Schedel Arboretum to host music, arts festival

Daylong fund-raiser scheduled for Aug. 2

Rod Noble, executive director of the arboretum and garden, wants to raise $50,000 for educational programs.

ELMORE — The whimsically named WoodsStock Music and Arts Festival coming up next month at the Schedel Arboretum and Garden might summon memories of the storied 1969 Woodstock Festival, but comparisons end there.

“We’re trying not to make the correlation too direct,” explained Rod Noble, Schedel’s executive director.

The daylong Aug. 2 festival is the first of what Mr. Noble plans to make an annual fund-raiser for the elegant, richly landscaped 17-acre garden estate near the Ohio Turnpike where Ottawa and Sandusky counties meet.

He’s hoping for an attendance of 1,000 to 3,000 lovers of music, art, and food, and wants to raise close to $50,000, which would be used to support Schedel’s educational and children’s programs.

The festival will have eight bands on two stages, food courts by Rosie’s Italian Grille and Rosie’s Rolling Chef, a juried fine arts show, and a vintage car show.

“We really hope people come out and support us, to keep Schedel gardens going,” Mr. Noble said.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to midnight. General admission tickets are $25 in advance. VIP tickets, for $45, admit the holder to a special area with a bistro bar and include two drinks. Both kinds of tickets can be purchased at woodsstock.org. The price is $5 more at the gate. Parking is at Woodmore High School, with a free shuttle running every 10 minutes. Mr. Noble said signs will be posted with directions. The garden and arboretum is near turnpike exit 81.

The musical headliner is the Wheeler Brothers Band, from Austin. The three brothers, whose parents are from Toledo, take the stage at 7:30 p.m., to perform a fusion of indie rock guitar and Americana folk. The band’s second album, Gold Boots Glitter, was released last year.

The music begins at 10 a.m. with Kerry Patrick Clark. At 11:45 a.m., Twisted Strands takes the stage to perform Celtic music, followed at 1:30 p.m. by the Skip Turner Band playing jazz.

Corduroy Road, a three-piece acoustic ensemble, plays at 3 p.m. At 5:15 p.m., the Bourbon Street Band will play rock, rhythm, and blues from the original Woodstock, and at 9 p.m., Mikey Blue Barone will play the blues with his guitar and harmonica. At 9:45 p.m., Phil Barone and the Cruisers, the star of Rosie’s Italian Grille, will play tributes to Joe Cocker and Jim Morrison.

Mr. Noble said more than 60 artists, some from as far afield as Florida, will have their work on display at the art show.

“There will be an artists village on the grand lawn area,” he said. “The art show is something we want to grow into.”

Contact Carl Ryan at: carlryan@theblade.com or 419-724-6095.