PAST EVENTS

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Music & Potlucks presented a very special President's Day event featuring Abraham Lincoln by Kevin Wood to support Housing Forward (www.housingforward.org). The online event featured music and readings by Abe Lincoln, Mark Dvorak and other special guests. 

Music & Potlucks hosted Songs for Peace and Justice, featuring a co-bill of Desi Vasquez with Greg Baroni and Mark Dvorak. This online event benefited Beyond Hunger (www.gobeyondhunger.org). 

Music & Potlucks hosted The 2021 Inauguration (High) Ball – a zoom event to benefit The Book Table in Oak Park, IL. (www.booktable.net) (https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-book-table-survive-the-pandemic). Participants were encouraged to wear Folk Formal attire and mixed themselves a drink to enjoy featured songs by Mark Dvorak, a song or two from friends, poems and fun facts about the history of US Inaugurations.

 Soup Cook-off, Folk Music Concert & Showcases This evening of music and gathering featured Chicago's "official troubadour" Mark Dvorak, with showcase presentations by the Randomosity recording duo Ashley & Simpson and Oak Park's talented Caudell Family Band.  Donations were accepted for Roseland Hospital in Chicago. Roseland is experiencing extreme hardship treating and fighting Covid 19 while under-resourced. Our community had already donated carloads of supplies, toiletries, air purifiers and a tablet, led by our very own Liz Ziehl. 

A free online concert featuring Mark Dvorak + fundraiser for Bed's Plus. Music & Potlucks partnered with the La Grange Public Library for this event.

Homecoming, Chili Cook-Off & Folk Showcases ZOOM virtual live stream, featuring Mark Dvorak and Friends. From the comfort of home, listeners joined the Zoom event and enjoyed the music. Listeners sent chili and favorite fall recipes to musicandpotlucks@gmail.com and  a PDF Cookbook from this event celebrating fall, friendship, food and folk music was made. Proceeds after costs to this ticketed event benefited Beyond Hunger: www.gobeyondhunger.org  

A Live Social Distance Concert featuring Mark Dvorak at Ambrosia Euro American Patisserie1710 Northwest Highway, Barrington IL. Gourmet pastries, steaming hot coffee, smooth singing, and masterful fingerpicking were on the menu at Ambrosia! This Music & Potlucks event benefits www.journeysthewayhome.org. This event was free, but donations were accepted for Journeys. 

Music & Potlucks, in cooperation with the CliffDwellers Club, presented Songs of Hope and Struggle, a Zoom program. Mark Dvorak, "Chicago's official troubadour" from the legendary Old Town School of Folk Music, performed the timeless songs of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie that speak of hope, freedom, peace and justice. Eve Moran (CD10) talked on the struggle for womens suffrage and its aftermath. A special performance by critically-acclaimed soprano Kimberly E Jones inspired and lifted up our human spirit.

 Mark Dvorak presents a benefit concert for Beyond Hunger.   Post a photo in the comments of your supper, snack or potluck item as you listen in! If you are so moved, head over to www.gobeyondhunger.org and make a donation. Every dollar raised can provide 3 meals! 

This is a Music & Potlucks event. All the material performed is copyrighted.

Music & Potlucks, presented a special concert, "Let Love Go On,” at the La Grange Public Library. We welcomed yogamohr.org as a co-sponsor of the concert! We celebrated Let Love Go On, the latest CD from Midwest folk troubadour Mark Dvorak.Those who attended brought store-bought desserts to share and in-date canned food items were accepted for donation to Share Love Share Food Pantry.

A Folk Festival Event Night at WDCB Public Radio with Mark Dvorak in concert, to benefit the Music and Potlucks organization. We heard Mark in concert in the comfy 'living room' at WDCB to a limited audience.

Jam & Potluck at the Priory Campus Auditorium of Dominican University. Acoustic instruments, singing voices, and appetizers  and desserts for the potluck. Listeners were especially welcome.

A folk music & dessert potluck at  River Forest Library in River Forest, IL. Mark Dvorak performed The American Folk Song, a program that examined the roots of American music through examples from African-American and British Isles traditions. Featuring songs, oral history, demonstrations, and the music of American folk artists such as Lead Belly, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. 

3rd Annual Folktober Fest at FitzGerald's SideBar celebrated folk music and the fall season.

Michael Smith, Heather Styka and Mark Dvorak performed. The event also featured a vocal workshop by Mark Dvorak, heavy appetizers/lite supper and acoustic jam, Songwriters in the Round and a closing jam.

Thursday Night Out – We love Folk Park

Hundreds of neighbors visited Marion Street on June 13th for a breezy summer evening of food from local restaurants, catching up with friends, and live folk music performed by Jenny & Robin Bienemann  and Mark Dvorak. Showcase “setlets” were performed by Exit Left and The Tell.  Thanks for coming out . Downtown Oak Park’s Thursday Night Out is a terrific way to spend a summer evening.

Pete Seeger 100th birthday celebration Tribute Concert,  Mark Dvorak and the Power of Song Singers

Martin Recital Hall is a terrific venue to try out a harmony. What fun we had singing together in memory and honor of the legendary Pete Seeger. We also enjoyed hearing some of Mark Dvorak’s outstanding original music.  Pete once said, “Being generous of spirit is a wonderful way to live.”   Concert attendees helped us forward more than $2,000 to area agencies. Thank you to our generous partner Dominican University!

Acoustic Jams were held on 2/10 and 3/16, here is the press release:

http://www.markdvorak.com/news--buzz/music--potlucks-2.html

A potluck in a private home in Chicago followed by an Acoustic Jam at The Grafton Pub. We raised enough money on 1/1 to purchase more than 1,000 meals  through Beyond Hunger for our neighbors experiencing hunger, as well as dozens of toiletries and more than 100 pounds of food .