I think that many Mudcatters have gotten used to coming to the Getaway by now, and maybe it's now time to start treating them as individual friends instead of as a group. (After all, out-of-town friends have been coming to the Getaways since long before the invention of personal computers. ) Instead of a "Mudcatville" cabin, we may just have a "jam all night" cabin (isolated, to the great relief of people who were stuck trying to sleep near all that noise).

To further complicate matters, we ought to be inviting people from other folk societies around the country (and the world). Those of you living about the country who make music with friends in your localities--tell them about this weekend, whether they're Mudcatters or not. Computer literacy, a Mudcat handle, or a willingness to participate in this electronic forum are not prerequisites; only a love of the music (or of a weekend where this music is central) is.

--Charlie Baum