Stonehouse’s busy folk club is tuning up for a new season of fortnightly concerts and performances – and will be taking to the stage at a new venue for the coming months.
The musicians will be based at Stonehouse bowling club on Crow Road for their autumn and winter programme, due to months of major electrical work currently being carried out at their regular venue of the town’s St Ninian’s church.
“Club favourites” Clova will be the first performers of the new season next month, and a busy programme of shows and acoustic sessions is in store at the temporary venue, along with the group’s annual weekend event in Leadhills.
Stonehouse folk club will hold their first event of the new session at the bowling clubhouse on Friday, September 11, at 7,.30pm for an 8pm start and with entry costing £7.
The same venue on Crow Road will then host performances by Andrew Gordon and Euan Johnson on October 9; John Graham and Jim Jack on November 13; and acoustic sessions on both October 23 and November 27.
Folk club members will also once again be heading to the Hopetoun Arms hotel on September 18-19 for their popular free Leadhills sessions weekend.
The club was first founded in 1997 following a successful live radio broadcast of traditional music from the Thistle Inn on New Street in Stonehouse and has gone on to establish twice-monthly sessions for musicians and singers.
Participants have been based for the past 17 years at St Ninian’s; and group member John Young is encouraging music fans to continue attending at the new venue for the coming months.
He told the Hamilton Advertiser: “The club has thrived in the village for nearly 30 years and we hope members old and new will continue to support it in our new premises during this period.
“In the long term the folk club hopes to return to the church, but for now Stonehouse bowling club has kindly agreed to allow us to use their premises for all artists’ nights – there’s ample car parking at the end of the junction adjoining the bowling club and there will be a bar available.”
The music programme has a December date for which plans are to be confirmed, with John adding: “We have delayed announcing [this] until we know further details from the work being carried out at St Ninian’s; our Facebook page is regularly updated providing details on forthcoming artists and acoustic sessions.”
The St Ninian’s church building on Vicars Street, where the folk club is usually based, has been closed for the past month after it was discovered that “some pretty significant electrical work” would be needed – with the closure expected to last until October.
Congregation members are currently holding their weekly Sunday morning services at Stonehouse Scout and Guide hall on Lawrie Street, while Thursday morning prayer services are taking place in the town’s Men’s Shed and the church’s weekly coffee morning at the Masonic Hall.
St Ninian’s announced on social media: “Our electrical systems need urgent and significant work and so the church is closed to allow this to happen. We expect the building to be closed until October; we’re working hard with our friends in Stonehouse and beyond to make sure we can continue with as many activities as possible.”
Rev Stewart Cutler said in a video on the church’s Facebook page: “We discovered that our electrical system was not up to standard and that it’s going to need quite a lot of work; that means the St Ninian’s building is going to be closed until October.
“We’re keen to get the work done to upgrade the church so that when we go back in it’s going to be ready to move forward, do lots of new things and be in great shape for the future.”
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