PLAIN FOLK

by Les Pearson
How to Get More for Your Folk Music Dollar….

Welcome to Thursday morning's Canadian Idle! Gossip, that is. Local folk fans are busy buzzing about this season's Folk Music Club "Provincial Centennial" Concert Series. What are the five acts? Who are the performers? Should I get a series pass or hold out for individual concerts? These are serious questions for the entertainment bargain hunter.

Here are a few teasers and some solid investment advice. First, the "facts."

The new concert series includes a talented singer-songwriter duo, a renowned Canadian blues band, a rousing acoustic roots band, an amazing gospel and blues star, and a vaudeville-style swing band, rumoured to rival the now-famous Bills.

All acts come highly acclaimed and endorsed by our seasoned and competent Bookings Committee.

If you were not speculating, start now! Talk to your friends! These juicy morsels should set your tongue wagging like Dilbert's consultant dog. The series begins on October 1, extends through November 12, February 4, March 3, and ends appropriately with the swing stunner on April 1. Mark your calendars!

And now for great investment advice.

A regular series pass will be sold beginning September 10. That is the date for the Folk Music Club's Gala Kick-off Concert when the concert series acts will be formally announced. And, of course, October 1 is the first concert date. This leaves you just three weeks to purchase a regular series pass. After the first concert, the series pass is off the market.

Individual concert tickets regularly sell for a reasonable $20. But a series pass provides each concert for $16. Consider the savings! (You get one free concert with every pass.)

Now for the real bargain! On August 28, at the local Farmers' Market, series passes will be sold for an unbelievable $75. That is $15 for each concert! The reduced "Pig in a Poke" price is a test of trust. The Club offers a $5 bonus to patrons who buy a series pass without knowing the names of performing artists.

Only 150 passes-combined Pig in a Poke and regular series-will be sold. Be sure to get yours! And remember: a series pass entitles you to a lifetime membership in the Folk Music Club!