Since beginning in 2010, Take Me to the River has been a celebration of arts in the St. Croix Valley. While the event has always included music and performing arts, this year music is becoming a more integral part of this “festival of festivals” with the addition of three new music events: St. Croix Festival Theatre Concert Series in St. Croix Falls, Barrels and Bluegrass at 45th Parallel Distillery in New Richmond and Prairie Fire Music Festival at YMCA Camp St. Croix in Hudson.
Take Me to the River Music Highlights
St. Croix Festival Theatre’s historic vaudeville venue will come alive with music and laughter during the three weekends of Take Me to the River. This year’s scheduled concert performances will include an intimate evening with blues musicians Koerner and Glover on Sept. 12, an afternoon of musical theater hits by the Belting Babes of Broadway with Colleen Raye on Sept. 13, hilarious stand-up comedy with Mary Mack and Tim Harmston on Sept. 19 and a return performance by Billboard-charting songwriter and guitarist Michael Johnson onSept. 26.
In New Richmond, local micro-distillery, 45th Parallel, will hold its 6th Annual Open House “Barrels and Bluegrass” on September 26 with musical performances by The Dang Ol’ Tri’ole, High Strung String Band and No Tent featuring Reina Del Cid. The free event will also feature limited release of “W” Wheat Whiskey and live art demonstrations by Jesse Brodd as well as tours of the distillery, tastings, local food vendors and artists.
Further down the river in Hudson, YMCA Camp St. Croix will be host to the inaugural Prairie Burn Music Festival. The family-friendly festival will feature two stages featuring local music by The Lucy Michelle Band, Zach Dyer, Ruben and more. Don’t miss the opportunity to try out some camp activities like archery, the climbing wall, camp song sing-a-longs and the Giant Swing complete with views of the St. Croix River.
Even More Live Music
While Festival Theatre, Barrels & Bluegrass and Prairie Burn are all about music, many of the other Take Me to the River events also feature live music as part of their fall arts celebrations.
On September 12, Franconia Sculpture Park in Shafer with host their 19th Annual Art & Artists Celebration to celebrate the new work created by this year’s artists-in-residence. Kid-friendly activities, artist demonstrations, and live music on the Earthen Amphitheater Stage make this a popular yearly festival.
Mixing live music with more traditional art fairs makes three of the St. Croix Valley’s community art fairs true destination events. Art on the Kinni in River Falls (Sept. 12), Afton’s Art in the Park (Sept. 26-27) and Spirit of the St. Croix Art Festival in Hudson (Sept. 26-27) draw crowds each year for great art and great music.
Additional Information
Events of art during Take Me to the River 2015 include:
September 12-13
· Art on the Kinni, River Falls (Sept. 12, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; free admission)
· Franconia Art & Artists Celebration, Shafer (Sept. 12, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; $5 parking)
· Koerner and Glover at Festival Theatre, St. Croix Falls (Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m.; tickets $18 in advance, $23 at the door)
· Belting Babes of Broadway with Colleen Ray at Festival Theatre, St. Croix Falls (Sept. 13, 2:00 p.m.; tickets $21 in advance, $26 at the door)
September 19-20
· Abnet Farm Art Show & Sale, Stillwater (Sept. 19-20, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; free admission)
· Marine Art Fair, Marine on St. Croix (Sept. 19-20, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; free admission)
· Peter Jadoonath Backyard Pottery Sale, Shafer (Sept. 19, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Sept. 20, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; free admission)
· Mary Mack and Tim Harmston at Festival Theatre, St. Croix Falls (Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m.; tickets are $21 in advance, $26 at the door)
September 26-27
· Afton Art in the Park, Afton (Sept. 26, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sept. 27, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; free admission)
· Barrels & Bluegrass at 45th Parallel Distillery, New Richmond (Sept. 26, 12:00 to 6:00 p.m.; free admission)
· Guillermo Cuellar and Friends: Fall Pottery Sale, Shafer (Sept. 25-27, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ; free admission)
· Prairie Burn Music Festival, Hudson (Sept. 26, 1:00 to 10:00 p.m.; tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the gate, children under 12 are free)
· Spirit of the St. Croix Art Festival, Hudson (Sept. 26, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sept. 27, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; free admission)
· Michael Johnson at Festival Theatre, St. Croix Falls (Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m.; tickets $26 in advance, $31 day of show)
Throughout September
· Subtleties, Silhouettes and Silence Gallery Exhibition at ArtReach St. Croix, Stillwater (Wed.-Sat., 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except Sept. 5, 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.; free admission)
ArtReach St. Croix, a non-profit regional arts organization, acts as an art concierge with listings and information about participating events, including:
For detailed information on each event, visit TakeMeToTheRiver.info. where visitors can navigate their way to the various festivals and events as well as find galleries, open studios, theatre productions, live music and more that can create a trip to the St. Croix Valley customized to their tastes.
Take Me to the River is made possible with support from our media sponsor SPACES Magazine.
ArtReach St. Croix is a nonprofit regional arts organization committed to the mission of connecting communities to the arts throughout the St. Croix Valley from St. Croix Falls to Prescott in Wisconsin and from Hastings to Taylors Falls in Minnesota. ArtReach supports the work of artists and arts organization by coordinating events, marketing initiatives and education opportunities that foster and celebrate the visual, literary and performing arts in the St. Croix Valley. The work of ArtReach St. Croix is made possible through generous donations from individuals and businesses. ArtReach is a member supported organization. Visit www.ArtReachStCroix.org to learn more.