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GALESBURG — A musical duo will take audiences back 350 years to the days when French voyageurs explored Illinois in a performance of “Canoe Song” at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Carl Sandburg State Historic Site.

Barry Cloyd and Brian “Fox” Ellis portray Etienne Renault and Father Zenoble Membre, real explorers who traveled the region by canoe in 1690. Cloyd and Ellis deliver traditional songs, lead the audience in sing-alongs and perform their own compositions about these intrepid explorers.

The concert, sponsored by the Carl Sandburg State Historic Site Association, takes place in the historic site’s barn at 313 E. Third St. in Galesburg. A second set will begin at approximately 8:20 p.m.  

A donation of $3 per person is suggested, and refreshments will be served.

Cloyd is a singer/songwriter who has spent a lifetime perfecting a vocal and guitar style that weaves the diverse genres of folk, Celtic, blues and country into a unique blend all his own. Ellis travels the world collecting and telling stories specializing in ecological, international and American folklore.

The Songbag concerts continue through the end of June:

n April 25: Bob and Kristy Black, bluegrass     

n May 30: Sylvie Davidson and Trevor Wheetman, folk, country and Americana

n June 28: Chris Vallillo, railroad tunes and Sandburg-inspired music at a special location, the Railroad Museum shelter

Carl Sandburg was a collector and performer of America’s folk songs. The series is named in honor of Sandburg’s book “The American Songbag,” published in 1927.

The Carl Sandburg State Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, includes the home where the famed poet and biographer was born. For more information, visit www.sandburg.org.