ALPENA — The Thunder Bay Folk Society has received a $3,800 grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs to help fund the 2021 Thunder Bay Folk Fest. The 7th Annual Festival will take place Sept. 24-26, 2021 at the Alpena Antique Tractor Showgrounds on French Road in Alpena.

“It’ll be used to pay the musicians,” said Bonnie Bartz, TBFS board member. In past years, the festival has had over 100 musicians and about 12 vendors, she said.

Last year’s folk festival had to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was heartbreaking,” Bartz said of canceling the festival in 2020. “We didn’t make the decision until July, but that’s when it became evident that it wasn’t going to happen.”

She has “high hopes” for this year’s event, although she said it may have to be scaled down a bit.

“We are really hoping that it will be able to happen this year,” she said. “It might be a little bit smaller this year,” she added, because they anticipate that business contributions may be fewer because of the challenging economic climate.

She said people can expect to be highly entertained as usual, though.

Bartz added that the board works hard all year long to prepare for the festival.

“We plan all year long,” she said. “The board meets once a month (with the exception of October, which is a recooperation month) to discuss what needs to be done … it takes a lot of people to put it on.”

The grant was awarded through the MCACA peer review process and was one of 10 applications to compete for MCACA fiscal year 2021 funding.

Organizations receiving a MCACA grant award are required to match those funds with other public and private dollars. Local support of the project included donations from many local businesses.

TBFS also received grants from the Community Foundation of Northeast Michigan (Community Impact Grant), the First Federal Communities First Foundation, and the Erwin/VanKoughnett Family Fund at the Chicago Community Foundation.

The society also receives significant volunteer support from the community, including the Alpena Boys and Girls Club and over 100 volunteers helping on festival weekend.

They also “receive tremendous in-kind support from local businesses who loan us generators, help with sound, provide food for musicians, and provide many services,” Bartz said in a press release.

The Thunder Bay Folk Society presents an annual weekend music festival at the Alpena Antique Tractor Showgrounds on French Road the last full weekend of September. The festival books musical talent from across the state, with a variety of genres of music and cultures. It also provides an opportunity for local musicians to showcase their talent. It also brings in hundreds of tourists to the area.

For more information, visit thunderbayfolkfest.org.