Hi folks. The mudcat is finally settled here in its new town of State College, Pennsylvania, USA.    We still have a thing or two to get back to fully operational, but we're stable, and that's good.

State College, being my new town too, is quite a town. Of course, its home to the great Penn State University, but it also happens to have a pretty amazing folk scene that I somehow missed when I went to school here 15 years ago. Maybe it was the full-time nightshift, full-time school, wife and kids schedule that I kept. More likely the beer.

Anyway, I thought I'd take a moment and let you know about some things I've gotten involved in and/or been impressed by since I've been here.   

First of all, I'm going to be one of several rotating DJ's on the Folk Show on WPSU radio (http://wpsu.org/radio/folk/), the Public Radio station here in the center of the state. I've done much of the training and should be hitting the air in the next few weeks. It streams on the net, so I'll be sure to let you know when it's my turn. So, in a way, mudcat radio is back. The folk show site has a forum. Please behave yourself.

Something cool going on this spring is the Folk College (http://folkcollege.com/). From their site:

Folk College is a fun and friendly weekend of playing and listening to folk music — a fantastic three days of workshops, jam sessions, concerts, and group playing. The camp is designed for musicians with eclectic tastes. Within one weekend, you'll have a choice of workshops ranging from oldtime to Celtic to blues to international, and you'll get to sing, dance, play, and listen. Professional development will be offered for school teachers, including Act 48 credit for Pennsylvania teachers.

Anyone that may think of going can stay at mudcat central with me. I can sleep 4 to 6 folks comfortably. Its only 30 miles from the site, so I'll probably commute.

The group that organizes the good folk shows up here is called Acoustic Brew ( http://www.acousticbrew.org. I've really enjoyed the performers that I've seen so far and they really do a great job running the shows. Fantastic group of folks, some of which I came to find have been lurkers for years.

It's remarkable to me that anyone has heard of mudcat. It seems like every day I meet someone who knows all about us, and I can't help but be surprised. The first 3 people I met here were all because of mudcat. It's even helped me out of an awkward situation or two. It really reminds me of what we got here and what it means to a lot of people. It totally eased my transition into a new town and a new folk community. So if anyone moves, make sure you post as to where you're going and maybe you'll have a friend by the time you get there.

I also started a blog and events calendar of my activities up here but I'm so busy doing the things on the calendar that I've found little time to write about it. It may not last, but for now, it's at http://StateCollegeTrad.BlogSpot.com. The calendar also shows when the Folk Show runs.

Anyway, I'm having a ball here and have met a lot of wonderful old folkies. I think I've already done more here in 10 weeks than I did in 10 years in Philadelphia. This may be the best decision I've ever made. And don't worry, I won't spend all my time out there, I'm anxious to get into a rhythm and spend more time here hanging out and working on the growing list of requests you all have.