This Weekend: Mountain Music

There is a proliferation of folk music in Central Pennsylvania this winter. At least music that generally resembles folk. The Susquehanna Folk Music Society is as busy as it has ever been, and a number of local bars, coffeehouses and concert venues are booking acts playing all manner of folk-influenced music. In the next few months, Central PA folk and indie folk fans will have a chance to see artists as diverse as Earl Pickens, The Felice Brothers, Ani DiFranco, Denison Witmer, The Hackensaw Boys, Cheryl Wheeling, Keller Williams and The Welcome Wagon. That's just fine with me; I just wish someone around here would book Mumford & Sons. Pretty please? There are a few folky offerings this weekend, and whether or not that's your thing, here are some other weekend suggestions:

A band called The Youngers will be at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster on Friday night. They count as part of the folk revival I discussed above, though they aren’t one of my favorites. Also on Friday, the Hershey Bears will take on the Manitoba Moose at the Giant Center. Help them get back in the groove after the All-Star Break. Earl Pickens & Family, also discussed above, will be playing the Abbey Bar at the Appalachian Brewing Company on Friday night as well. On the theater front, the York Little Theatre continues its run of Twelve Angry Jurors and the Oyster Mill Playhouse will stage A Shot in the Dark. Friday would also be an ideal time to check out John Higdon’s exhibition of Photography from Antarctica at the Keystone Art & Culture Center in Lancaster. It closes on Saturday.

Speaking of Saturday, it would be a great time to visit the Ice Park at Clipper Magazine Stadium. In the evening, the aforementioned Denison Witmer will be helping Folklore Coffee & Company in Elizabethtown celebrate its grand reopening. The Bears are at home again on Saturday night, and acoustic artist Brad Yoder will be at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Midtown Harrisburg.  A bit further uptown, the Market Square Concert Series will be presenting the Cypress String Quartet at the Temple Ohev Shalom on Front Street. In York, the York Symphony Orchestra will be teaming up with ABBA Arrival for a Pops Concert at the Strand-Capitol.

Sunday there’s a Hibernation Hiatus Hike at Kings Gap Environmental Education Center in Huntsdale and also a terrific Wine Dinner at Devon Seafood Grill in Hershey. Was just there last weekend and loved it again.

Have fun kids.