Winterfest Continues With A Free Concert on Saturday

Vernon's Winterfest activities are scheduled to continue this weekend with a free family concert on Saturday.

The concert will feature Mike Kachuba and Jeff McQuillan, both former Connecticut State Troubadours. The show is slated for 2 to 4 p.m. at Bev's Corner in Downtown Rockville next the the Union Congregational Church.

Winterfest is sponsored nyu the Rockville Community Alliance and the town's Parks and Recreation Department.

The concert will feature two sets of music with a meet-and-greet intermission with light refreshments.

Kachuba and McQuillan play a variety of instruments and are combining  their talents to present a program of original and traditional music to audiences of all ages.

The instruments range from African, Latin and Brazilian percussion and
the ancient stringed hammered dulcimer to concertina, mountain dulcimer,
guitar, bass and trumpet.

McQuillan is a well known figure throughout the state, both as a solo performer and through his work with Mikata, the world percussion ensemble.

He was the 1998 Connecticut State Troubadour.

Kachuba has been active in performing and concert production for more than 20 years in Connecticut. He was the 1996 state Troubadour and is known for his solo work as well as his years with the Ash Creek String Band.

Both Kachuba and McQuillan are on the Connecticut Commission on the Arts Performance Roster and the Roster of Young Audiences of Connecticut.

In addition, Kachuba is on the Master Teaching Artists Roster for the CCA.

In 2003, he worked with Northeast Elementary School in Vernon to produce
a collection of 12 songs about Vernon history entitled, “New Songs About Old Vernon.”

The combining of the pair's talents grew out of a recent CD project Kachuba did called “The Fisher Boy,” a collection of songs he had written based on the American impressionism paintings on exhibit at the Florence Griswold
Museum. When recording time came, He knew that his colleague Jeff was exactly the musician he needed to make this collection sound just right.

They had their first performance together at the Griswold Museum in  January 2003, and have been performing in concerts at various venues since.