River Raisin Ragtime Revue to bring annual Ragtime Extravaganza to Adrian July 9

Mary Lowe, The Daily Telegram
·4 min read
The River Raisin Ragtime Revue performs at Greenfield Village in Dearborn.
The River Raisin Ragtime Revue performs at Greenfield Village in Dearborn.

ADRIAN — Performers of America's original form of popular music invite the community to the PlaneWave Instruments campus in Adrian for live music, food and fireworks on July 9.

The River Raisin Ragtime Revue, a 13-piece professional ragtime orchestra, is celebrating its 20th year and is having its 10th annual Ragtime Extravaganza at the PlaneWave Instruments campus pavilion at 1375 N. Main St. in Adrian. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

Activities begin at 6 p.m. and end with a grand fireworks finale at dusk. The pavilion is covered and there will be an additional large tent for audience protection rain or shine. There are 400 seats available, and attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets.

Parking and shuttles will be available across Main Street at the Lenawee Intermediate School District Tech Center and Jackson College campus.

Los Hermanos Villegas of Adrian will perform at 7 p.m., and R4, as the Revue is known, will perform later.

This is the first time the annual event is being held on the PlaneWave campus and it highlights R4’s partnership with PlaneWave Instruments to renovate the historic campus chapel into Haviland Hall, a community performance venue and home to the R4 orchestra.

The River Raisin Ragtime Revue and PlaneWave Instruments in Adrian plan to convert the chapel on PlaneWave's campus into Haviland Hall, a performance venue and office for the ensemble. The chapel, which was built when the State Industrial School for Girls was started in 1879, was later turned into a student center with a gymnasium and pool for the Adrian Training School.

The chapel was the brainchild of abolitionist Laura Smith Haviland, River Raisin Ragtime Revue executive director William Pemberton said.

"It fits right in with our programming because we play ragtime music and we highlight the diverse elements that came together to form America’s first pop music," he said. "Ragtime takes African and Latin rhythms (and) blends it with eastern European harmonies and western European musical forms to create something totally new and uniquely American. It’s considered by historians to be our original style of popular music."

More: River Raisin Ragtime Revue, PlaneWave look to turn chapel into Haviland Hall concert venue

R4 has created a special program of ragtime-era hits with emphasis on local composers and musicians from the turn of the 20th century.

The River Raisin Ragtime Revue will have its 10th annual Ragtime Extravaganza at 6 p.m. July 9 at the PlaneWave Instruments campus in Adrian.
The River Raisin Ragtime Revue will have its 10th annual Ragtime Extravaganza at 6 p.m. July 9 at the PlaneWave Instruments campus in Adrian.

Listeners will hear music written and arranged by Harry L. Alford, who was born in Hudson and raised in Blissfield before launching a music career in Chicago. Alford pioneered the role of professional music arranger, working with the greatest acts of his time. He arranged music for Eva Tanguay (the “Queen of Vaudeville”), Sophie Tucker, W.C. Handy, Irving Berlin, Scott Joplin, John Philip Sousa, and many others.

R4 will also present music of George D. Barnard, born outside of Jackson. Barnard led bands throughout the Midwest and composed over 300 published popular works.

Ragtime composer Hughie Cannon wrote “Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home” about a friend of his from Jackson.
Ragtime composer Hughie Cannon wrote “Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home” about a friend of his from Jackson.

Also in the concert is one of the most famous songs of the ragtime era, “Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home,” written by Hughie Cannon. Cannon was born in Detroit and played piano in bars in Jackson. The Bill Bailey of the song’s title actually refers to one of Cannon’s friends who lived in Jackson.

Historical information about the composers and the music will be included in the program.

Los Hermanos Villegas will perform at 7 p.m. July 9 during the River Raisin Ragtime Revue's Ragtime Extravaganza in Adrian.
Los Hermanos Villegas will perform at 7 p.m. July 9 during the River Raisin Ragtime Revue's Ragtime Extravaganza in Adrian.

Other activities include:

• Children’s instrument petting zoo.

• A bounce house and outdoor games.

• Food truck from El Chapulin/The Grasshopper.

• Beer truck from the Tecumseh Brewing Co.

• Cakewalk contests with prizes.

• Demonstrations and activities from the Adrian Center for the Arts.

• Demonstrations from the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute

• Adrian’s own Los Hermanos Villegas band at 7 p.m.

• Headline concert by the River Raisin Ragtime Revue featuring ragtime and early jazz.

• Grand finale fireworks at dusk.

This event is free with support from Tecumseh and Adrian Insurance Agencies (fireworks sponsor), the Elizabeth Ruthruff Wilson Foundation, Michigan Arts and Culture Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Donations to help cover program and renovation costs will be accepted.

If you go

WHAT: River Raisin Ragtime Revue's 10th annual Ragtime Extravaganza

WHEN: 6 p.m. July 9; the event closes with fireworks at dusk

WHERE: PlaneWave Instruments, 1375 N. Main St. in Adrian

COST: No admission charge, but donations will be accepted

PARKING: Across Main Street at the Jackson College/LISD Tech Center campus; shuttles will be provided

FEATURES: Performances by Los Hermanos Villegas and the River Raisin Ragtime Revue, El Chapulin food truck, Tecumseh Brewing Co. beer truck, children's musical instrument petting zoo, and demonstrations from the Adrian Center for the Arts and Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: River Raisin Ragtime Revue's annual extravaganza is July 9 in Adrian