Date set for Raccoon music festival

Traditional music — bluegrass, old-time, blues, folk, Irish, and more — will be the centerpiece of a daylong festival on Aug. 10 in Burton Village.

The Raccoon County Music Festival, which runs from noon to 7 p.m., will feature authentic acoustic musical performances on two stages, square dancing, spontaneous jamming, and more, according to a news release.

The festival will be held at the Geauga County Historical Society’s Century Village Museum, 14653 East Park St.

There will be food for sale at the festival, but event-goers are also permitted to bring their own meals and encouraged to bring chairs and blankets, the release stated.

Admission is $10 for those ages 13 and older; $5 for children ages 6-12; and free for children under 6.

For up-to-date information on the event schedule, visit www.raccooncountymusicfestival.com or the festival’s Facebook page.

Swing dance planned for Aug. 2

The Aug. 2 Bainbridge Swing Dance will feature a live performance by “Blue Lunch.”

The Swing Dance begins at 9 p.m. at Bainbridge Township Town Hall, 17826 Chillicothe Road. It will be preceded by a one-hour swing dance lesson at 8.

Experienced and non-experienced dancers are welcome, and this public, family-friendly event is open to all ages, according to a news release. No partner is required for the lesson or the dance.

Admission is $10 for youths ages 9-17 years, $15 for adults, $35 per family and free for those 8 and younger. Admission includes the lesson and live performance and dance.

Blue Lunch is a late 1940s and early 1950s band featuring a three-piece horn section, upright bass, drums, keyboards, guitar, and harmonica, along with multiple singers and harmonies.

A different live band performs the first Friday of every month. For additional information, contact Will Craig at 216-316-0068 or willrcraig@gmail.com.

Volunteers sought for CityFest

Mentor is seeking volunteers for its largest community festival — Mentor CityFest

Hospice sets next volunteer classes

Hospice of the Western Reserve is seeking volunteers to assist in private residences, nursing homes, assisted living communities, its three Hospice House locations, and hospital settings.

Opportunities to serve are diverse: visit patients and families to provide companionship, socialization, and comfort; help with legacy work, transportation, light housework, and meal preparation; run errands; make phone calls; help with clerical work; attend health fairs; and make presentations.

Volunteers with specialized professional qualifications and training — attorneys, licensed hair dressers, massotherapists, pet therapy dogs and their handlers — are also needed.

The next series of volunteer classes will be held at Hospice of the Western Reserve, 300 East 185th St. in Cleveland, on Aug. 20, 22, 27, and 29, from 6 to 9 p.m. Non-clinical volunteers attend only the first class on Aug. 20 while most other volunteers attend all classes.

Pre-registration is required. For more information, or to register, call the volunteer team at 216-2559090.

Orchestra holding Young Artists Competition

Euclid Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Matthew Salvaggio have announced the first Tom Baker Young Artists Competition.

The competition is open to any advanced musician (instrumental or vocal) age 18 or younger who is capable of performing appropriate concerto-level (or equivalent) virtuosic works, according to a news release.

The competition winner will receive a $500 cash prize and a performance with the Euclid Symphony Orchestra.

The date of the competition will be Oct. 30, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Shore Cultural Centre in Euclid.

The competition is named in honor of Tom Baker, a longtime friend, donor, and member of the Euclid Symphony Orchestra, the release stated. He died earlier this year.

The community orchestra is entering its 59th season. For complete competition information and an application, visit www.euclidsymphonyorchestra. com. For questions, email Matthew Salvaggio at ESOYoungArtists@gmail.com.