Arts & Entertainment
Joliet Dulcimer Society Performance
The Joliet Dulcimer Society will perform at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, at The Timbers of Shorewood, 1100 N. River Rd., Shorewood. The group plays traditional folk music, blues, polkas, sing-a-longs, patriotic songs and hymns.
Founded in 1991, the Society is a group of 11 musicians – one fiddle player, two guitar players, one percussionist, and seven mountain dulcimer players.
“We love to play different genres of music and to share our love of music with others,” said Eileen Diercks, a member of the Joliet Dulcimer Society. “Because the dulcimer is a very versatile instrument, it is conducive to playing a variety of music. At one of our performances we had a lady dancing in the aisle, and we do encourage people to get up and dance when we play a polka or other lively tunes.”
An American invention, the mountain dulcimer originated in the Appalachian region in the 19th century. It’s a fretted, plucked musical instrument which is also referred to as a lap dulcimer or a hog fiddle.
“My father-in-law made my dulcimer and gave it to me as a Christmas present many years ago,” Diercks said. “As I was working full time then, I did not have the time to learn how to play this beautiful instrument.
“About four years ago, a good friend knew I had a dulcimer, and she encouraged me to come to a practice of the Joliet Dulcimer Society. I found the group to be very warm and welcoming and forgiving of mistakes as well as being fun-loving, and I was hooked. We are like a family as we care for each one of our members.”
The performance is free and open to the public. For more information, call Shelly Goggins at 815-609-0669 or visit http://www.timbersofshorewood.com