Logo: Susquehanna Folk Music Society
Presenting fine traditional arts in Central Pennsylvania since 1985

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Fri, August 8 - American Patchwork Quartet at Mt Gretna

American Patchwork Quartet at Mt Gretna Mt Gretna
APQ re‑imagines Americal folk songs, blending jazz sophistication, country twang, West African rhythms, and East Asian ornamentation. A stellar lineup of Grammy-winning artists brings four widely varying perspectives to a vision of unity in diversity. Outdoor concert on Friday, August 8 at Mt Gretna Playhouse. MORE

Sat, August 9 - Apprenticeship Celebration

Apprenticeship Celebration Apprenticeship Celebration Camp Hill
Join us for performances, demonstrations, and stories shared by this year’s SFMS/PCA Traditional Arts apprentices and the master artists who mentored them. This event is part of our “Bringing It Home” series, presented by our Susquehanna Folk Arts Center. Sunday, August 6 at Fredricksen Library. MORE

Fri, August 15 - Cumberland Honey: Sunset Music

Cumberland Honey: Sunset Music Harrisburg
SFMS presents local band Cumberland Honey as part of Fort Hunter Park’s “Sunset Music and Movies” series. Sweet harmonies with folk influences, soul and a taste of bluegrass from the heart of Cumberland County, PA. Their original songs weave stories of life, love and a call to social action. Rain date August 17th. Friday evening, August 15 at Fort Hunter Park.

Sat, August 23 - Volunteer Appreciation Dinner

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner Harrisburg
All Susquehanna Folk volunteers, past and future, are invited to a potluck cookout with live musical entertainment by SFMS Board members! Saturday, August 23 at Fort Hunter Park, East Pavilion. MORE

Sat, August 30 - Tuba Skinny at Mt Gretna

Tuba Skinny at Mt Gretna Tuba Skinny at Mt Gretna Mt Gretna
NEARLY SOLD OUT! Tuba Skinny doesn’t just play music; they transport listeners to the heart of New Orleans — a city pulsing with life, with an unparalleled influence on American music and a profound love for its musical roots. They play jazz, ragtime, jug band and string band tunes, country blues and more. Carla Crowen of The Rhythm Lounge will be teaching swing dance classes for all levels, starting at 5pm. Dust off those shoes and get ready to dance in the aisles! Swing dance classes and outdoor concert on Saturday, August 30 at Mt Gretna Playhouse. MORE

Sun, September 21 - Open Mic Night

Open Mic Night New Cumberland
Spend the evening at the lovely West Shore Theatre in New Cumberland, enjoying some fine local music and maybe taking center stage yourself. Be there at 5:15 to sign up to play! Sunday, September 21 at West Shore Theatre. MORE

Celebrating our Folk Arts Apprenticeships

For the last few years, our Susquehanna Folk Arts Center has helped local traditional artists learn from masters in their craft, by helping them apply for apprenticeship grants from the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts. Come celebrate with them and us!

Join us on August 9 at Fredricksen Library in Camp Hill for an afternoon of music, stories, demonstrations and laughter with our 2024-2025 PCA Traditional Arts Apprenticeship awardees.

Two men playing harmonium: Apprentice Bhagirath Khatiwada (left) and Master Muskan Balampaki Mugar

Nepali Harmonium

Apprentice Bhagirath Khatiwada (left, from Bhutan) with Master Muskan Balampaki Mugar (right, from Nepal) are sharing the traditional music of their Himalayan homelands.

Apprentice Courtney Fox (left, with Irish flute) and Master Lesl Harkier (also with flute) Apprentice Katie Borgman (left, with Irish flute) and Master Lesl Harkier (also with flute)

East Galway Flute

Apprentices Courtney Fox (top left) and Katie Borgman (bottom left) are learning traditional Irish flute in the style of Mike Rafferty and other players from County Galway, with Master Lesl Harker (both right).

Singer Seamus Carmichael, in two photos

Sean-nós Singing

Master Seamus Carmichael is passing along traditional sean-nós (old style) Irish singing, learned from his mother and neighbors in County Derry, to Apprentice Sean Cook (not pictured).

Master Grainne Hambly at left, and Apprentice Mary Kate Lee at right

Irish Concertina

Apprentice Mary-Kate Spring Lee (right, with concertina) and Master Gráinne Hambly (left, from County Mayo) did an apprenticeship in Irish harp last year, but as they both also play concertina, they're switching it up this year.

Our 2024-2025 apprentices and masters

Feeling inspired? Chat with SFMS folklorist Amy Skillman about applying for a grant yourself!

Pennsylvania Relief Sale Quilt Auction

In this Folk Artist spotlight, we visit the Pennsylvania Relief Sale, a quilt auction that supports humanitarian work around the globe. More than just a fundraiser, it’s a family-friendly event centered around one of the most enduring cultures in our region.

An applique quilt showing a colorful array of tulips in a wooden cart or buggy. A bluebird perches on the cart’s handle.
This cheerful wall hanging won "Best in Show" at this year's Pennsylvania Relief Sale

For anyone who loves quilts and other handwork, the annual Pennsylvania Relief Sale is a must. A cultural staple in our region since 1957, it reflects generations of Central PA traditions of handwork, foodways, gardening, games, and music.

Besides the exhibition and auction of quilts, the event features food, live choral music, a plant sale, quilting supplies, and the contagious joy of quilt enthusiasts in a creative calico wonderland.

What began on a farm in Berks County, now fills all 172,000 square feet of the Giant Exposition Hall at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. Next year's sale — April 2026 — is their 70th sale, and it's well worth marking your calendar now!

A montage of six quilt patterns. Top left is two squares of Veggie Cats: an orange cat curled in the shape of a pumpkin, and a maroon cat curled in the shape of an eggplant. Top center has blue swirls like cresting waves between long-pointed stars. Top right is a crazy quilt, with various shapes sewn together and ornately embroidered.

photos by Amy Skillman

The quilts showcase a wide variety of designs and techniques, from patchwork to applique to embroidery.
Read more about the Pennsylvania Relief Sale...
See more Folk Artist Spotlights
The board and staff of the Susquehanna Folk Music Society are committed to celebrating and affirming diverse cultures through programming which explores the music, dance, craft and stories of many people. We stand in complete solidarity with the Black community and all marginalized communities to speak out against injustice, bigotry and racial violence.
Crys Matthews, a young Black woman, wears a crisp white button-down men’s shirt, black tie and black suspenders. She has her thumbs underneath the suspender straps, pulling them up off her shoulders. Her curly hair is long on top and cropped close at the sides.
Mônica Teles, holding a drum, sits back-to back with Chelsea Caroline who holds a guitar. Mônica is a young women of Hispanic appearance, with light brown skin and dark hair; her bandmate is a young white woman. Both have bare arms with cowrie shell armbands.
Two Hispanic men with dark skin pose with large Puerto Rican drums in front of a Puerto Rican flag. They wear white shirts and trousers, and white hats with black bands. They are also holding other percussion instruments, including maracas and a basketball-sized shaker covered with colorful fishnet.
A Black man is smiling warmly, resting his hand on the upper curve of a guitar. He has short graying hair, a wide smile, and a long face. He wears a white shirt and a vest with narrow vertical ribbon-like stripes.
A Black man stands in the corner of a brick-walled room, playing a banjo and gazing down toward his hands.
IMBA Award winner Tray Wellington takes a forward-looking approach to the banjo, an instrument inextricably linked with the Black experience in America. Tray's innovative music puts the cultural touchpoints of the banjo — so often clichéd, stereotyped and whitewashed — solidly in his rearview mirror. [2024-2025 Concert Series]