk music duo, at its first "Friday at the Ford" concert of the 2010-2011 season on Friday night.

Approximately 100 people showed up, filling capacity for the intimate meeting room in the library basement—a very good turnout for the library. (Organizers were forced to scramble for extra chairs, and a refreshments table was relocated.)

Patchouli consists of acoustic guitarists and vocalists Julie Patchouli and Bruce Hecksel, who entertained the crowd of mostly Western Springs residents with a mix of instrumental duets and folksy ballads.

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Five "Friday at the Ford" concerts have been held each year since 1997—mostly featuring folk music, but occasionally with jazz, classical, blues, or even barbershop quartet. The concerts are sponsored by Western Springs Library Friends, a town volunteer organization that fundraises for the library. The concerts are free to the public, and include light snacks and juice drinks.

"It's a very coffeehouse kind of atmosphere," said librarian Rick Roche, describing the "Friday at the Ford" feel. "It's a small room, not like a concert hall, but everyone can hear. A lot of the performers decide they don't need amplification.

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"It's a great thing to do on a Friday night, and it's free!"

The "Friday at the Ford" season continues on November 5th with minstrel singer-songwriter Bruce Holmes, for adult audiences. Following are Tom Kastle on January 28, 2011, the Silver Rose Trio: Barbara Silverman and Company on March 11, and Artemisia: a Multimedia Program with Linda Smith on May 6. All concerts are at 7:30 p.m.


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