The Moravian TileWorks, built by Henry Mercer between 1911 and 1912, are often visited by tourists seeking to learn about the factory’s history, the legendary Mercer himself, and to purchase tiles still made in the factory today. On some Sundays during the summer, however, the factory’s courtyard is transformed into a concert venue filled with folk and country music, sending listeners back to the days when the factory first opened.
Bluegrass at TileWorks was created by Peter Wroblewski and TileWorks Executive Director Katia McGuirk in 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. They just hosted their most recent show this past Sunday, officially reaching five years of concerts.
“Katia, who runs this place, said, ‘You know, what do you think about doing some bluegrass, some handmade music for the handmade tiles in the courtyard?’” said Wroblewski. “And so we ended up just kind of announcing it, ‘Hey, for 10 bucks come and see some bluegrass.’ And people, like hundreds of people, came out and filled the field. And it was a super hot day, but everyone had so much fun because it was just like, we hadn’t been able to do that, and so it just felt so good.”
Bluegrass music is defined by the Library of Congress as, “a tradition-based modern style of string band music.” Often, Bluegrass music will feature a banjo, a fiddle and a guitar, as well as many other instruments. However, because Bluegrass music is also free-flowing, there doesn’t have to be any set number of members or instruments.
A great example was the opening band Bob Sutor & Borderline. The band has three members: banjo player Bob Sutor, his wife Terry Sutor, a vocalist who also plays a bass guitar, and guitarist Bob Harris. Their lively music got the concert going, and they even played their featured song, “Who Needs You,” which was the Sutor’s wedding song.
Next up was a fan favorite, Serene Green, who has performed every year at Bluegrass at TileWorks. Three of the members, Quentin Fisher, Michael Johnson and Steve Leonard, are all from Pennsylvania, while fiddler Katelynn Casper hails from Maryland and guitarist Sam Zolla is from Connecticut. The band’s mix of traditional upbeat bluegrass music blended with modern lyrics makes them an especially fun listen, and can be heard very clearly in the band’s song, “World’s Most Interesting Man.”
The closer for the day, Josh Daniels & Friends, is actually the first bluegrass band to play at the TileWorks’ inaugural concert in July 2021. The band played a mix of original Bluegrass music mixed with some of their tunes, which created a good mix for the crowd.
For those who stayed for the very end, they got a real treat. To close the day, Mike Munford from Josh Daniels and Friends and Steve Leonard teamed up with Michael Beaky and 15-year-old Izaak Schwartz to play a quartet of banjos. The group played four songs, finishing with one of the most famous banjo songs, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.”
While the event has excelled over the past four years, Wroblewski believes there is still more room for growth. “I would love to get the word to Doylestown,” he said. “Most of the people who come are kind of outside of town. We advertise as much as we can. We bought ads on WXPN and everything to spread the word. But it’s growing. People are hearing about it, and people are having a good time, and they come, and I think over time it’ll be a good thing.”
For those who missed this past concert, the next show at the TileWorks will be September 28, featuring the trio of Todd Phillips, David Grier and Matt Flinner, as well as the band Level Best. Tickets for that event can be purchased here.
