418 South Illinois Avenue, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, United States
LIVE MUSIC
"Sangamon Songs"
7 p.m. Saturday, April 15
$15
Doors and Varsity at 6
When singer-songwriter Tom Irwin found an old book in his family’s Central Illinois farmhouse, he had no idea where it would take him. It was a diary, written in 1893 by Harry Glen Ludlam, a 16-year-old boy who lived on the farm that has been in Irwin’s family for the last 128 years.
The diary described events in the lives of the Ludlam family, from routine aspects of farm work to adventures like visiting the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, to a family crisis that forever changed their lives.
Reading the diary entries, Irwin got caught up in the boy’s story. The entries inspired him to write a series of interconnected songs, which were released as an acclaimed 2012 album, “Sangamon Songs.” The entries later became the outline for a full-fledged theatrical show, adapted by playwright John W. Arden, also called “Sangamon Songs.”
The folk/Americana musical, which debuted in 2019, will be presented at the Varsity on Saturday, April 15 at 7 p.m. Advance tickets are $15 and are available at Eventbrite (see link). Tickets are not available in advance at the venue but can be purchased on the night of the show when doors and the Varsity Bar open at 6.