Mount Morris

Music downtown and at the dam

Folk music aficionados who have been house bound this winter may wish to venture out for the weekend and catch two noteworthy concerts taking place in Mount Morris.

This year’s Winter Lecture Series at the Mount Morris Dam’s Hoyt Visitors’ Center features the theme “Proud to be an American.” On Saturday, Feb. 12, the series takes a musical turn when Howard and Cher Appell and an assortment of guests present a chronological look at America’s history as it is documented in patriotic songs.

The event is free and open to the public and starts at 1:00 p.m.

Guests will include Mike Garrison (fiddle and drums), Michael Voelkl (mandolin), Mark Arnold (dobro), Phil Recchio (guitar) and Len Squires (guitar) from the Potluck Band — the acoustic jam group which meets second and fourth Tuesday evenings at the Livonia Inn. The Potluckers will be accompanied by Howard on guitar and Cher on banjo and guitar.

Also on hand will be squeezebox accordion player Johnny Quinn from Portageville and special guest Roger Yencer of Mount Morris. Roger will be performing his original tune, “What War Means to Me,” which relates his experiences as a Vietnam combat veteran.

The music will span not only different eras of history, but different viewpoints of patriotism as they existed in those eras.

Howard promises a spirited and rollicking concert which will appeal to persons of every political persuasion.On Sunday, Feb. 13, beginning at 4 p.m., Joe and John Dady will be playing at Theatre 101, which is the former Elim Church/Provo Party House at 101 Main Street in Mount Morris. Admission is $10.

The concert will continue to 6:30 p.m. There will be an intermission during which Chef Tim Knowles of Questa Lasagna will have pre-Valentine’s Day pastries, coffee and tea — cost of which is included in the admission price.

The building is now owned by developer Greg O’Connell. The room layout which served for Elim worship services is very adaptable for theater, concerts and other public gatherings.

Rick and Cathie Barry are serving as volunteer agents and producers for events coming to Theatre 101. “Mount Morris Theater, Inc,.” a corporation originally set up to occupy the old Family Theater, is the sponsoring entity.

A reader’s theater of Truman Capote’s ‘Christmas Memory.’ was the Barrys’ first program, held in conjunction with the unveiling of the Christmas angels. SUNY Geneseo theater students will be bringing productions to Theatre 101 on a regular basis, including ‘The Fantasticks’ at the end of this month. The first and third Thursdays of the month will be reserved for open mic concerts. Summer Stock theater, with an eye to capturing an audience of Letchworth Park visitors and other summer traffic, is also in the works.

Cathie envisions Theatre 101 playing an integral role, along with the new stores and restaurants, in making Mount Morris the county’s principal entertainment and eating destination.

The Dady Brothers concert will be the first “big time” act to come to Theatre 101. The brothers are local music legends, fixtures of the western New York music scene for 36 years. They are known for their on-stage wit and their special brand of Irish music. Between them, Joe and John play fiddle, mandolin, guitar, bodhran, banjo, uilleann pipes, harmonica and penny whistle. Their wide range of stylings, besides the Irish, take in country, bluegrass, and folk music.

In a Monday interview, Joe Dady noted that he and Rick Barry are good friends and that he is glad to help out with the launching of the new theater.

Joe and John have played all over the world — including Alaska, the Caribbean and 26 tours of Ireland — but, ironically, do not appear that frequently in Livingston County, even though Joe has lived in Conesus for the past decade. (There are shows at St. Agnes, St. Matthews and Vitale Park.) Joe suggests that this Sunday’s show will be a excellent opportunity for those who haven’t seen the brothers for a while to “check out those Dady boys.”

You can make reservations for the concert at theatre101@live.com or purchase tickets at the door.