Hi,Folks! It's time to get down to the business of planning the program for the 2010 Folklore Society of Greater Washington Getaway! This year's Getaway will be October 1-4, at the West River Conference Center on the Chesapeake Bay, and you're all invited!

If you'd like more information about the Getaway, put "Getaway" into the filter box at the top of the Mudcat page, set the age for a year or two, and you'll get more than you can read in a month or so. Before long there will be additional information on the FSGW website (www.fsgw.org).

One of the cool things about the Getaway is that we really try to tailor each year's program to the interests and talents of those who will be attending. But we can't do that until we know who's coming and what they're interested in doing. The Program Committee -- Carly Gewirz (Mudcatter "Carly"), Lorraine Van Buren (Mudcatter "Lorraine"), long-time FSGW member and Getaway-goer Kathie Mack, and I -- have been working on a fine lineup of invited guests. So far we have confirmed Debby McClatchy, Molly Andrews, Caroline Paton and Linnea Palmer Patron, Mark Ryer, and Mudcat's own Jerry Rasmussen, and we're working on a couple more. Now we're starting to put together lists of possible workshops, and we're ready for your input!

So, if you plan to come, please let us know that, and tell us what you would like to see on the program. Are there workshops you'd like to lead, co-lead, or attend? Workshops from previous years you'd like to see repeated (or not)? We're open to all suggestions, and although not all of them will end up on the final list (please do not assume that just because an idea's been discussed here, it will ipso facto be on the program...), we can assure you that all ideas will be given due consideration. You can post to this thread with your ideas, or PM any of us.

It would be a great help, by the way, if this thread could be reserved for program issues -- other Getaway topics should be posted elsewhere. Thanks.

The Getaway is all about participation, so start participating now!

Looking forward to seeing you all in October!

Nancy