Ragtime Festival (RagFest) at Muckenthaler

Description

Come travel back to a decade of flapper dresses, jazz music, bootleg booze, and speakeasies with the Muck as they present this year’s RagFest on April 15. Admission is free and the festivities begin at noon.

Attendees will be able to take in the essence of the Roaring 20’s and experience the era for themselves with performances by several ragtime era bands. Entertainment will include the Heliotrope Ragtime Orchestra and the Sedalia Ragtime Orchestra, as well as such headline acts as Ian Whitcomb, The Albany Nightboat Ragtimers, and Brad Kay & Those Syncopating Songbirds.

Ragtime music, which originated in the 1890s, is most notably recognized for its syncopated, or “ragged,” rhythm. Some of the era’s most well-known and influential composers include Scott Joplin, James Scott, and Joseph Lamb.

Orange County’s RagFest was founded in 2000 by Eric Marchese and Friends of Jazz, Inc. as a way to preserve the nostalgia of the ragtime era in the 21^st century. Over the years it has attracted growing audiences of all generations.

In addition to ragtime music, the Muckenthaler Leisure League will also bring croquet, badminton, bocce ball, and other leisurely activities to this year’s RagFest. Or pack a lunch and enjoy a relaxing picnic on the mansion’s rolling lawns.

The Muck commits to the mission of providing the community with experiences that stimulate creativity and imagination and conserving the heritage of the Muckenthaler Estate.  Commissioned at an original cost of $35,000, the Muckenthaler home was built by Walter and Adella Muckenthaler in 1924 atop a hill in Fullerton.  The 18-room, 8.5-acres mansion was donated to the city in 1965 by Harold Muckenthaler, who wished to see his childhood home used as a cultural center for the public.  In 1999, the Muckenthaler received designation by the National Register of Historic Places.

The Muck hosts over 100 performances, gallery exhibits, and classes every year to over 30,000 people.  It has also been nominated for the 2011 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. In 2008, it won the Best Historic Site and Best Cultural Center awards from OC Parenting Magazine.  In
2009, it was received the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce Quality of Life award for best nonprofit organization. In 2010, the Muck was recognized as the Best Arts Program by Arts OC – the county-wide arts council, and Best Museum in the county in a reader’s poll by the Orange County Register.