On Oct. 19, the Wild Rose Kiwanis welcomed presenter Patrick Connolly to its morning meeting in the Community Center at the Patterson Memorial Library.
Patrick shared some history of the Blackhawk Folk Society, including how it originally used a canopy over a hay wagon for its first music festival. When the new bandshell was being planned in Mt. Morris in 2018, the Blackhawk Folk Society received over $26,000 in donations for the project in addition to fundraising, a display of incredible support from the local community.
The bandshell structure itself includes the use of many local materials such as local red pine. Douglas fir was used in the rafters, and repurposed transmission poles of western red cedar was used for the heavy timbers. The first official concert in the new bandshell took place in June, 2021, and the 33rd annual Blackhawk Music Festival was held there this past July.
The Blackhawk Folk Society continues to host its winter concerts in the Mt. Morris Community Center, along with Thursday afternoon jam sessions at the Trading Post. Concerts are planned from May through September in the bandshell at Mt. Morris County Park.
The new bandshell is in a beautiful setting and can be reserved along with the pavilion for private events. All are encouraged to come and make use of the beautiful new bandshell and enjoy some good music as time goes on. This is a great asset to our local area, and something that everyone can enjoy for years to come.
The Wild Rose Kiwanis members truly enjoyed hosting Pat Connolly, who gave a very inspiring and informative presentation about the history of the Blackhawk Folk Society and Mt. Morris Bandshell.
The Wild Rose Kiwanis is always welcome to guests and new members. Please come and join us anytime to learn more about Kiwanis. You can also check out the Wild Rose Kiwanis on Facebook.
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The Blackhawk Folk Society started plans for the new bandshell in 2018. This year the structure was complete in time for the first official concert that was held in June.