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Music on Main

 



This weekend is the 9th annual Ellicott City Music Fest. You can check out the event page here, or immerse yourself in every possible detail about the event at their website.


Although the majority of the event takes place on Saturday, they’re also holding what they call pregame festivities on Friday evening. 

For starters, we’re pre-gaming Friday night on 4 stages – Oella River Band at Town Center Stage (5:30), Shee’s Unhinged at B&O Plaza (6 pm), Swamp Donkey at Wine Bin (6 pm), and Comedy & Big Band at Little Market Cafe (8 pm).

So, even if you’re not available Saturday, you can still pop in Friday and join in the fun. This map looks extremely helpful.



The first ever Main Street Music Fest took place in 2012, back when Patch reporters were still allowed to be actual journalists. Take a look at this piece by Brandie Jefferson:

Main Street 2-For-1: Fall Fest and Music Fest, Brandie Jefferson, Ellicott City Patch

It’s not a long piece, but it has actual information in it and it isn’t a prepackaged press release. I had forgotten that Main Street Music Fest originally appeared alongside a more established Ellicott City Fall Festival. Does that still exist? Did the two merge into one?

In a similar vein, Stone House Collective (remember them?) recently posted about an impromptu musical moment on Main Street.



Lower Main was treated to several hours of wonderful vintage music today ... Joe Fertitta, Past President of the Maryland Accordion Club, brought his beautiful Ukranian Zupan accordion and played for one and all ... we hope he returns soon !

A little research turned up a delightful photo gallery of Mr. Fertitta in the Baltimore Sun.

Joe Fertitta, Maryland Accordion Club, Baltimore Sun, 2014, photos by Jen Rynda

And an entire article!

Catonsville Man Trying to Bring Back the Accordion, Lauren Loricchio, video by Jen Rynda, Baltimore Sun

Joe Fertitta sat on the brick steps of his Cape Cod style home in Catonsville last Thursday, dancing his fingers across the keyboard of his accordion to play his favorite Italian tune, "Flight of the Angels."

It's a sound unlike most popular music heard today.

"We're trying to bring this accordion back alive again, for the young people to learn to play," Fertitta, 82, said.

If you’ve been paying attention, it may have occurred to you that Mr. Fertitta was eighty-two in 2014 and giving impromptu street concerts in 2022. Wow. I wish for all the musicians playing at Main Street Music Fest this weekend such long and musical lives. 

If you go to the festival, or have more to share about Mr. Fertitta, let me know:

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