It won’t be long before the festival grounds in Darlington will be filled with excitement, music, and enthusiasm! Expect a variety of food from area vendors, duck races, dance performances, a locally-enriched talent show, lumberjack shows, and lots of inflatables, for plenty of fun for the entire family.
This year marks 60 years for Canoe Fest celebrations in Darlington. What began in 1966 with the Darlington Fire Department hosting a canoe trip down the Pecatonica River, has become a time-honored 4-day tradition. Many musical talents and a lot of entertainment is in store for guests to this year’s festivities which begin on Thursday, June 11 and lasts throughout the weekend.
‘Bringing Back the Laps’ begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 11. It’s time to gas-up the vintage classics, muscle cars, showstoppers, works-in-progress, motorcycles, side-by-sides, street rods, and quintessential modes-of-transportation, to keep up the tradition on Main Street. In what is being viewed as one of the largest gatherings Darlington will see this year, Thursday’s festivities are sure to please the crowd.
The BlackBridge Boys take the stage at 6 p.m. The band is the four-man compilation of Jim Jacobson, Steve Fitzsimons, Joe Dorman, and Sunshine’s Bill “Bugs” Eaton. In addition to vocals, all four performers play a variety of musical instruments. Enjoy the camaraderie that the BlackBridge Boys bring to the stage on Thursday evening. Jeff Kluesner returns with the band on Sunday, to perform after the parade at Legends. All four performers look forward to entertaining the hometown crowd this weekend at Canoe Fest.
Also on Thursday evening, Trail Birds is hosting ‘Martinis and Mutts’. They are located on the corner of Main and Ann Streets, and just a few steps from the entertainment on Thursday evening.
Friday’s musical talents will include two amazing performances. Rachel Neal, who is new to this year’s line-up, takes the stage at the Festival Grounds, from 5-7 p.m. Fan favorite, Logan Bollant will perform from 8 until 11 p.m.
Rachel Neal, who has enjoyed singing her entire life, admittedly says she didn’t have the courage to sing in front of people before learning to play guitar just a few years ago. After her first on-stage performance, her confidence and talents grew.
“I performed my first show at the Park Preservation event in Cassville, a few years ago, where I shared a couple original songs and covers,” says Neal. “After that, I had my first few paid gigs at the businesses in town there. Once I started posting about the shows I was doing, I was getting asked by other surrounding businesses to sing, and sent out hundreds of emails to get shows around the state and surrounding states. After about a year and a half, I felt confident enough to do this full time.”
She looks forward to performing her own original country music for the Canoe Fest audience, as well as a variety of cover songs that she knows will entertain the crowd. Neal’s confidence was built around her well-received performances, her music, and while receiving the best support from one of her closest fans.
“I wrote my first song and shared it with my husband, Jack, who has been my biggest supporter since the start,” she says. “When I first learned to play guitar, his encouragement and support was like a fire under my rear to start sharing the songs that I was writing. I was also encouraged by the love that I’ve always had in my heart to sing. I always had a hard time going to concerts because I would just get this aching feeling in my chest, I just wanted to be up on that stage so bad doing what they were doing. I chose the standard path of college and 9 to 5 job, thinking that was the best choice. But it wasn’t the right choice for me — doing music is the right choice. I knew I owed it to myself to chase this dream.”
Rachel Neal will have some merch for sale, including Koozies, to keep drinks cool during her upcoming performance.
Logan Bollant will perform at Canoe Fest at 8 p.m. on Friday night, June 12.
Bollant grew up on a dairy farm just outside of Monfort, where he grew up enjoying country music.
“I’ve always loved music,” he says. “I taught myself to play guitar when I was 16, while my dad was in the hospital. It was, at the time, and has always been my outlet.”
Entertaining for a Darlington audience once before, Bollant enjoyed the energy he gave and received.
“Expect some of the raw emotion from my last visit. Since I formed the band, listeners can expect to hear some rock and roll mixed in,” Bollant says. “The band are some Platteville locals. Together we have a great time on stage, and that energy is what has us performing for audiences all over.”
‘The Low Ballers’, as the band is called, is the combined talents of Kevin Charles on lead guitar, Dustin Shilling plays bass, and Ryan Pink beats the drums. Sharing the same vibes and taste in music helps while performing from the stage.
“Although we are new, we already have tons of experience between us, and you’d swear we’ve been playing together for years,” he shares. “Recently, getting to open for some of my childhood heroes at the Crystal Grand was a highlight of mine, recently.”
One song that Bollant has written holds special meaning, as it reflects raw emotions that are shared from his heart.
“My song “Frostbit” is always my favorite song to play, because I wrote it for my wife,” he shares. “She’s always been my rock through hard times. The song always makes me think of her and our kiddos.”
Logan Bollant who has entertained local audiences has been performing all over the tri states area. He says he looks forward to performing for fans at this year’s Canoe Fest.
Saturday, June 13, will keep the audience busy with three on-stage performances which includes Shekinah King, Sarah Day, and Hammer Down.
Shekinah King will sing at Canoe Fest at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 13. As she returns to Darlington, she shares how she loves the region as she embraces small towns, and the values of the community of people who live there.
“I was born and raised in Dodgeville, then we moved to my grandparents farm in Mineral Point when I was about 14,” King shares. “We grew up on praise music like Hillsong and Elevation Worship. My father is a pastor in Dodgeville and we were encouraged to sing at church. I always found inspiration from Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Pink, and Kelly Clarkson.”
Looking back at her early beginnings helps King to appreciate how far she has come.
“When I started out, I went to any place I could find that had live music,” she remembers. “I offered to set up for free and play for 30 minutes. If they liked what they heard, they could book me to come another time. I made homemade business cards and handed them out to everyone. That was over 10 years ago.”
Sharing her struggles to get started, sparked a song that spoke to her heart before it was ever written.
“The story of my life, and what my latest song “Try Again” is all about,” she says. “Being persistent and chasing down your dreams is what is most important. To anyone out there who wants to sing for a living, go to local open mic nights and share your stuff. I believe you can do it.
In addition to singing, King also shares her gift of songwriting.
“I’ve been writing music for a few years now,” King says. “When I released my album “Heart 2 Heart” in September of 2024, my new song “Try Again” was part of that project. I like to play my original songs at shows. When I have an engaged audience, I love to share the stories behind my songs. Music is my therapy, it’s a God given gift for us to find peace and healing. That’s what music does for me and that’s what I try to offer people while writing and singing my music.”
Encouragement from a friend gave her the encouragement to take her love of music to a whole new level.
“I have a good friend who bought me a sound system years ago and encouraged me to take my music further,” King shares. “That gave me the push to seek out places to play locally. Today I do over 200 shows a year and can proudly say that I enjoy sharing my music with audiences.”
Shekinah King hopes to inspire another future musician when she performs on Saturday, June 13.
Sarah Day will be singing on Saturday afternoon, beginning at 3 p.m. She performs tunes of rock, folk, country, and pop. Influenced by classic female artists such as Stevie Nicks and Janis Joplin, Day will bring her own sound to some much-loved favorites that she has enjoyed over the years.
Day has performed throughout the area with artists including Ken Kilian, Jimmy Berg, The Midnight Purchase, Myles Wangerin, and Brecken Miles. Recently she was recognized as a finalist in Wisconsin Area Music Awards for Top Female Vocalist of the year, with a soon-to-be-released debut album, “This Must be the Place”. Look for her on Saturday afternoon when she brings new energy to the stage at Canoe Fest.
Saturday night will feature Hammer Down, who is a local band from Darlington, Shullsburg, and Mineral Point. They will perform at 8 p.m. with an energy deserving to close out the stage! Expect to hear some familiar 80s and 90s rock, along with some new and old country. Hammer Down is the combined talents of Stacey Terrill, with lead vocals; Rick McDaniel, with vocals and guitar, in addition to the musical talents and background vocals of Todd Hauser, who plays guitar; Lucas Ritchie on Drums, Al Hauser playing bass guitar, and Jeff Surga on Guitar. Hammer Down is generously sponsored by See Mor Grain. They will close out Saturday night from the Canoe Fest stage.
Sunday, June 14 brings the Canoe Fest 2026 parade down Ohio Street which begins at 1:30 p.m. After, the ‘Echos of Camp Randall’, the talent show, a teen dance, and other entertainment awaits guests until fireworks, which begin around 9:15 p.m. on Sunday evening at Riverside
