Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival

The tenth annual Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival convened on September 21-23 at its now regular location, Orbisonia and Rockhill Furnace. I know—that’s two locations, but these small towns adjoin each other, and each houses one event venue. The Presbyterian Church in Orby is where all concerts are held, but the Trolley Museum (which is worth a visit for the trolleys as well) in Rockhill is the site of the two meals that are part of the weekend package, and the Friday night jam at festival director David Brightbill’s B&B, located across from the museum and, not coincidentally, called the Iron Rail. According to David, attendance was up a little from last year, always a favorable sign. The roster of performers changes little year-to-year: pianists Richard Dowling, Frederick Hodges, Brian Holland, Adam Swanson, and Bryan Wright; drummer Danny Coots; and pianist-singer-emcee Domingo Mancuello. Missing this year were Daniel Souvigny, who is now a student at Berklee Music School in Boston, and Bryan’s wife Yuko, who was in Japan on family business. Domingo returned after a work-related absence of several years; he is a production assistant and stage manager at the historic (1852) Fulton Theater in Lancaster, so he often works weekends. Despite a mostly constant roster of performers, the program does not repeat the same themes every year, helping ke