TOWNSHEND- The Woods Tea Company will perform a free public concert on Saturday, August 14, at 7 pm on the Townshend Common. The award-winning band will entertain the crowd with its special brand of lively American folk music, bluegrass, fiery Celtic tunes, French Canadian songs, sea shanties, and engaging comedy.

Established in 1981, Woods Tea Company has played from pubs to Lincoln Center and on National Public Radio. A unique style of audience rapport and music that features rich three-part harmonies will set toes to tapping and leave everyone smiling.

The band includes Howard Wooden, Tom MacKenzie, and Patti Casey. Woods Tea Company is a musical group that defies categorization. In addition to playing a wide variety of musical styles, they employ as many as a dozen different instruments during their performances, including banjos, bouzoukis and bodhrans, guitars, ukulele, and hammered dulcimer.

This 11th annual Woods Tea Company concert in Townshend is sponsored annually in celebration of Grace Cottage Hospital by a grateful supporter. Established 61 years ago, Grace Cottage offers professional, personalized health care to the community. The 19-bed hospital has emergency services, radiology and lab, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, physicians’ offices, and a retail pharmacy.

Concert-goers should bring lawn chairs or blankets, and picnics if they wish. Tailgating has become a welcome tradition at this free event. In case of rain the concert will be held in the Townshend Town Hall.

For concert information call Grace Cottage Foundation at (802) 365-9109. For more information about the band visit www.woodstea.net.