Travel on the Gravel

(This is text for a news release that just went out.)

Chuck Suchy—singer, songwriter, farmer, storyteller—will present a free public concert at the old Ladbury Church, 6:00 PM Sunday 25 July. This benefit appearance comes on the heels of release of Suchy’s latest CD, Evening in Paris, songs from which he will perform, along with older favorites from his repertoire.

The Boston Globe says Chuck Suchy is “a man with a rich wide-open-spaces voice." The St. Paul Pioneer Press says he has “an unerring ear for sounds of the prairie.” Rich Warren of WFMT Chicago says Suchy is “one of the great undiscovered treasures of contemporary American folk music.”

In an essay on Suchy’s music, historian Tom Isern writes, “Suchy’s abiding appeal lies in the substance of his original lyrics. Without doubt Suchy, through the medium of his songs, is North Dakota’s most popular poet.”

The concert is sponsored by the Friends of Ladbury Church. The old Ladbury Church stands 4 miles west, 1 north, and ½ west of the Sibley Crossing of Lake Ashtabula. In 2001-2 it was the object of a successful restoration completed by local citizens and by Preservation North Dakota, a statewide education and advocacy association for historic preservation.

Today Ladbury Church is once again the scene of community gatherings and celebrations. Local people and visitors here solemnize their marriage vows, remember their ancestors, and attend cultural events—such as the Ladbury Lectures, inaugurated during summer 2003 and continued this year. Additional events are planned for late summer.

Attendees at the Suchy concert on 25 July are encouraged to arrive early, picnic on the ground, and neighbor while awaiting the evening’s entertainment.