Tom Chapin to headline Crosslines folk festival

The Island Now

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Tom Chapin, whose career spans five decades, headlines the second annual Crossroads Folk Festival on Sunday, June 12. 

It will extend from 1-8 p.m. at Crossroads Farm on the grounds of the former Grossmann’s Farm, 480 Hempstead Ave. (intersection of Ocean Avenue) in Malverne. 

The farm is located just one-quarter mile from Southern State Parkway Exit 17-S and also within a few blocks of the Long Island Railroad’s Malverne train station.

The family-friendly festival will also feature performances by Long Island-based folk-rock harmony trio Gathering Time, New Jersey-based folk stylists Mara Levine and Mike Agranoff, and Long Island-based singer-songwriters Mike Barry, Marci Geller and Kirsten Maxwell, as well as a few up-and-coming local showcase artists earlier in the day. 

In addition, the Folk Music Society of Huntington will host a jam tent for those amateur and professional musicians with a desire to play, sing or just listen, while there are a playground and farm animals to keep youngsters entertained. Tickets — priced at $20 ($10 for students and seniors 60 and over) are available for purchase online at crossroadsfolkfestival.com and will also be available at the gate for an additional $5. 

More details on the festival, including parking information, also appears on the website.

 “Prior to last year’s launch of the Crossroads Folk Festival, there hadn’t been a full-fledged folk festival in southwest Nassau since Nassau Community College discontinued its annual event a decade ago,” said Gathering Time’s Stuart Markus, a Malverne resident who has been advising the Nassau Land Trust’s Farm Advisory Committee. “This slate of musicians will appeal to people who aren’t necessarily dyed-in-the-wool folkies,” he maintained. “Anyone who enjoys acoustic music and appreciates good songwriting will dig these acts.”

 Nassau Land Trust Chairman Rick White said: “Since we started managing this land as open space, we’ve held a number of special events to spur public interest in our sustainably run organic farm, and to increase awareness of issues facing our environment. We’re expecting this to be the biggest of our summer events.”

 Festivalgoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. A number of vendors will have food for sale, while Lithology Brewing Company and other local brewers will pour microbrews. New York State wines and soft drinks will be available for purchase as well.

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