I've really been enjoying this topic, but I haven't had an opportunity to post before. OH BOY ... HOOTS! What a subject. Some time ago I thought about writing somthing in detail about hoots. After reading these postings, I remember now that there always has been a basic differance between the Hootenanny on the East Coast, and our version in Seattle, and pretty much the West Coast. I remember reading, early on, that back in the early fifities back East, it was common to rent a large hall, charge admission, and 'stage' a hoot. Out here, we were always much more informal. Most of us were not very affluent and the thought of charging admission seemed elitist, if not offensive. As the hoot (the term hootenanny died out early) quickly became a tradition here, most of the reguliar participants became quite protective of the scene. In those early days, Seattle was a strong hot bed of many musicians, folk and otherwise, and many venues and opportunites to perform. Yet it was at hoots that we honed our skills and sharpened out knowledge level ... to say nothing of building strong friendships. And it certainly was as Don said, very drug free. There was the perennial jug of red wine, but we rarely saw an excess. If that did happen, the offender was ostracized for a bit. As hoots grew, there became reguliar 'hoot houses', such as the late Almar Lanczos. Almar used to get a bit ticked off occasionally when he decided occasionally to use his house for other purposes. On a Saturday night and would arrive home to find all of us singing up a storm. (I was a carpenter then and you know ... you can NEVER keep a carpenter out of a house)! I remember once that he asked me to install all new locksets, which I did. Somehow I guess I forget to return all the master keys to him. Anyway, hoots were, and still are, a most wonderful part of my life.