Benefit for Local Artist; Lost Home to Fire

• Philadelphia Folksong Society will be hosting a benefit concert May 6th, for member and long time volunteer, Kathleen Tannian Sheehan, whose Schwenksville area home burned on April 4th. The home was located next to the swimming hole by the Old Poole Farm property, where the Philadelphia Folk Festival is held each August.

Kathleen is a Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts trained artist who has created Artwork the Folksong Society has used to promote it's music events over the years. She is also known for her photography of the traditional music community in the Philadelphia area. She also is a competitive pumpkin carver - having carved and won many prizes over the decades at the Chadds Ford Carve, the Fonthill Carve Pumpkinfest in Doylestown, and the Hopewell Valley Arts pumpkin carve

Kathleen had lived in the home that was lost to flame for the last 35 years. She brought up her children there, on the banks of the Perkiomen Creek. Timothy, now of Blue Bell, and Dr, Molly Sheehan, Kathleen's daughter is running in the 5th district Congressional Race both grew up in the home and attended Perkiomen Valley Schools. Kathleen for over 20 years ran the Playful Cottage Art Center, teaching drawing programs in the Perkiomen Valley, such as Drawing For Amateur Naturalists, and portrait and figure drawing programs based on popular children's characters. Kathleen works in the autism field these days doing behavioral consulting.

The Heal The Burn Concert is a day long event -from 2:00 - 8:00 featuring many area bands - and guest musician Joe Crookston from Ithica who is coming down to perform at the event. Other bands include Philadelphia Folk Festival favorites The Gene Smith Band, Psych-A-Billy, Edge Hill Rounders, Rodeo Wind, Michael Spear, Rusty and Jan, Jeanette & Steve, Michael London & Ted Jordan. Philadelphia Folksong Society venue is located at 6156 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19128 Tickets available at
https://www.gofundme.com/kathleen-sheehan-fire-relief with a requested donation of $20 dollars. There are also volunteer opportunities available: kathleenhealtheburn@gmail.com