The Rindge Historical Society will host singer-songwriter Walter Crockett at Saturday’s “Music at the Museum” event at the Rindge Meeting House.

“We’re very excited to have him here,” said Karla MacLeod, president of the Rindge Historical Society. “He’s very well known and has a real following.”

The “Music at the Museum” season-opener in March had to be postponed because of weather, but organizer Ray Siekierski said the event still had a great turnout of about 45 people.

“We weren’t sure people still come on Sunday, but they did, and it was a great show,” Siekierski said.

The Rindge Historical Society has been running the monthly event from March through October since 2017. Performers must register ahead of time for the open mic event, which features mainly folk music performers, but includes a mix of music styles. The event takes place in the afternoon, from 1 to 4 p.m.

According to Siekierksi, “Music at the Museum” typically attracts an audience of around 80 people. In May, the monthly event moves outside to the back lawn of the Rindge Historical Society unless there is severe weather.

“It is open to anyone, but we do focus on the local performers,” Siekierksi said.

Karl Pruter, vice president of RHS, said it is always a joy to see who shows up.

“Every single time we do it, there is some talent that just amazes me,” Pruter said. “It’s not a competitive event; it’s totally collaborative, and everyone supports everyone.”

Most “Music at the Museum” events have about 15 performers, and the afternoon event has a three-hour time limit.

RHS board member Doug Hoyt said the only downside of  is “there’s never enough time to hear everybody for as long as they want to play.”

The series is a genuine group effort, with the entire RHS board helping organize and run the events. Siekierski, who has lived in Rindge for 25 years, organizes the performers and does publicity and social media, Mark Cantrill runs the sound system, and Sally Poikonen and Karla McLeod do most of the cooking. McLeod and Siekierksi are the hosts.

“We are known as the ‘food open mic night.’ People come from miles away because of the food. We always have great homemade desserts,” MacLeod said.

Poikonen, who the rest of the board says is known for her Hungarian mushroom soup, said “people know to come early and eat early.”

“Music at the Museum” asks for donations to cover the cost of the food. The suggested donation for entrance is $5 per person, but no one is turned away. All proceeds support the Rindge Historical Society.

Each event has a featured performer who plays for about 30 minutes, followed by five or six other performers.

“We have to have some limits, or people would keep playing forever,” Siekierksi said.

Hoyt said that the open mic features a wide range of instruments.

“We’ve had a saxophone, we’ve had a clarinet, we have someone who plays the recorder, ” Hoyt said.

“We’ve had banjo players,” MacLeod said.

Siekierski said the musicians typically perform a lot of original material.

“Everyone likes to hear familiar songs that they know and love, but sometimes, when you hear original songs, they are amazing,” he said.

Many of the board members are musical themselves, including Cantrill, who will be the featured performer in August.

“We met Mark through the open mic nights, and now we’re friends,” Siekierski said. “It’s just a great way to get the community together, and we’ve made a lot of friends.”

Siekierski recalls the first time he hosted a “Music at the Museum” event.

“I was a state prison guard in Massachusetts for 20 years. I used to tell mass murderers to zip it,” Siekierski said. “But I have never been so nervous in my life as the first time I stood on stage for a coffeehouse.

Board member Roland Goddard, who has lived in Rindge for all of his 97 years, said he loves to hear the musicians play.

“Everyone comes out for it,” he said.

“Our featured musicians are always pretty talented, we get some serious performers,” Siekierski said. “It is just 100% supportive all around. Everyone has something to offer.”

For information on the Rindge Historical Society “Music at the Museum” events, go to rindgehistoricalsociety.org/event/open-mic-featuring-walter-crockett.