Rolling out for the 20th year, the festival boasted concerts, instrument vendors and workshops at Kalamazoo Valley Museum for an upbeat audience on Saturday. Recap, photos and video highlights.
Frets Galore: Guitars, mandolins and more attracted Fretboard Festival crowds on Saturday. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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Seasoned players, fledgling musicians, families, guitar makers, jam sessions.
The 20th Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival had all that and much more on Saturday at Kalamazoo Valley Museum, with crowds browsing instrument vendors and catching performances by 10 Michigan acts on three different stages over the course of the eight-hours-plus event.
From the gypsy jazz of The Birdseed Salesmen to the rock of up-and-coming Zero Sun to the string-rich chorus of the Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra, the annual free festival entertained a diverse crowd of more than 1,500 with a diverse blend of musical styles.
Indeed, Laurie Jarski’s Blues Aside Project, Joel Mabus and other performances in Mary Jane Stryker Theater attracted such robust, overflow crowds that museum staff had to provide extra space for attendees to enjoy the show via video feed inside the planetarium next door.
“I’ve just been hearing lots of positive things, so it’s been great. Lots of excitement and people are just thrilled that we’ve been here for so long,” said Anna Koenig, weekend program coordinator for Kalamazoo Valley Museum, noting that young and old were enjoying the day.
Unique Set: Lillian Werbin and Darcy Wilkin. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
“I saw, I think it was like three generations — an older guy who was like, ‘Oh, I was here for the first one.’ And then I think his dad was in the middle and then the grandson. So that’s nice to see.”
The Festival featured a variety of 21 vendors, many of them string instrument craftspeople. Curious kids wandered from exhibit to performance to vendor with their families. People flowed constantly, moving and talking as much as they listened, participating in the experience that included intimate “pop-up” shows on the second floor and continues jams hosted by the Great Lakes Acoustic Music Association.
“Kalamazoo is such a great place,” said Penny, a vendor with Mandrayk of Grand Rapids, an independent guitar shop, adding that she was impressed by the local “curiosity and inspiration” and “so many people connecting over the diverse world of guitars.” She highlighted how the festival is a tradition for many and “a lot of people have been coming here for years.”
Kalamazoo concertgoer Candace Williams came to the Festival for the first time thanks to a friend’s recommendation. “I like any kind of guitar, mandolin, cello,” said Williams, who sampled many different artists before heading to an evening performance at Chenery Auditorium.
This year’s festival also focused attention on the mandolin, with Grand Rapids mandolinist Brian Oberlin of Full Cord opening the weekend with a special Friday night show and closing out Saturday’s performances with an everybody-is-invited jam session. Folk artist, historian and multi-instrumentalist Joel Mabus also staged a mandolin workshop as part of Saturday’s lineup.
“We’re really, really happy that the community is still so involved with it,” Koenig said. “We do want to see it continue, so keep coming out, keep supporting us so we can keep having this really great festival that I think really highlights a really unique and fun part of our community, which is fretted instruments.”
VIDEO: Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival (3/22/25)
PHOTO GALLERY: Fretboard Festival 2025
Photos by Derek Ketchum
