When Manchester’s annual Riverfolk Festival unfolds this year, it will have a definitely different flavor. Although some components will still take place in Manchester, the concert that caps the event will take place at The Ark in Ann Arbor.

Riverfolk runs Tuesday-Saturday, Aug. 2-6.

“After 10 years we really ran out gas for the engine as far as volunteers, and economically we were losing money,” said Festival Director Mark Palms.

“We wanted to look at how we can make things easier and also connect with our Ann Arbor audience. The idea was to let go of the big Saturday event, and yet keep some things local and look for a partnership, and the partnership that seemed logical was The Ark."

The big worry of weather and the big worry of taking a huge loss on the outdoor finale would become a thing of the past, he added.

Riverfolk will kick off Tuesday at 7 p.m. at The Ark, when the winners of the Riverfolk Songwriting Contest will showcase their talent. Songwriting finalists will also perform at the Finale Concert at The Ark on Saturday, Aug. 6, with a panel of judges, plus an audience vote, deciding the winner, Palms said.

A Bluegrass & Cajun Jam Camp will run Wednesday-Friday at Sharon Mills Park in Manchester. At the camp, musicians will learn to jam, explore bluegrass or Cajun music and have fun with professional musicians. Instructors include banjo player Bob Black, who played with Bill Monroe; award-winning Louisiana fiddler Al Berard and other instructors on mandolin, fiddle, accordion, guitar, banjo, bass and percussion.

“Al’s an award-winning Cajun fiddler, he’s been around a good while. He does camps all through the country,” Palms said. “He’s a very good teacher, a very friendly gentleman, and a real showman when it comes to playing the fiddle. … Bob Black plays every bluegrass instrument from fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin and, for a living, he teaches full-time and performs and directs camps. He’s written a book, ‘Come Hither, Go Yonder,’ on his years with Bill Monroe.”

A Louisiana-style "Party in the Park" is scheduled for Friday in Manchester’s Carr Park, featuring a Louisiana dinner and dance party with Berard and his band along with Bob Black & his Bluegrass Boys (Andy Hatfield, Keith Yoder and David Mosher) and more. Dance instructors will be on hand to demonstrate waltzes and the Louisiana two-step.

“The jam camp is unique; that’s a good thing to keep going,” said Palms. “The (songwriting) contest offers an opportunity for aspiring musicians and folks to get a chance to perform, be recognized and earn some awards. And the dance party is a community sort of event, a great thing.”

Saturday’s Finale Concert at The Ark will also feature Black and Berard and his Bluegrass Boys, a guest appearance by Manchester-based string band The Raisin Pickers, and performances by the songwriting contest finalists.