Hi, folks,

I'm home & almost unpacked. It's amazing how little I seem to get done in a day. Of course, I could use the 90-degree temp as an excuse. Duane D. & I arrived at Old Songs for the 3-5 pm classes on Friday & stayed till about 4 pm on Sunday. We had a great time! I started seeing & hugging Mudcatters almost as soon as I arrived. I saw the following folks, but didn't spend much time with any of them--I'm sorry to say--too much good music to pursue: Sandy & Caroline Paton at Folk Legacy as well as karen k (Thanks for providing a home & meeting place for us!), dick greenhaus & Susan of DT at CAMSCO assisted by EBarnacle & Lady Hillary, Don Meixner at his silver booth (but I missed his charming wife, Cindy!)(btw, Jeri's earrings are gorgeous!), Bigchuck, Charlie Baum, kendall & jacqui (I *love* the shawl!), Jeri, Hollowfox, Animaterra (too little time together, dear), Pamela in Ithaca, Anglo (Sorry about that rain on Friday, John; I really didn't cause it!), Allan C & Carmen, finally met Ron Olesko (who was staying at our motel, in addition to assorted DC & NYC folks), Jon Bartlett who I saw perform & didn't realize was a Mudcatter, Dave Ruch who I saw several times. Dave devoted his weekend to introducing his 2 sons & a friend to Old Songs--a great way to invest the time, I think! Among those I wish had been there were certainly dharmabum, Bill Sables, Barry Finn, & MMario. Pardon for any I may have missed.

Duane & I wimped out & stayed at a hotel, rather than camping. The Best Western on Western Avenue was approximately a 20-minute drive from the festival site. The beds were incredibly comfortable, the room was clean, & the price included a hot breakfast buffet that was quick & more than adequate. Several folks from the festival were staying there or at the Days Inn right next door. I found that the AARP rate was actually a few dollars cheaper than the festival rate.

At the festival, my first stop was the choral harmony singing class with Peter & Mary Alice Amidon--great, as usual! It was held in the Sheep Barn, a large building w/ a metal roof. We had high winds that made it sound as though the building would be torn apart at any moment. Then, midway through the session, the skies opened & rain poured down! It was so loud, I didn't know, for sure, if it was rain or hail! The weather cleared then for a little while, but it rained heavily again as soon as the second act in the evening concert began. We had just settled down to hear the Jeremy Kittel Band--4 young men who show amazing potential; I feel quite sure we'll be seeing more of them in the future! The second act was Steve Tilston. By the time he started to play, it seemed pretty clear that it was going to get very wet. Many folks, including us, packed it in for the night. I felt badly for Steve. I heard, the next day, that, at the end of Steve's set, the concert moved indoors. By then, however, everyone would have been soaked through & the temps that night dropped to the 40's w/ wind. We made an early night of it & were glad of it.

Saturday, bright & early, we went to Sacred Harp singing, led by Matthew Wojcik, who did a fine job. In the past, Peter Amidon has been the leader & many of us learned from him. Now, it seems that he is concentrating more on the harmony singing workshops, although both he & Mary Alice took part in all of the Sacred Harp sessions. My next stop on Saturday was "Songs & Tunes of Canada" (It seemed like we had a lot of Canadian acts at Old Songs this year). Great line-up--Finest Kind, Arrogant Worms, our own Jon Bartlett & Rika Ruebsaat. I took a break for lunch & then went to the "In Sweet Harmony" session with Herdman-Hills-Mangsen, Amidons, Finest Kind, & Sara Grey & her son Kieron Means--all wonderful! Dropped by "Jewish Music & Songs" with Shelley Posen (of Finest Kind) & Simple Gifts. Shelley sang a song, "Fork Garden" that reminded me of "Handful of Songs"--very nice. I ended the sessions on Saturday with the 1-hour Shape Note book sing. Even though I only get to sing a few times a year, I'm getting a little better. I can almost keep up, except with the shapes on the fast songs!

We stayed for most of the Saturday pm concert (BTW, the weather on Saturday was wonderful--not too hot & a breeze--no rain!). Highlights for me were Arrogant Worms (absolutely over-the-top hysterical), Herdman-Hills-Mangsen (wonderful harmonies, fun personalities), Finest Kind (same as HHM--I just love to hear them! I particularly enjoyed Ann playing bass!). Another highlight, for me, is watching Jake Thomas interpret in American Sign Language. He has been a regular at Old Songs since 1992 & is a joy to watch. Although I am neither deaf or speak ASL, my dad's folks were both deaf & I appreciate the fact that Old Songs provides this service. Jake is such an expressive, entertaining interpreter that it is, sometimes, a tough choice between watching him & the performers!

Sunday, we were up early again & started the day with Sacred Harp singing. All day, I just moved between the Sheep Barn & Cattle Barn--both at the far end of the fairground from the vendors. I didn't have time for lunch & didn't see Duane again till the sessions ended at 3:30 pm. I had a not-to-be-missed time, though! After Sacred Harp, I progressed to "Women's Songs" with Sara Grey, Emma's Revolution, Ann Downey (Finest Kind), Eleanor Ellis, & Herdman-Hills-Mangsen. Then, "Gospel Sing" with Amidons, Stillhouse Rounders, Sol Weber, Paul Rishell & Annie Raines, & Magpie. In the same area, Gospel Sing was followed by a packed out audience for a 1-hour concert by the Arrogant Worms--a very interesting group. I closed my afternoon with a comfortable, low-key "Country & Old-Time Swap" with Finest Kind, Stillhouse Rounders, & Frank Orsini (of the Whippersnappers). After that, I met up with Duane quite easily. We pooped out on the closing concert, opting for an early dinner with my older son, who lives locally. Then, we headed home. Great weekend! With information we got there, we are headed out, this coming weekend, for our first Sacred Harp All-Day Sing, approximately 2 hours away, in Massachusetts.

Best to all,

bbc