Hair of the Dog: Wheatland Music Organization Benefit
Founders Brewery
Jan. 2, 2 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.
$5 cover; $15 suggested donation
wheatlandmusic.org

"It's not a train wreck, actually," assures Bruce Ling, founder of Hawks and Owls string band. He's referring to his inclusive style of playing music; during a festival or workshop where Ling plays, he often invites anyone to join him.

"Anybody with a string instrument is welcome to sit in," Ling says. "I once had 27 musicians with me." Ling founded Hawks and Owls in 1997 and it has since then traveled across the United States, playing for contra dances or in music festivals. The Wheatland Music Organization hosts a three-day music and dance festival near Remus over Labor Day weekend, and Ling has been attending the festival since the 80s.

The Wheatland Music Organization is a non-profit organization that works "as a resource center for the preservation and presentation of traditional music and arts," according to WMO's mission statement. And according to Ling, it is succeeding.

"It's a wonderful organization that's been serving the community in an educational and entertaining fashion...I consider the job well done," he says. "They've been educating people about traditional dance and so many people have gotten on board with this that there is no room for folks to dance."

Dancing is a major part of the traditional arts the Wheatland Music Organization seeks to sustain. Contra, clogging, Cajun, Celtic, step dance and folk dance have drawn quite a following over the years. About 15,000 people attend the summer festival, and the current 2500 square foot dance pavilion is too small to accommodate everyone. "People stand 20, 30 deep sometimes," Ling says.

WMO plans on enlarging the facility with an addition that will almost double the dance floor in size, also adding more storage, a bathroom and a better sound system. The new pavilion will be completed in time for the 37th Wheatland Festival in September.

To raise money for the addition, Wheatland is holding a benefit on Saturday, January 2 at Founders Brewery. Staring at 2 p.m., the event will have live music like Celtic group AnDro, the Blue Water Ramblers, Ralston Bowles, the Rhythm Billies, Rachael Davis, Seth Bernard and May Erlewine. The evening ends with dancing; Hawks and Owls, Ling's old time string band with dance callers from the Grand River Folk Arts Society will play for contra dancing, Jive at Five will lead swing dancing and K. Jones and the Benzie Playboys will finish with Cajun dance.

Besides the performing Wheatland favorites, there will also be a raffle for a pair of tickets to the summer festival, a silent auction for a variety of instruments and t-shirts for sale. There is a $5 cover for Founders, and Wheatland is asking for a $15 suggested donation.

"There is great history in this music we listen to," Ling says. "Music is like the voice of a people; it's a cultural thing that tells stories about the paths people have taken." Ling considers himself "a carrier of old traditions," an identity shared by the Wheatland Music Organization.