(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- Local music aficionados will be treated to plenty of guitar picking, acoustic blues playing, country tunes singing, chatting about songwriting—and much more—when the Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College presents Aiken & Friends Fest, North Branch, September 26-28.

The weekend also will include an RVCC Community Day featuring free Planetarium shows and children’s activities, artwork displays, and hand and arm massages from RVCC Cosmetology students.

In the fall of 2017, RVCCArts joined with Mike and Amy Aiken in opening up Aiken & Friends Fest, North Branch, a three-day Festival featuring national, regional and local artists and songwriters performing genuine original music—and the rest is history. This year’s Aiken & Friends Fest, North Branch logo was created by Graphic Design student Kim Tsui. Her winning design was selected by the Aikens as part of a contest that was open to RVCC students and the public.

The music will kick off Thursday, September 26 at 1:00pm with “Blues Evolution,” a concert featuring the MSG Acoustic Blues Trio. The concert is free of charge, but reservations are required. Songwriters-in-the-Round will be presented Friday, September 27 at 7:00pm in RVCC’s Nash Theatre. Mike Aiken, LEA and Tim Buppert will perform their original works and talk about their writing and what inspires them. Tickets for Songwriters-in-the-Round cost $20 each.

The Festival continues Saturday, September 28 at 11:00am with three, concurrent 60-minute workshops in guitar (Ron Fetner), songwriting (Mike Aiken), and indie music promotion (Amy Aiken). The workshops cost $10 to participate.

RVCC’s Community Day will be held Saturday afternoon, from 12:30pm-5:30pm with free events open to the public. The program will include Concert on the Quad, an outdoor concert of six great blues, country, roots and Americana artists offering sets by Macheis Wind, Jonathan Beedle, Starr Celeste, MSG Acoustic Blues Trio, Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards, and Jonathan Byrd. The event also will include a drop-in Pickers Tent in which local musicians are invited to play together.

As part of Saturday’s Community Day, the Planetarium will offer free laser shows and the RVCC Art Gallery will be open. The Planetarium will run free 15-minute laser shows every half-hour from 1:00pm-5:30pm. The Observatory will be open, weather permitting, and hands-on activities will be presented in and around the Planetarium and the outside courtyard. 

The Art Gallery will host No-Thing In Common, a four-person exhibition of work spanning various disciplines and creative processes by RVCC faculty members Eric Araujo, Ji Yong Kim, Jeff Mason and Dot Paolo. In addition, RVCC Cosmetology students will offer free hand and arm massages. For younger participants, a Kids Corner will feature arts, crafts, face painting, cupcake decorating, and other activities. Food will be available for purchase throughout the afternoon, and local craft vendors will offer their products and merchandise.

The Festival will conclude Saturday at 7:00pm in the Nash Theatre with Tall Tales & Troubadours, a concert by Mike Aiken. Tickets cost $20 each. The concert will begin with winning acts from two open mic nights scheduled earlier in September.

Weekend passes, which includes both evening shows and a workshop, are available at $30 each. For reservations and tickets, or for more information, call the Box Office, 908-725-3420, or order online at www.rvccArts.org.

Raritan Valley Community College’s main campus is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, NJ. For additional information, visit www.raritanval.edu.