The Folklore Society of Greater Washington is holding a Getaway on Columbus Day weekend this fall.

The folks who run the Getaway said they would love to have some Mudcatters show up this year. PLEASE, though, don't just show up without letting us know ahead of time, because we can't guarantee that there will be enough food on hand if people do that.

Actually, we already know that Dick Greenhaus, Susan of DT, Olson, LaMarca, Charlie Baum, Lorraine, Bill D, and I, as well as some folks whose Mudcat screen names I forget, will be there.

Special guests who are coming this year include Sol Brody, Murray Callahan, Mike Agranoff, and Max Ochs, with more to come.

The Getaway will be held at Camp Letts, on the Severn River in Edgewater, MD, near Annapolis (about 45 minutes east of Washington, DC). It's not a rustic camp, actually it's quite luxurious, with hot showers and heated cabins." Facilities include canoeing and horseback riding.

Debbie McClatchy is in charge of food. (When she goes off duty, she can occasionally be coaxed into a song or two.) Each camper does two 1-hour stints in the kitchen, plus one other volunteer job. But Debbie makes the kitchen work light and fun and the results are delicious. Gives a new meaning to "camp food."

In general the format of the weekend is workshops and mini-concerts during the day, then an evening concert (really an open mike), then a sing-around in every large area we can find. ( You might find old-timey and country in the dining hall, ballads in the boathouse, anything goes in the lodge, ... etc)

There will be special activities for kids, but parents are responsible for keeping track of their own offspring at other times. However it's not hard -- just look for a large group of small people near the swings, in front of the dining hall, etc.

The cost varies according to several factors: FSGW member or not, whether you're sleeping over or day-tripping, how many nights. If anyone's interested, I'll type in a table of costs. Debbie's meals are unbelievably reasonably priced even if you ignore the great quality; but the camp's charges go up every year, like everything else in the world.

Sample costs for non-members: Adults (12 and up) one day $35, two days $65, two nights $130, three nights $150. Kids 4 to 11 are roughly half that. Kids 3 and under are free.

There were more comments on this Getaway in the thread "Support the Mudcat ... Revisited." I'll bring that up again.

Does anyone want to add anything? We don't have the workshop schedule yet, but I'm working on it. Does anyone want more details? You can post your questions here or send me a private message. - Ferrara