TUNKHANNOCK — Organizers of Cornstock Folk Festival are expanding the scope of this year’s event, the fifth annual, by putting additional emphasis on the arts.
The three-day celebration of Americana and roots music will be held from Friday to Sunday, Sept. 1-3 at Lazy Brook Park, east of Tunkhannock.
Cornstock’s new tag line is “Music, Arts, Camping,” and all festival-goers who purchase weekend passes can camp at Lazy Brook Park for free. Many of the campsites are shaded by mature landscaping that remains from the former village of Lazy Brook that preceded the Tunkhannock Township Park. Paved roads intermingle with dirt walking paths between the performance areas and the cool, clear waters of Tunkhannock Creek.
In addition to a bouncy slide and inflatable obstacle course, Cornstock’s Kids Zone will offer arts and craft activities, games and toys, sing-alongs and a unique roots instruments “petting zoo,” at which children can see and touch the instruments. Admission for children under 17 is always free.
For adults, there will be music workshops for traditional bluegrass and folk instruments and percussion, as well as a singer-songwriter session and “how to jam.” Steamtown Yoga will introduce “glow yoga” Friday night, and Saturday and Sunday morning sessions will include live music.
Regular attendees of Cornstock will find more music in the Creekside Pavilion than previous years.
Overall, there is a greater emphasis on the arts and traditional crafts planned for festival-goers this year. The Artists Village will provide a venue for seasoned, regional artists to exhibit their skills on site and offer samples of their works for purchase.
The festival features a variety of food vendors, as well as vendors selling upcycled clothing, original tie dyes, gems and stones, soy products, hand-crafted jewelry and more.
An early-bird special for weekend tickets was extended to Aug. 31. Tickets are $50 in advance and $60 at the gate. For advance tickets and this year’s musical lineup, visit cornstockfestival.com. Updates are also posted regularly to the Cornstock Folk Festival Facebook page.
