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

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Thu, October 2 - Julie Fowlis

Julie Fowlis Julie Fowlis New Cumberland
‘If snow could sing, it would sing like Julie Fowlis...’ This multi-award-winning artist, firmly grounded in Scotland’s language and wild landscapes, has charmed audiences across the globe and even in space. Local Celtic/Americana band Seasons opens the concert on Thursday, October 2 at West Shore Theatre. MORE

Fri, October 3 - Open Jam in Lancaster

Open Jam in Lancaster Lancaster
Bring your banjo or other fine-stringed instrument and have some fun learning the “art of the jam” with Mark Rast, Colebrook Road’s beloved banjo player, and SFMS. Don’t play an instrument? No sweat! Listeners are welcome too. FREE Open Jam Session in the Owen Grand Salon of the Ware Center, Lancaster. 6-7pm on Friday, October 3. MORE

Thu, October 9 - Cécilia

Cécilia York
Fresh and high-spirited music-making from three of Canada’s finest musicians. They bring the best of many musical worlds together, playing traditional, Celtic and Québecois with contemporary, classical, jazz and swing influences. This will be a warm, joyous evening of fine music shared with good friends. Concert on Thursday, October 9 at UUCY. MORE

Sat, October 18 - Fall Coffee House

Fall Coffee House Fall Coffee House Fall Coffee House Harrisburg
Susquehanna Folk Coffeehouses are intimate evenings showcasing Central Pennsylvania's fine amateur acoustic musicians, who play a wide variety of material for an attentive, music-loving audience. This edition of the Coffeehouse features a heaping helping of acoustic roots music, “old school” folk and stellar guitar work: bluesmen Hank Imhof and Lewis Bechtold as "Deuce on the Loose," folksinger Pat McCaskey, guitar wizard Randy Zwally, and blues fingerpicker Neil Tapp. FREE Coffeehouse concert on Saturday, October 18 at Fort Hunter Barn. MORE

Sun, November 2 - Hubby Jenkins

Hubby Jenkins Hubby Jenkins Highspire
An afternoon concert and workshop with an artist called “the joyous embodiment of the future of acoustic blues.” Articulate, enthusiastic and immensely talented, Hubby Jenkins is one of the brightest lights in a new generation of African American musicians. Like former bandmates The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Hubby goes deep, seeking blues from before it was blues, ragtime, jug band and string band music that became jazz and country... deeply American musical forms that all grew out of human experiences, stark social realities, and seismic changes in American culture. With special guest Hank Imhof. Concert & Workshop on Sunday, afternoon November 2 at Champions in Highspire. MORE

Sun, November 23 - Seán Dagher

Seán Dagher Harrisburg
From Celtic to Arabic, medieval to modern, from symphonies to sea shanties in video games: few artists can match Seán Dagher’s scope! We met him last fall as part of Skye Consort, and now we’re excited to have him here on his own. Concert on Sunday, November 23 at the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg. MORE
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Hubby Jenkins joins our Fall lineup

“the joyous embodiment of the future of acoustic blues”

Hubby Jenkins
Hubby Jenkins — November 2

One of the brightest lights in a new generation of Black musicians! Articulate, enthusiastic, and immensely talented, Hubby seeks the deepest roots of blues, early jazz and pre-country.
That uniquely American music (not to mention that uniquely American instrument, the banjo) sprang from life experiences within our complex American culture. Through that musical lens is a rich and nuanced perspective on American history, and also fine music, well played, by a knock-your-socks-off multi-instrumentalist.
Stay for his Master Class after the Sunday afternoon show, even if you don't play guitar.

Hubby joins a fall lineup that includes super‑groovy contemporary folk, snow‑scented music from Scotland, high‑spirited contemporary Québecois, the amazing multi‑genre musician whose sea shanties enliven the Assassin’s Creed video game series, and off-the-beaten-path music to warm the winter hearth.

Julie Fowlis Cécilia Seán Daghe Windborne: Music of Midwinter
Julie Fowlis October 2
Cécilia October 9
Seán Dagher November 23
Windborne Dec 9

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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.
Hubby Jenkins holds a banjo in his lap with the fretboard vertical. He is a Black man with dreadlocks, wearing black shirt, vest, and a patterned red tie.
Curtain call at a Black Opry show, with several Black artists (mostly women) celebrating.
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 stands in the corner of a brick-walled room, playing a banjo and gazing down toward his hands.
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.
Batida, the Harrisburg, PA-based duo of Mônica Teles and Chelsea Caroline, plays the music of Mônica’s native Brazil. When she was growing up, she says, the first thing to do in the morning was to turn the music on. Playing Brazilian music brings Mônica great joy, and keeps her connected to her roots. [Folk Artists Gallery]