The Four Lakes Traditional Music Collective is excited to announce the unveiling of the Four Lakes Forest Mead, a custom mead created for the 16th annual Sugar Maple Music Festival by Colleen Bos of Bos Meadery.

This 12% ABV botanical mead is infused with juniper, spruce tips and rose petals.  Like a stroll through a lush northern forest, the Four Lakes Forest mead is light, crisp and refreshing; reminiscent of a fine gin.

At its most basic, mead is simply fermented water and honey, typically about the strength of wine (11-14% ABV.) Bos Mead is Field to Glass drinking that reflects the flavor of the surrounding landscape. It is a celebration of our Wisconsin flora in drinkable form.

Cheers!

The Four Lakes Traditional Music Collective (FLTMC) is a non-profit organization which not only produces the Sugar Maple Music Festival and Sugar Maple Concert Series but also supports the art of traditional music and dance throughout the greater Madison community. FLTMC provides educational and performance opportunities that bring together people of all ages to celebrate diverse musical traditions.

In holding with our mission, FLTMC is proud to sponsor Music con Brio’s Summer Workshop.  The workshop is a chance to spend a whole day making music with Music con Brio and an amazing guest artist, culminating in a side-by-side performance!  This year’s workshop is August 4 and will feature 2019 Sugar Maple Fest mainstage artists the Barnes, Gordy, Walsh Trio! 

Danny Barnes (the Bad Livers, Dave Matthews Band), roots music legend and recent winner of Steve Martins’ Prize for Excellence in Banjo, is teaming up with two young creative voices of the acoustic world: Mandolinist Joe K. Walsh (the Gibson Brothers, Mr. Sun) and guitarist Grant Gordy (David Grisman Quintet).  Come spend the day hanging with the guys honing your bluegrass style and jamming together in concert!

Open to ALL musicians age 10 and up with at least two years of experience on their instrument.  

The workshop will be held at the Goodman Community Center. $40 per workshop for current Music con Brio students, $60 per workshop for others. Lunch, snack and t-shirt included! Register online at: www.musicconbrio.org

Special thanks to our event sponsors: the Sugar Maple Music Festival, Total Administrative Services Corporation (TASC), and the Goodman Community Center.

Mark your calendar for the 2019 Sugar Maple Music Festival to be held August 2-3 at Lake Farm County Park in Madison.  If year 15 was any indication, the next festival promises even more amazing music, dancing and jamming along with the many other activities you have come to love about the Sugar Maple fest!

Our sincerest thanks to everyone who came out last weekend and enjoyed our 15^th annual festival!  The weather couldn’t have been better as we listened to music on the main stage, got to know artists and traditions on the Roots & Reasons Stage and made music together in the jam tents.

2018 was also a year of firsts… first instrument-making workshop for the kids, first musical yoga and first climbing wall.  What will 2019 bring?  Stay tuned for details!

Check out more photos from 2018!

Thanks to all of you – music fans, sponsors, donors, volunteers and more – for helping build and nurture community through music. It takes every single one of you to help make our community – and the festival – what it is.

— The Four Lakes Traditional Music Collective

Welcome to the 15th Annual Sugar Maple Music Festival! We are at 7 hours 46 minutes away and counting…

Whether this is your first time or 15th time joining us, here are some tips and helpful information.

• Bring the kids!  We are a family-friendly festival and ages 17 and under are free.
• We have food!  Check out this year’s vendors.
• We have drinks!  Beer from Tyranena Brewing Company  and mead from Bos Meadery.  Yum, yum!
• We have a raffle! Check out the raffle table at the back of the big tent to see the wide range of prized including 4 tickets the 2019 Blue Ox Music Festival, a resophone ukelele from Ward-Brodt and much more!
• Carry-ins are allowed but please support our wonderful food and drink vendors!
• Bring your instruments for jamming!  This is an interactive festival and your participation is what sets the Sugar Maple fest apart from other music fests.
• We are a rain or shine event; all of our artists perform under tents or shelters.
• Bring a chair or a blanket to sit on.  We have a limited number of chairs, and yours are more comfortable anyway.
• Leave all pets at home. Park rule.
• Bring Cash.  We will have an ATM but if you have some $ in your pocket when you come, you will be all set.
• New this year!
  • Boulders Climbing Gym climbing wall
  • Instrument-making workshop for the kids (see fest program for details)
  • Musical yoga with the Awful Purdies at 12:30 on Saturday (BYO yoga mat)

• We know you’re social (we’ve seen you on the dance floor!) so spread the word…
  • Like us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • And hashtag like crazy! #sugarmaplefest

• We are a 501(c)3 non-profit and all our money goes toward bringing this great music to Madison.  Please consider donating on-line or by adding to the donation jar at the merchandise table.  We can’t do this without your support!

Summer is here and it’s only ONE MONTH until we are listening to great music under the tent at the Sugar Maple Music Festival!

This year’s festival is August 3-4 at our usual, beautiful, Lake Farm County Park.  Tickets are on sale, but volunteers receive free entry on the day they volunteer — it’s a great deal. Spots are filling up fast (nearly 70%) and when they’re gone, they’re gone. Sign-up here to volunteer.

The Sugar Maple Music Festival is a completely volunteer driven event; your participation is our lifeblood. Please consider registering today.

Looking forward to seeing all of you at the festival!