LEWISTON, ME (July 7, 2023)–The Franco Center is thrilled to announce that Greg Boardman and Chris Robley will perform as a duo in concert at 1 p.m. Friday, July 14, during the Center’s open house. The duo’s combined talents include playing the fiddle and guitar, singing, songwriting, and audience engagement.   

Greg Boardman is a longtime fiddler and teacher in the Lewiston and Auburn, Maine community, having been employed as an elementary strings teacher in Lewiston for several decades.  He also teaches at Maine Fiddle Camp, which he helped found in 1994, and plays as a concert, dance and church musician as much as reasonably fits in his schedule.  His love of Franco American fiddling was nurtured by his fiddling elders, such as Simon St. Pierre, Ray Frechette, Lucien Mathieu and Ben Guillemette, each a legend in their own right.  

Chris Robley is a singer-songwriter and award-winning poet who’s made his home in the mill town of Lewiston, Maine. His orchestral indie-pop and folk music has been reviewed and praised by The LA Times, The Boston Globe, NPR’s Second Stage, Performer, and other publications. Skyscraper Magazine said Robley is “one of the best short-story musicians to come along in quite some time.” Robley’s poetry has been published in POETRY Magazine, Prairie Schooner, Poetry Northwest, Beloit Poetry, and more. He is the winner of Boulevard’s Poetry Prize for Emerging Writers, a recipient of a Maine Literary Award in poetry, and was selected by Robert Pinsky as a finalist for the Dorset Prize. “Chris Robley is at the top of his game with his new work.” – KCRW. “Beatlesy goodness featuring deft wordplay delivered through McCartneyish melodies with a Lennonesque rasp.” – Willamette Week.  

Admission to the 1 p.m. Friday, July 14 concert is free and takes place during the Franco Center’s two-day open house from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, July 14 and Saturday, July 15. Reservations are required for this concert. Fill out the RSVP form at https://forms.office.com/r/0DMsaGjHsc  

At 1 p.m. Saturday, July 15, Wicked Illustrations will bring a paint party to the Franco Center with seats available for 20 participants. The art created that day will feature sights along the Androscoggin River, with a nod to the RiverFest. Tickets and additional information for the paint party can be found at www.wickedillustrations.com. 

There will be other activities at the Franco Center over the two days of its open house including an art display by local artist Anita Poulin; basket making by the Women of the Somali Bantu Community; a performance by Tree Street Youth; a display by the 4H club students of Lewiston High School; tours of the building; and rental information. 

A cash bar will be available on both days. The open house coincides with the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber’s RiverFest in Simard-Payne Park. The Franco Center’s venue is at 46 Cedar Street, Lewiston, a short half-mile, seven-minute walk from the Park. “Visitors are encouraged to spend the day in the Riverfront neighborhood attending events at both venues,” said Denise Scammon, marketing director at the Franco Center. “This is an opportunity for all those who wonder what we do at the Franco Center, or just want to see what the building looks like inside, to visit us.”

 For more information about the concert or open house, call 207-689-2000 or visit www.francocenter.org.  

The open house is sponsored by Auburn Savings; Lisa Laliberte, State Farm Insurance; Maine Community Bank; and Rinck. 

Chris Robley and Greg Boardman are pairing up for a concert at 1 p.m. Friday, July 14, at the Franco Center, 46 Cedar Street, Lewiston. The duo will perform on fiddle and guitar with some singing and foot-tapping music. RSVP at https://forms.office.com/r/0DMsaGjHsc 

Submitted photo.