I fully agree Herga Kitty, 'Mudcat', as a site dedicated to Folk music and all it's off-shoots and variations on a theme, has a very special meaning to many of us here.

I also discovered Mudcat through talking to the likes of Mr and Mrs Duck and Tyke etc probably about 8 or 9 years ago at Whitby Folk Week.

I am so glad I discovered this site because over the years it has meant a great deal to me both intellectually and emotionally.

As a bloke I wouldn't dare to get too emotional, but I can express that 'Mudcat' has allowed me to meet and get to know so many Mudcatter friends ( my 'extended family'!) and allowed us to keep in touch even during the darkest times of winter.

It has meant that I can look at what is coming up and plan ahead so that I know I can meet up with my old buddies.
I can consider new venues by recommendations and meet new and lasting friends thet keep on growing my very special 'extended family' year on year.

I can source new songs and monologues and start to contribute more in sessions. When before I would not have had the courage and just mumbled along and joined in the odd well known chorus song that I half knew. So my confidence has grown to take part and even to personally create a few songs from scratch.

I can engage in often intellectual and stimulating debate on many Mudcat threads and sometimes get roused to anger or tears.
I can do all of this and post in a split second to anyone on this fair planet.

I find it hard to imagine a time when I couldn't do all of the above and not feel connected to a wonderful Folk fraternity.

So yes, as people have said above, Max (as founder and owner of 'Mudcat') is just an ordinary regular guy from the USA and is not the King of Spain or some kind of demi-god.

But to me he is a hero for creating Mudcat in the first place so that so many of us Mudcatters can do so much that I have only touched upon above and have derived so much benefit and extended our horizons because of his creation.

Let's support him and thank him and do all we can to ensure that Mudcat will prosper and keep rolling along to keep us all entertained and enlightened for years and decades to come.

Chris.