Scots country singer Katee Kross can’t wait to close out the Strathaven Folk Festival this weekend.
The 22-year-old will headline the show at Glassford Village Hall on Saturday, July 27 to close the fourth festival.
The singer will perform with her band the Amberjacks at the show organised by the Glassford Community Group as the festival goes on tour across Avondale.
The event will feature dozens of performers playing sets at various venues, kicking off on the Friday evening with Skirlie joining the Drumclog Inn Festival Folk Club.
On the Saturday there will be a special children’s show ‘Artie’s Tartan Tales’ featuring former Singing Kettle star Artie Trezise at The Epicentre.
On the same day, a countless number of talented acts will perform on the ‘Unplugged Circuit’ at the Strathaven Hotel, The Barrier Shelter, The Buck’s Head, Roasted, Signposts, the Taal, The Barrie Shelter and many more.
Singer Katee says that she is planning a “wide-ranging set” for all those heading along for an “evening of Americana”.
She revealed: “We’ve been looking forward to this gig for the past few months now and we can’t wait to start playing.
“I know that there is a lot of enthusiasm for the festival in Strathaven, and rightly so.
“We have a wide-ranging set lined-up for everyone and we hope to see as many music lovers as possible there on the night.”
She added: “What the organisers are doing in Strathaven is hugely impressive.
“There are dozens of acts playing all over, and it’s just a thrill to be part of that. Festival atmospheres are a joy to behold and I hope that the place will be buzzing for what is a terrific line-up of events.”
Katee recently played a week of events near Dortmund in Germany – selling out one show in just eight minutes.
She has plenty more shows coming up, including a dual set with folk icons Raintown in East Kilbride next month.
“It’s been a busy summer for us already; Germany was amazing, and it was good to play for a very different audience,” she continued.
“Still, it’s hard to beat a home crowd and we’re hoping to have some huge shows over the next few months or so.”
Les Hoggan, one of the organisers behind the event, added: “We are delighted to have Katee performing in Glassford as part of the folk festival.
“It’s going to be a great night of live music and we would encourage as many people as possible to come along and enjoy it.”
Meanwhile, Strathaven and District Round Table hope locals will join them to raise a glass at the Beer and Gin Festival – and contribute to a kitty for the community.
The eighth annual event will kick-off at noon on August 3, and committee member Steve McGibbon expects there to be around 500 visitors throughout the day on Kirk Street.
He hopes to keep improving on last year as the Round Table boost their knowledge of top ales and great gins year-on-year and said: “We have had great support so far from the community and had another good year last year.
“We have been building up to this year. We will be well organised and have more micro-brewers on show – we also have a better understanding of what they do and are expecting a great year for the festival.”
The event allows the Round Table to help a number of people in the community, and Steve hopes to continue that trend again this year.
He went on: “So far we have bought defibrillators to help first responders in Strathaven and helped locals go on excursions to help some of the bigger charities.
“We have bought iPads for kids and schools and contributed to the Harris Farm toilets which allowed kids with special needs to go and visit the farm.
“It’s not just Strathaven and Avondale we focus on, we have helped out with the East Kilbride Men’s Shed amongst others.
“The money from the festival goes into a pot we use to help projects and people around Strathaven and the districts and we take requests for funding or to donate something and look at them on an individual basis.
“We rely on sponsorship and it depends on the response, but I would like to think we can raise about £1500 this year.”
Entry on the door is £5. More information can be found on the Round Table Facebook page.
