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Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival

I write this report with some trepidation, hoping that it will not spoil a good thing.

The Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival has for the past seven years brought some of America’s best pianists to two small isolated towns that are strained to accommodate them. Except for one B&B, the nearest lodging is 15 miles away, restaurants are limited to Subway and a pizza joint, and there are few other businesses. The library is only open three days a week. I could make a joke that the town is so small that the Baskin Robbins only has three flavors, but there’s no Baskin Robbins. How, or why, you might ask, could a festival survive here?

Joplin

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November 2026

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