Heads up, folks! The 2017 FSGW Getaway weekend is coming soon! This year will be our 53rd annual weekend of fun and song, and we hope you'll join us! Kids are especially welcome.

NOTE THE DATE: Because of the convergence of Jewish holidays and camp availability, the Getaway will be earlier than in the past: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 to MONDAY SEPTEMBER 18. We'll be gathering at the same place we've been for the last 10 years or so -- West River Conference Center on an inlet of the Chesapeake Bay. It's a beautiful spot with level terrain, cabins with heat and AC, and lots of places to jam all day and all night. You can get more information about the Getaway by going to www.fsgw.org, and scrolling down to "Getaway" in the left-hand column. This has the information specific to last year's event, but of course this year's will be similar.

We have a great lineup of special guests this year: We're very excited that the folksinger's folksinger -- the incomparable BARRY O'NEILL -- will joining us this year. LARRY HANKS and DEBORAH ROBINS will be here with their extensive repertoire of traditional American music. Two of our favorite friends from the U.K. (and famous Mudcatters), CAROLE ETHERTON and ANDREW MCKAY, will bring lots of original and traditional songs. The wonderful trio from Maine, METEORA (WILL BROWN, KAT LOGAN, and JIM LONEY) are bound to please with their varied repertoire, great harmonies, and instrumental skill. DENNIS and JUDY COOK, Getaway regulars until they moved to Ohio, will be back with lots of ballads and other traditional songs. And last, but definitely not least, we welcome JULIE HENIGAN, who brings songs from many different genres, and loves for everyone to sing along! All of these folks will be performing in mini-concerts and participating in lots of workshops.

The Program Committee -- me, Carly Gewirz (Mudcatter "Carly") and longtime Getaway-goers Kathie Mack and Lisa Null -- are now in the process of putting together a list of possible workshops. We've thought of quite a few, as have our guests, and now we're ready for your ideas. One of the great things about the Getaway is that we really do try to tailor the program to the interests of those attending, but that's hard to do until we know who's coming and what they'd like to do. So: please tell us if you plan to come, and what you'd like to see on the program. Are there workshops you'd like to lead, co-lead, or attend? Workshops 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 (we have only 2 days, after all, so not everything can make the final cut), we do promise to consider all ideas. You can post them to this thread, or PM Carly or me.

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

Looking forward to seeing you all!

Nancy