Donna the Buffalo To Headline Porcupine Mountains Music Festival

Three days packed full of music and fun are scheduled for the 14th annual Porcupine Mountains Music Festival in Ontonagon County.

The festival will be staged Aug. 24 – 26 at the winter recreation area (ski hill) at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, located just west of Silver City.

The music festival is presented by the Friends of The Porkies, a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, which represents all users of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.

This activity is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts. The festival made state history in 2005 by becoming the first music festival to be held in a Michigan state park.

Staffed by a handful of year-round volunteers and over 120 volunteers throughout the three-day event, the festival places the focus on a wide variety of musical styles such as bluegrass, folk, rock, blues, zydeco, country and more.

The event will be held rain or shine.

Headlining the festival this year are:

• Friday, Aug. 24 – The Fred Eaglesmith Show, starring Tif Ginn: Eaglesmith is a veteran of the music industry and, at the same time, is about as far away from actually participating in today’s music industry as one could be. Never operating within anyone’s boundaries, he continues to set the standard for independent artists everywhere. Tif Ginn is a gutsy, amazing singer and a transcendent songwriter who has spent most of her life touring and playing music. Her impressive, sultry vocals and glorious harmonies with Fred, along with her multiple instrument additions to the show will have you in awe. This girl has it all, including Fred.
• Saturday, Aug. 25 – Donna the Buffalo: Known as one of the most dynamic and determined bands continuously touring America since 1989, Donna the Buffalo drew its original inspiration from a cherished part of the American heritage: the old-time music festivals of the south that drew entire towns and counties together. This presentation is supported by the Arts Midwest Touring Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from The Michigan Council for The Arts Cultural Affairs, and the Crane Group.
• Sunday, Aug. 26 – The Slambovian Circus of Dreams: Known for their electrifying live performances, the band has toured nationally and abroad, playing a moody, but upbeat, alt-roots rock. The band’s music is equal parts Washington Irving and Woodstock, tapping a broad palette of styles ranging from dusty Americana ballads to huge Pink Floydesque cinematic anthems.

Special guests throughout the three-day event include The Roosevelts, Old Salt Union and The Barefoot, along with the Ragbirds, Joshua Davis Trio, The Talbott Brothers, Wild Rivers, the Lucky Dutch, Shari Kane and Dave Steele, Kind Country and more.

Offering a more laid-back feel is the festival’s acoustic Busking Barn, where amateurs and professionals take the stage. Daily jam sessions are held. New this year is the Chalet Stage indoors, hosting performances during intermissions on the outdoor stage. The festival also offers children’s activities and performer workshops.

Tickets are $90 for a three-day pass, $35 for a single-day pass. Seniors over 60 and teens ages 13-17 receive $5 off regular prices. Tickets for children ages 7-12 are $10 for either a three-day pass or a single day pass. Children 6 and under receive free admission when accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is a popular tourist attraction, with a breathtaking 60,000 acres of natural beauty located in Ontonagon and Gogebic counties in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Ontonagon County is Michigan’s largest by acreage, and is one of the least-densely populated counties in the state; laid back and picturesque, with wondrous natural surroundings. There are more than 40 miles of Lake Superior shoreline, named one of the cleanest beaches in America. The thousands of acres of state and federal land, a community lighthouse, an area rich in mining history and Native American history are all a part of the legacy of the area.

Ontonagon County also boasts Michigan’s and the Midwest’s largest span of virgin hardwood maple/hemlock forest located within the boundaries of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.

For more information regarding the 14th Annual Porcupine Mountains Music Festival, visitwww.porkiesfestival.org or call 1-906-231-1589.

For campers with questions on reservations at any of Michigan’s state parks, contact the DNR’s parks call center at 1-800-447-2757 or 1-800-44PARKS.

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For more information, visit the DNR’s webpage at: www.michigan.gov/dnr.