‘Plant & Sing’ celebration at the manor

Family festival books headliners

The fourth annual arts and food festival, “Plant & Sing,” will be held over the Columbus Day weekend, October 7 through October 9. Sponsored by the Sylvester Manor Educational Farm, the three-day celebration and benefit is a jam-packed, family-oriented event that includes cultural and farming events from “farm to table” cooking demonstrations to contra dancing, from garlic planting and tours of the manor to concerts by a dozen different musical groups — headlined by Rufus and Martha Wainwright and other nationally recognized performers — not to mention dance, storytelling, poetry reading, and other literary events.

Local food vendors will be on hand at the manor throughout the weekend.

An abbreviated schedule follows; details about the various performing groups will appear in next week’s Reporter or you can check out the manor’s new website, plantandsing.com, which also includes a comprehensive schedule of all events and their locations at Sylvester Manor.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7 

All events are at Sylvester Manor unless otherwise noted.

Contra dance at the Historical Society’s Havens House Barn, 7 p.m.

‘Shuck & Sing,’ preparing garlic for harvest; singing led by Manor steward Bennett Konesni and friends, Havens House Barn. 9:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8

Yoga (6 a.m.), sweet potato harvesting, woodland walk led by Peconic Land Trust, 7 to 11 a.m.

Non-stop musical performances by more than a half dozen groups on the main stage, including a solo folk singer, the Manor Worksongers  and an acoustic trio, and featuring virtuoso guitar, banjo and fiddle picking as well as the Island’s own band, “Island Folk.” 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Straight Drive — “straight bluegrass with plenty of drive” —  will headline on the main stage at 5 p.m. and entertain with classic bluegrass.

Literary events in the tent—  poetry, comedy, story telling, readings by local authors. Noon to 6 p.m.

A staged reading of Joe Pintauro’s “Men’s Lives,” based on a Peter Mathieson novel, will take place at 3 p.m.

Kids’ Tent in the Watermelon Patch — puppet show, face painting, games & crafts, Noon on.

Bonfire and garlic shucking contest with the Manor’s Worksongers. 7 p.m.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9

Yoga (6 a.m.), garlic planting, gospel singing. 7 to 10 a.m.

Farm and Manor tours, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Dance performance & workshop, 12 noon.

Music on the main stage with headliners Rufus and Martha Wainwright. 6 p.m.

This sibling duo is widely recognized for a unique musical style that defies classification. Rufus, a prolific songwriter, composer and arranger, has eight albums and two DVDs to his credit and is working on an opera, “Prima Donna,” to be produced by the New York City Opera this winter. Martha recently completed a world tour promoting her third album, an homage to Edith Piaf.

The Wainwrights were Shelter Island “summer kids” and their father, folksinger Loudon Wainwright III, still has a home here.

This mainstage concert follows performances by the Island’s DuneGrass, a “quirky youthful” rock band quartet, a belt and ballad duo, a country/cabaret soloist and the old-time music of Edith and Bennett, ending with the Island’s Joe Lauro and the Who Dat Loungers. 3 to 7 p.m.

Participants can pick and choose which events they want to attend — a number are free (early morning yoga, harvesting and planting, gospel sing-along, farm and manor tours and all the literary tent events on Saturday).

Friday’s contra dance costs $10, $5 for seniors and students; a one-day ticket on Saturday for all events costs $25, $20 for seniors and students; Sunday’s all-day ticket is $35, $30 for seniors and students; a full festival weekend pass is $60, $50 for members. Add $5 for tickets purchased at the door.

Parking and the entrance to all festival events is on Manhansett Road.