DelawareScene: Coffee House Concert @ Dover Art League

Coffee House Concert

On Saturday, November 15, 2025, Delaware Friends of Folk will present their monthly coffee house concert in the Dover Art League, 21 W. Loockerman St. in Dover, beginning at 7:30 pm. Doors open at 7:00 and admission is $7 for members of Delaware Friends of Folk, $10 for non-members, teens are half-price, and those 12 and under are admitted free. Fresh-brewed coffee, baked cookies, and other snacks will be available. Seating may be limited.

The featured act will be local singer songwriter Jackie McCabe. Better known as Miss Jackie, and a long-time favorite of Delaware kids, Jackie will present a rare “adult” show. For more than two decades, Jackie has been entertaining audiences of all ages up and down the state, from singing children’s songs at libraries to teaching dance classes to seniors. For her dedication to the arts and culture in and around Delaware’s capital city she received the 2017 Mayor’s Arts Award. Jackie is quick to credit others who have helped her succeed along the way, including those who have attended her performances over the years. “I always say it’s a group effort. What would a musician or a storyteller be without an audience and particularly what would we be without a good audience that engages and interacts? It’s a two-way street,” she said.

Originally from Milford, the then Jackie LaGuardia was approached by a women’s club from Seaford who wanted her to try out for the 1973 Miss Delaware competition. Seeing it as a great opportunity to earn scholarship money for college, Ms. McCabe entered as Miss Sussex County and was ultimately crowned Miss Delaware. “The scholarship I got from that really helped keep me in school,” she said. “That’s why I entered the pageant, and I’m really happy I did.” Being Miss Delaware not only helped Ms. McCabe fund her college education, but it also gave her the opportunity to sing in front of a large audience in a well-known venue. “Singing in the Convention Hall at the Miss America Pageant was really special,” she said.

Opening the evening are The Blarney Pilgrims. They are a trio of musicians based in Salisbury, MD, who specialize in Celtic, Irish, English, and early American music on a variety of acoustic instruments. The musicians include Meri Holden (violin), Andy Dowell (flute), and Brad Stevens (mandolin, octave mandolin, hammered dulcimer, Celtic harp). Their music includes traditional Irish and Celtic jigs, reels, and waltzes, plus more modern compositions from some of today's great Celtic artists. Performances include melodies, songs, and sea shanties, to which the audience is encouraged to sing along. Their renditions of traditional tunes often incorporate non-traditional harmonies and rhythms. They frequently perform with the Dover English Country Dance band.

Some Delaware Friends of Folk events are supported in part by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com.

Presented by Delaware Friends of Folk.

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