by Pat Baker
The 29th annual Brockport Arts Festival will be held August 9 and 10 on Brockport’s Main Street. Times are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. The festival has grown to be one of the best-attended events in the region and offers quality artists, delicious food, and entertaining performers.
Allen Hopkins, legendary Rochester area folk singer, will be entertaining festival-goers on Sunday, August 10, at 1 p.m. at St. Luke’s Church in the center of the village.
Hopkins, an exceptionally versatile musician with expertise on a wide range of instruments, has a vast repertoire of folk and traditional songs and attracts a wide variety of people with his ability to play at least a dozen instruments. He usually brings samples from his personal collection to his performances. Even more impressive is the historical knowledge he shares of the pieces he performs.
New York is currently celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal’s completion. This year, Hopkins was asked to direct his encyclopedic knowledge to songs related to the canal which passes through the middle of the festival. Note the newly rebuilt Main Street lift bridge is scheduled to be open by festival time.
For those interested in more of Hopkins’ background, note that he regularly teaches beginners how to play harmonica, ukulele, etc. at the Hochstein School in Rochester. He has been invited for decades to the prestigious New England Folk Festival where he often leads the closing. He was one the original members of the Flint Hill Folks who played at the Genesee Country Village from its origin in 1975 to recent times. Last year he was invited to play before the annual “Lifespan Celebration of the Aging” dinner featuring the award-winning singer/songwriter Judy Collins. He also plays at hundreds of local celebrations, schools, and nursing homes. Hopkins agrees with Collins’ statement, “We can all perform at any age.”
For more information about the Brockport Arts Festival, visit https://brockportny.org/brockport-arts-festival/.
