I've watched this thread and decided I wanted to step in with a few words myself.

The truly great are those who don't believe they are - but then they consistently step up to the plate of life and keep working with their friends and family to make this space a better place. For all of us. Carnegie Hall to a musician is, for me anyway, a dream that will most likely never happen. And to have someone, even a bunch of someones, make someone's dream a reality is beyond special. I get tears in my eyes just thinking about it.

Ivan - you are the host of our dreams right now. You've helped someone achieve a goal that most of us, at least in my circle of pickers, will never even get to see the place let alone play there. For that I certainly make you my "Hero of the Week" at a minimum.

I can certainly appreciate MzKitty's quandry at not being able to read music and the profound terror that would invoke in me - I can't read a note either - especially with that level of professional musicians. So Ivan - from Mountain Home, Idaho where the Sun always shines and the wind rarely blows...

Thanks -

It's folks like yourself, and some others in these parts, that have certainly changed how I view the world. It is a far better place than I imagined -

Steve