Songs and stories of Putnam County Wednesday night at Gobin Church

Experience “Songs and Stories of Putnam County” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night in the air-conditioned comfort of Gobin Church.

Performing in this week’s free (donations accepted) Greencastle Summer Music Festival concert are local artists singer/songwriter Bobbie Lancaster, Ethan Batan and Luke Lovejoy (mandolin and guitar), singer/songwriter Gus Moon, and Carly and Josh Brown.

The GSMF concerts are made available through the generosity of individual donors, an endowment at and grant from the Putnam County Community Foundation, a grant from the Putnam County Convention and Visitors Bureau, in-kind donations from the Inn at DePauw, and Gobin Church and its pastor, Bryan Langdoc. This week’s concert has been underwritten by a gift from Eric Edberg, in memory of Hugo and Judith Edberg.

Bobbie Lancaster, who organized this week’s program, enjoyed a music career in both folk and children’s music before moving to Greencastle with her husband Jeff, to raise their two kids -- Edie and Sam. Over the years she’s written and recorded with several different bands, and as a solo artist. In 2019 and 2020, she hit the road with her family, living in a camper and exploring North America. She returned to Greencastle with a renewed love for her community and a catalogue of new songs.

“It has been so great to be back to ‘friends making music for friends’ in person,” says Edberg, who founded the GSMF in 2005 and continues as its artistic and executive director. “During the pandemic lockdown, with guidance from Bryan Langdoc and Parker Black at Gobin, we started putting together prerecorded online concerts as the ‘Greencastle Virtual Music Festival.’ Then Bobbie Lancaster started organizing online concerts known as the ‘Sunny Side Concert Series’ for the Mill Pond Health Campus.

“Bobbie and I came to work together quite closely. And now we have some of the many Putnam County performers in the folk music tradition who have appeared in both virtual series coming together for this week’s in-person concert celebrating Putnam County.”

The GSMF continues next week on Wednesday, July 14 with contemporary Christian/gospel singer/pianist Jason Powell and friends. This summer’s performances are being shown at 3 and 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays on Channel 3 in Greencastle and are available online at greencastlemusic.org.