07/02/2026
Two major changes for Musicians for Folknet’s Music in the Valley in 2026 -- Details below
Wine tasting and featured paid band move to Hale Farm side and informal jamming moves to Village side.
Folknet Musician Entrance and Check in is at Carriage Pavilion on Village side and Musician Parking is near this location, not in the field used in previous years.
In this 51st year of Music in the Valley at Hale Farm & Village, representatives from Folknet (a sponsor of the event for many of those years) were informed two weeks before this year’s event about some major changes in how the facility will be used at this year’s event. Folknet is sharing this information with musicians who may be planning to attend to help avoid confusion on the days of the event and to help those musicians in their own planning.
The two major changes are which parts of the facility will be used for which types of music and where the parking and entrance for musicians will be.
This year, the Hale Farm side of the facility (on the east side of Oak Hill Road) will be used for the Wine Tasting and the stage with the featured paid band (those have previously been on the Village side)
This year, the Village side of the facility (on the West side of Oak Hill Road) will be used for all of the informal jamming by groups and individuals that has previously been on the Hale Farm side.
According to the information that we have been given, this year, the Folknet entrance for musicians will be inside or near the Carriage Pavilion at the north end of the Village. After signing in there with the Folknet volunteers and getting the musician wristbands, groups and individuals will be encouraged to find appropriate places (probably under shady trees) in the main village area to set up and to play and sing. As usual, please bring your own seating, instruments, and whatever you need to be comfortable while making music.
Restrooms are available in the Carriage Pavilion.
A Folknet general membership meeting for anyone interested in finding out more about the things Folknet is involved in will be held at 3 PM on Saturday in or near the Carriage Pavilion.
The management of Hale Farm & Village has indicated that there will be signage along the road to direct musicians to the designated musician parking area for the Village side. Basically, when traveling north on Oak Hill Road, do not turn left (east) into the parking area for the gatehouse or the field that has usually been used for musician parking in the past. Instead, continue about 0.3 mile north on Oak Hill Road (past a little semicircular turnout on the right (east) side of the road to turn onto a service road on the right (east) side of the road. The Carriage Pavilion is less than 0.1 mile along that service road. Park where you can in the small parking lot behind the Carriage Pavilion or probably on either side of the service road.
Remember that the Folknet musician entrance is in or near the Carriage Pavilion at the very north end of the village so that parking at the Gatehouse or in the field that musicians have used previously will be the farthest away from the Folknet musicians entrance.
Folknet's Music in the Valley at Hale Farm & Village
Saturday, July 11, 2026 & Sunday, July 12, 2026⋅10:00am – 4:00pm
Daily, 2 times
Here is the information from the Western Reserve Historical Society in 2026 (https://www.wrhs.org/do-see/events/2026/07/11/music-in-the-valley-folk-wine-festival) website for the event.
Join us for a weekend of music, food, wine, and Ohio history celebrating 51 years of Music in the Valley!
Music in the Valley Folk & Wine Festival
Music has always been an important part of the Hale Family homestead, and we are excited to continue this tradition with our Music in the Valley Folk & Wine Festival! Presented in partnership with Folknet, the weekend highlights the history and growth of folk music along with live musical performances across our historic site--paired perfectly with local food history, historic demonstrations, and Ohio wine tastes.
NOTE: Regular admission tickets and wine tickets are available for day-of purchase at Hale Farm & Village.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS:
10am | Hale Farm & Village doors open
11am | Wine tents open, Tasting Ticket tent opens
Ongoing all weekend:
Period cooking demonstrations
Food history highlights--including fermentation talks and ice cream making
Hands-on activities and try-it-out opportunities for all ages (family friendly!)
