ELLNORA Guitar Festival: A Treasure Trove of Family Fun in Urbana
When it comes to family-friendly entertainment, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts has upped its game in recent years. And this year’s ELLNORA Guitar Festival is no different.
ELLNORA takes place at the Krannert Center for Performing Arts on Thursday-Saturday, September 5-7. Here’s the highlights and our tips to enjoy the festival.
What is NOT TO BE MISSED at ELLNORA (and FREE to boot):
WHAT: Danny Weinkauf and the Red Pants Band
WHEN: Music starts 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7; activity fun starts at 9 a.m.
WHERE: Krannert Center Lobby
WHY: Danny Weinkauf is a Grammy Award winner and longtime member of They Might Be Giants. Now with the Red Pants Band, Weinkauf packs his deliciously catchy tunes with pop beats and intelligent topics that reach kids with fun facts and life lessons ranging from cloud science and botany to self-esteem and voting. And about those red pants – they WILL wear them. And you can wear them, TOO!
WHAT ELSE TO KNOW: Grab a donut (for sale) beginning at 8:30am. KOOP Adventure Playground and Instrument Petting Zoo from The Upper Bout will begin at 9:00am—fun for children of all ages..
WHAT: ELLNORA Opening Night Party
WHEN: Starts at 5:30 pm on Thursday, Sept. 5; continues until 9 pm
WHERE: Krannert Center Lobby stage areas, and outdoor patios/amphitheater
WHY: If you love feeling the energy of the community and wonderful, global music that will move you to shake your moneymaker – this is the place to be. Come hungry — and plan on having dinner there, with food and drink available for purchase from Siam Terrace, Jet’s Pizza, Wood N’ Hog, Rick’s Bakery, and Caribbean Grill. See as many as FIVE different artists performing a wide variety of genres. For more on the night’s events, visit the full agenda HERE.
WHAT ELSE TO KNOW: During the Opening Night Party, visit Weiskamp Screen Printing for a demonstration and free souvenir, The Zoo Lady and Her Zoo Crew for face-painting fun. Outside, check out a great selfie spot—the Champaign-Urbana MTD’s “Krannert Center At 50” bus parked on Goodwin Avenue—and chalk art by Scott Barber on the Goodwin Avenue steps.
More Free Music (with lots of variety):
The following concerts are not labeled by Krannert as “family fun”, but they certainly look fun regardless. Something else you’ll notice: they are bands made up of all WOMEN. They are all FREE.
WHAT: LADAMA
WHEN: 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6
WHERE: Krannert Center Lobby
WHY: LADAMA’s artists hail from the traditions of Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and the United States. The group utilizes traditional and non-traditional instruments from across the Americas, but with a modern twist, to produce Latin Alternative music.
WHAT: The Bluebonnets
WHEN: 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7
WHERE: Krannert Center Lobby
WHY: Not surprisingly, this quartet hails from Texas – Austin, to be specific. They play a mix of folk/pop/rock/blues. That’s a lot to mix! Fun fact: their guitarist, Kathy Valentine, plays bass in the most successful all-girl band in rock history: The Go-Gos.
What Else to Know about ELLNORA:
Watch the making of a guitar: On Saturday morning after the Danny Weinkampf concert, stick around to go up close with the craft of guitar making! Rachel Rosenkrantz is a contemporary luthier with a strong sense of instrument-making traditions. This workshop, assisted by Upper Bout, will focus on how materials, shape, and structure influence the sound quality of three different guitars (classical, steel-string parlor, and jazz archtop). They that will be assembled with some audience participation.
There’s much more to be found at ELLNORA depending on the age and interests of your family members – catch a live podcast, a remote radio broadcast, do some sonic meditation set to live music; here a lecture. For more info on all of those topics, visit Krannert Center’s handy guide to ELLNORA’s FREE educational programming including lectures, workshops, and panel discussions.