North House Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Sold-out Unplugged Weekend
Unplugged 2022 was a massive success and an inspiring weekend of music, craft, and most importantly, community. See some photos and read about some of the highlights in this blog post.
The all-star ensemble wowed the sold out crowds on Thursday and Friday night, performing songs from all of their catalogs and some inspired covers.
North House’s campus was transformed during the last full week of September by the return of the big top tent for the 21st annual Unplugged concerts and gala fundraiser. “It was exhilarating to have three sold-out nights at the center of the event’s success,” shared Greg Wright, North House’s Executive Director, “but having the tent literally overflowing with youth and families during our free family performance with the Grammy-award winning Okee Dokee Brothers made my heart sing.” Wright estimated that over 200 families were on campus for the Saturday morning get-together, made possible in part by support from the Cook County Community Fund. “I couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate the 25th Anniversary than to hear all of those voices singing happy birthday to North House.”
Over 350 kids and 250 parents were part of Saturday morning’s free family performance with Grammy-award winning Okee Dokee Brothers.
“For all of our events we work hard to gather community, celebrate craft, share inspiration, and forge connections,” said Jessa Frost, North House’s Program Director. “This year we were honored to welcome famed basketmaker Steen Madsen from Denmark and author/textile artisan Kerstin Neumüller from Sweden, both of whom taught courses and were part of our speaker series. Free youth programs defined Saturday morning and the Folk Artisan Marketplace featured eleven of our skilled craft instructors.”
The skills, stories, and crafts of eleven different North House instructors were front and center during the Folk Artisan Marketplace. This year’s artisans included two visiting International Instructors: basketmaker Steen Madsen from Denmark and weaver Kerstin Neumüller(left) from Sweden.
Thursday and Friday’s performance included multiple nationally-recognized performers, including Grammy-award winning singer/songwriter Justin Vernon, Grammy and Tony-award winning singer/songwriter Anaïs Mitchell, Phil Cook, Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings of the Bad River Band, Joe Rainey Sr. of the Red Lake Band, Grammy-award winning multi-instrumentalist Mike Lewis, Cook County’s Barbara Jean Meyers, plus the incredibly talented Sean Carey, JT Bates, and Jeremy Ylvisaker. Lewis and Meyers played a central role bringing the performers to the Unplugged stage.
As part of celebrating North House’s 25th Anniversary, Jon Vezner (who initiated the creation of Unplugged starting in 2002) and Kevin Kling returned to the Unplugged stage for Saturday night’s Flannel Formal, which paired perfectly with Chef Scott Graden’s meal. Wright said, “Having Jon and Kevin on stage was the perfect culmination to this year’s celebration. During the past 25 years many people and partners have stepped forward to help North House move forward. Jon and Kevin are great examples of how people can make a difference in this world.”
“The generosity of supporters and the spirited involvement of numerous local businesses has made Unplugged into an integral part of our fundraising efforts,” reported Tom Morse, North House’s Development Director. Key priorities funded during the event included $15,000 for scholarships in the coming year, $15,000 to finalize funding for a first-phase solar panel installation on campus, $7,500 to advance North House’s growing commitment to youth, and $6,000 for the school’s year-round Work/Study program. “Our Unplugged efforts include multiple ways for people to support our mission and programs. Online, nearly 300 bidders participated in our Points North Auction. Points North has become a great way for us to at once highlight our incredible neighbors while also generating support for our mission,” noted Morse.
In total, North House raised a record-setting $104,000 during the event between auction items and fund-a-need contributions, exceeding the $100,000 goal, and eclipsing the $65,000 raised in 2021.
Dates are already in place for next year: Unplugged 2023 – Sept 14-17, 2023.
Special Thanks also to this year’s event partners: Visit Cook County, North Shore Winery, The Real Milk Paint Company, Voyageur Brewing, Bluefin Bay, Odyssey Resorts, North 61, Askov Finlayson, Cook County Whole Foods Co-op, Fulton Beer, Grand Marais Liquor Store, LHB, Minnesota Public Radio, Sawtooth Knife and Tool, Sisu + Löyly, and Superior Creamery.
North House also thanks: Dirty Dog Mfg., Siren Shrub Co., and Vikre Distillery