Great River Folk Fest brings new and old songwriters together

Festival offered a competition for local songwriters and performers to win a 6-hour studio session

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — La Crosse’s Riverside Park had its fair share of music and festivities this weekend.

The annual Great River Folk Fest brought more than 30 performers to visitors and residents.

The festival offered a competition for local songwriters and performers to win a 6-hour studio session, and children’s events ranged from comedy and magic to mini children’s concerts.

The fest allowed local and aspiring musicians to make some important connections.

“We’ll have local musicians like the Pig Town Fling, they’ll be sitting right next to studio masters like Peter Ostroushko and Dean Magraw sharing a workshop. How great is that? If you were a local musician like Jesse McDonald, it’s just fantastic, these are heroes,” said Great River Folk Fest Chair David Schipper. 

This was the 40th year of the annual festival.