The Cincinnati-based duo, “Over the Rhine,” and 15 other acts will perform folk, jazz, bluegrass, blues and a capella music at the 2006 Mennofolk festival in Harrisonburg on Friday, Oct. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 14, during EMU’s .

The weekend will begin with Friday night concerts at three downtown Harrisonburg locations.

Chicago songwriter Rachel Ries and Michigan-based folksinger Andru Bemis will perform 7 p.m. at the Artful Dodger. An 8 p.m. concert at the Daily Grind on Court Square will feature blues by Alex Albrecht and original folk music by Keith Hershberger. At 9 p.m., Trent Wagler and the Steel Wheels and Crozet songwriter Jon Nafziger will perform at the Little Grill.

Over the Rhine

Over the Rhine will perform 8 p.m. Saturday in EMU’s Lehman Auditorium.

The duo, comprised of Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist, has released 15 albums, including the critically acclaimed two-CD set “Ohio.”

Over the Rhine has performed and recorded with Cowboy Junkies and opened for Bob Dylan. The duo’s music has been heard on such TV programs as Bones, Third Watch, Jack and Bobby, Felicity and Mysterious Ways, as well as on international compilations alongside artists such as Radiohead, Coldplay and Dido.

Over the Rhine recently signed a recording contract with the Virgin/Back Porch label. More information about OTR is available online at .

Sons of the Day

Beginning at 4 p.m. Saturday, performers will present one-hour sets on three stages on the EMU campus. The lineup includes jazz by Ryan Kauffman, a capella music by Sons of the Day, Finely Tuned and the Foresingers, topical folk by Chuck Neufeld and traditional bluegrass by Daphna Creek.

Other Saturday performers include the Katie Grove Band, Dave Nealon & Case Studies and Tim Shue. Each of the Friday night performers will also appear.

More information about festival performers is available at .

During the Saturday afternoon and early evening concerts, food from the Little Grill will be available for purchase at the EMU snack shop. Shanks Bakery will sell food at Martin Chapel.

Festival Includes ‘Open Mike’ Session

Following the Over the Rhine concert, the festival will conclude with an 11 p.m. open mike session at the Common Grounds coffee bar on the EMU campus.

Tickets to the multi-stage concerts are $12, or $35 per family (parent or guardian and children). Admission to the Over the Rhine concert is $12, or $8 with a multi-stage ticket. Children under six years old will be admitted free.

Admission to the Artful Dodger and downtown Daily Grind concerts is free.

More information about the 9 p.m. Friday concert is available from the Little Grill.

Tickets to the Saturday events can be ordered through the EMU Box Office at 540-432-4582 or online at . A service charge will be added. Tickets also are available at Red Front Supermarket in Harrisonburg and at the door.

This year’s festival is being held in conjunction with EMU’s homecoming weekend. More information about homecoming events is available from the alumni office at (540) 432-4204 or online at .

The festival is made possible, in part, through a grant from the Arts Council of the Valley. Major support also comes from Virginia Mennonite Conference.

Three traveling minstrels from Mennofolk, an international Mennonite folk music festival, will perform in at EMU Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. at Common Grounds coffeehouse.

, of Chicago, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and local talent Alex Albright of Harrisonburg will present a song-swapping format, showcasing their unique mix of folk, Appalachian blues and newly-written, funky vintage sounds.

Rachel Ries hails from a Mennonite community in the vast expanses of South Dakota, where she first began raising her melodious and lilting voice while learning to appreciate country living. She currently resides in Chicago’s west side.

Singer Rachel Ries

Ms. Ries is classically trained in voice, piano, violin and viola, but her music has long since evolved into her own, less classifiable, sound – a bit country, a bit lullaby, and maybe a bit siren song. With an adventurous ear for melody and a voice flexible enough to accomplish it, she delivers sweet and often sad, intelligent songs.

Ries has also worked with members of the Goldmine Pickers, an Indiana band that recently played at the Little Grill in Harrisonburg, and together they played well-received shows in Ireland/N. Ireland in November 2003. She will be performing this time with friend Louis Ledford, also from Chicago.

Andru Bemis, another Mennonite performer, has played violin for 22 years, guitar for eight and banjo for two. His self-taught fingerstyle guitar and banjo method and his high plaintive voice immediately set his music apart from that of most contemporary singer-songwriters. Wendy Chappell-Dick, organizer of the Mennofolk festival, describes Bemis as "a young man who sings like a 30