The announcement you've all been waiting for:

Get away from it all, at the height of the autumn color season, and make music together with your neighbors and musicians from all over the world. (Last year, people came in from as far away as California and England.) Camp Ramblewood is a lovely spot with lots of inviting places to jam or sing, from first light to the wee hours. There is plenty of beautiful land for walking and hiking and for kids to run around in

To register, you'll need to download the Registration Form (in .pdf format; opens with the free Acrobat Reader). Print it out and send it in (along with payment) to the Registrar, Dennis Cook. A description of the Getaway in also available in .pdf format.

For four decades, FSGW has held its Getaway weekend so that members and friends can share music, stories, crafts and dance in a relaxed camp setting.

The Getaway is:

• Music-making under the trees, on the lawn, by the pond, or by the pool;


• Group singing and jamming at its best;


• Informal workshops on singing, dancing, crafts and storytelling led by FSGW members and friends;


• Trying a craft--quilting, basket-making, puppets, and mask-making have been highlights of past years;


• Great food;


• A wonderful weekend for the whole family, with lots of special children's activities;


• A chance to renew old friendships and make new ones;


• A beautiful camp with modern facilities in scenic rolling hills adjacent to the Susquehanna River;


• A wonderful chance for parents to introduce their kids to the magic of group singing and dancing--or to discover that magic for the first time themselves.

The weekend starts Friday evening with a potluck dinner. If you register for two nights, your registration fee covers three wonderful meals and a midnight snack both days on Saturday and Sunday. Three-night registration gives you an additional night's lodging and breakfast on Monday morning.

FOOD, HOUSING, FEES AND OTHER LOGISTICS

Where, and How Long

This year's Getaway is scheduled at the height of Fall colors. Camp Ramblewood spreads out over rolling hillsides bordering the Susquehanna River just below the Conowingo Dam, north of Havre de Grace, Maryland. Camp Ramblewood is about 8 miles north of Exits 89 (Havre de Grace) or 93 (Port Deposit) of I-95. It's only 90 minutes North of the I-495 Beltway, in a direction far less subject to traffic jams than Virginia. You may choose to stay over either one, two, or three nights, or you may come for the day if you are unable to get away for the whole weekend. There is also the possibility of coming for the day without meals. (You must register in advance if you wish to dine!)

The weekend starts Friday evening with a potluck dinner. If you register for two nights, your registration fee covers three meals and a midnight snack both days on Saturday and Sunday. Three-night registration gives you an additional night's lodging and breakfast on Monday morning. One-night registration gives you all meals and snacks on either Saturday or Sunday and, if you wish, a bed on either adjacent night.

Facilities

The dining hall, several common rooms, the pub, the drama barn, the dance barn (with a hardwood sprung floor), and the outdoor pavilion offer all-weather spaces for music making and dancing. NO SMOKING is allowed in any of the camp buildings.

If you choose to go to bed, there are more than 50 rooms, mostly in modern cabins. They feature indoor flush plumbing and hot showers; comfortable beds with box-spring mattresses (bring your own linens and bedding). There are handicapped-accessible cabins with wheelchair-accessible bathrooms for those who need them; please indicate any special needs when you register. Cabins are not usually heated (bring warm clothes!), although we will be permitted to bring low-wattage space heaters, providing they don't overwhelm the camp's electrical system (check with the organizers for details). You may also bring electric blankets and the like, and there are electical outlets in every cabin. If you prefer to bring a tent or your own RV, you may do so, and camp on the grounds (no discounts, but you get guaranteed privacy!). For those who are early-to-bed types (or have small children), a few cabins will be designated as quiet areas, with no singing after 10 pm. Other cabins will host singing all night (and we do mean ALL night!). Mention what sort of noise level you'd prefer, and we'll try to accommodate you.

If you don't want to sing, there's a pond with boats (and stocked with fish), tennis courts, ball fields, and a trail through the woods to the banks of the Susquehanna. The immediate area offers antiques, history and horse farms. (See more of Camp Ramblewood at its website: www.ramblewood.com.)

While the cabins have no central heat, we are permitted to bring electric space heaters (as long as we don't overload the fuses for any individual cabin!) Smoking is prohibited in any and every camp building.

Handicapped Accesibility

Camp Ramblewood is on a hillside. For folks who cannot manage the hill, a limited number of vehicles will be permitted to drive about the camp. Please contact the organizer, Charlie Baum at 301-587-2286 or special (at-sign) fsgw.org if you have mobility problems and would like a Ramblewood handicapped access pass, allowing you to drive up and down the hill.

Many buildings are wheelchair accessible, though some are not. With advanced notice, we will try to avoid scheduling things you might want to attend in those inaccessibile spaces. There are handicapped accessible cabins (ramped, with special bathrooms), and arrangements can be made to help people who need help negotiate the slopes of the site, but please let us know your needs when you register, or call the Getaway chair for details.

Special Guests

Every year, we invite some special guests to spark the music-making. Friends from all over the world who know about the Getaway through The Mudcat Cafe also show up. Sandy and Caroline Paton return this year, and people like Kendall Morse and Mick Lane have told us to expect them.

Fees

Getaway fees depend on whether you're an FSGW member or not, and whether you're an adult or a child. See the registration form for the fee that applies to you. Fees are determined by our actual costs to run this event — food, camp rental, etc. We try to keep them as low as possible, but the event needs to cover its costs—unfortunately we've had to raise fees a little this year to keep from losing money. If you're not yet a member of the FSGW, but you join now, you will pay the lower member rates for the Getaway. The fee structure allows full-time students to attend at the same fee-rate as teenagers, to encourage attendance by college-age folks.

The entire fee structure is on the registration form, which you can download (in .pdf format; it opens with the free Acrobat Reader). Print it out and send it in (along with payment) to the Registrar, Dennis Cook.

For Children, a Kid-Friendly Environment

Activities for kids will include interactive games and stories and an evening campfire complete with singing, stories and marshmallows. If any parent would like to provide materials for a do-it-yourself crafts table or a toy chest (contributions of out-grown toys) please call Rita Ferrara at 301-946-2161.

Scholarships Help Is Available

We especially encourage families to come, and if the fees seem too steep, some scholarship money is available for those who need help in affording the Getaway, thanks to the Linda Lieberman/David Olive Memorial Fund . If you need assistance, contact the Getaway chair, Charlie Baum at getaway (at-sign) fsgw.org or 301-587-2286.

On the other hand, if you can afford to contribute to the scholarship fund, you'll help to interest the next generation in folk music. Remember that we hold a silent auction at the Getaway to help replenish the Lieberman/Olive fund--you may wish to bring items to auction off to help others who can't afford the whole cost of the weekend.

Volunteers Are Needed to Help with Some Tasks

We'll also need some volunteers to help out with some chores:

• We need a few volunteers to help set up the camp on Friday afternoon.


• We need volunteers to welcome guests and register them and make ID buttons.


• We need to make sure the dining hall is cleaned up after the Friday night potluck.


• We need to coordinate and provide shuttle service between workshop locations up and down the hill.


• We need help to make sure everything is in order when we check out.

Call Rita at 301-946-2161 or Charlie at 301-587-2286 if you'd like to help.

Rita would also like an assistant program chair--if you think you'd like to volunteer to help (this is something that's done in the weeks prior to the Getaway), give her a call at 301-946-2161.

Getaway Activities at a Glance

Friday —

        

• Register any time after 3 pm.
  
• Potluck dinner, with new foods added as each person arrives.
  
• Song swap and music-making into the wee hours.

Saturday —

        

• Informal music, dance, crafts and storytelling workshops all day.
  
•         Saturday night concert (sign up to tell a story, present a short skit, tune or song).
  
•         Singing and jamming together all night, as late as you care to stay (or stay up, if you're sleeping at camp).

Sunday —

        

• Informal music, dance, crafts and storytelling workshops all day
  
•         Sunday night concert (sign up if you didn't participate on Saturday).
  
•         More singing and jamming after the concert, into the wee hours.

Monday —

        

•         Parting songs.
  
•         Farewell breakfast in the dining hall.

We tried to keep this year's price rise as minimal as possible, consistent with a need to not lose money on the event. We've restructured the day rates, but people who come for most or all of the event will have only a minimal increase.

A further sorry, but the only way to get the prices currently is to go to the FSGW Calendar (http://ceimd.com/fsgw/calendar.php3) and scroll down to October, or to download the Registration Form. the FSGW page that lists prices is generated forma database, and the webmaster hasn't set it up to generate the prices any other way. (This sentence will hopefully be obsolete in a few days.)

--Charlie Baum, FSGW Getaway Chair.