ROXBURY - On a late-May afternoon, when the mountains begin to settle into their summer rhythm, the Roxbury Arts Group and WIOX Community Radio Catskills will once again invite the public to gather for a celebration that is equal parts concert and community ritual.
“Homegrown Sounds,” returning Saturday, May 23, from 3 to 6 p.m. at Roxbury Arts Center, is less a formal performance than a carefully curated convergence of local talent and local spirit. The event, which debuted last August, is structured with intention but carries the easy familiarity of a backyard gathering—board members at the grill, drinks in hand, music drifting between conversations.
At its core, the fundraiser supports two institutions that have become fixtures of the region’s cultural infrastructure: Roxbury Arts Group and WIOX. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit both organizations, which have long worked in tandem to sustain a sense of creative continuity across the central Catskills.
This year’s lineup reflects the eclecticism that defines the local music scene. Guitarist Jeff Entin will be joined by folk musician William Duke, whose performances feature instruments as unconventional as the shovel guitar alongside the mountain dulcimer. Dani Epstein, a Margaretville-based psychotherapist and vocalist, brings a repertoire rooted in Broadway and American standards, while Marilyn Kirby’s Bad Math Trio offers a blend they describe as “smooth adult retro contemporary” music.
Other acts—including Walter Dominicis and His Cuban Blues, Loli and the Pops, Whisky Lily, and Sue’s Garage—round out a bill that moves comfortably across genres, from classic rock and blues to country, jazz, and pop.
The event also marks the launch of Roxbury Arts Group’s season-long 50/50 raffle, an additional effort to sustain programming through the year.
Tickets are offered at multiple levels, with free admission for those 16 and under, reinforcing the event’s emphasis on accessibility. Organizers describe the afternoon not as a spectacle but as an invitation—to listen, to linger, and to participate in a shared cultural life that, in small towns, depends as much on presence as it does on performance.
More information is available at roxburyartsgroup.org or by calling 607-326-7908.
