Milford Music Festival charms listeners and performers

Posted 6/28/17

MILFORD, PA — The musicians lined the streets of Milford last weekend for the town’s annual Music Festival. The event kicked off on Friday, June 23 and offered a variety of singer and …

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Milford Music Festival charms listeners and performers

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MILFORD, PA — The musicians lined the streets of Milford last weekend for the town’s annual Music Festival. The event kicked off on Friday, June 23 and offered a variety of singer and songwriter performances through Sunday evening. With the festivities spread out across town and over those three days, even the most casual observer could stumble across something to enjoy: a brisk walk across Broad Street revealed a wide selection of folk, rock, indie and big-band performers, each standing in front of a different building and playing their own genres—and sometimes straying from them—for several hours at a time.

Indeed, while a formal schedule guided the festival, a great portion of its appeal stood in the many options for listening: you could stop and give full attention to individual songsters, or wander the streets and “browse” the various sounds around town, taking in the general air of music. Each venue was spaced out perfectly across the festival-at-large, and you could enjoy the songs, or the overall sound, without threat of cacophony.

The businesses around town were ready to host performers and listeners of all stripes, and the performers certainly found their landscape agreeable. “This is our fourth year,” said Donna Dale of Qween Pashmeen, who could be found singing “Over the Rainbow” on Broad Street. “It’s so much fun to be a part of the music scene in Milford. There’s lots of people around, it’s a beautiful town, there’s music everywhere, people are really festive and walking around—it’s great.”

Within the local scene, however, the festival also represents a community unto itself. Naturally, the musicians count themselves as music lovers, and outside their own scheduled venues, performers could be found wandering the streets, appreciating the talents of their peers. “I’m a musician myself, and I play the music fest every year with a band called the Tara Minstrels,” said Michael Zimmerman of Milford, who spoke to The River Reporter while listening to acoustic guitarist Walt Edwards sing The Beatles’ “In My Life.”

“… I played yesterday,” Zimmerman reported, “but I love to take the time to get around, to hear all of my friends perform. Walt here, I’ve seen him perform many times. He plays at the Waterwheel Café once a month on Saturday nights… just like, fantastic—traditional folk tunes, contemporary folk songs, pop songs. I could go on for a long time about the music fest… I performed, and I love to be the audience, too, when I come out.”

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