The Grand River Folk Arts Society presents
Acoustic Saturday Nights
held in the Wealthy Theatre Annex.
The address is 1110 Wealthy SE just west of Fuller Avenue. Concerts start at 8:00 pm unless otherwise marked.
Ticket Prices: $12 General, $10 Seniors & Students with student ID's two admissions for $10, $9 Members, $3 2-12 year olds.
For other information, please call (616) 246-6468 or (616) 361-9219.
 

April 24        GRFAS Fundraiser with Conklin Ceili Band

Our favorite West Michigan Irishers, the Conklin Ceili Band, invite you to raise the roof and some $$$ for the Grand River Folk Arts Society. Here's the story:
Tom Verlin came up to me and said, "Mick, you know how guys go to the woods during deer season, and spend five days together hunting, talking and playing cards?"        "Yeah", sez I.         "How would you like to do that, except with music?" sez he.         "I'm in", sez I. That's how it all started. We got together in an old cabin in the woods on the weekend after New Year's in 1996 to make music. We have been together ever since.
That first weekend there was Tom Verlin on Mandolin and guitar, Jon Koeze on guitar, Jim Goldsmith on guitar and fiddle, and myself on 12 string guitar. A few weeks later Mike Scott joined us on banjo and vocals. Our world hasn't been the same since. We have become a band, even more importantly, we have bonded in a way that speaks of friendship, family, and the love of music. We have had a great time and we have faced adversity, including the loss of one of our own. But the music lives on.
Jim Goldsmith, one of our founding members, left us unexpectedly in March of 2001. This band would never have come together as it did without him. Originally the CD had a different concept, but with Jim's passing we knew it would have more to do with legacy for his family than anything else. We asked his daughter Michelle (Shelley to us) to step in and help us complete the CD in her fathers place. Shelley plays the same instruments as Jim and, bless her heart, she agreed to do it. Shelley and Rick have 4 kids under the age of 7 at home, so this was a major commitment on her part. The CD would not have been possible without them.

Subject to change