runour has it that J'anna recently; played for the queen of england...the old time fiddlers have their western open championship coming up in red bluff in teh Tehama county fairgrounds in Oct. 24-26 There was a fiddle camp at whiskeytown lake july 21-27 and one fo the teachers was tricia ferguson from redding. the web site for this camp is www.shastafiddlecamp.com and the contact person is elizabeth johnson from redding. hjohnson@shastalink.k12.ca.us . my friend Lorraine Dechter who hosts the Good Old Fashioned Folk Music Show every sunday on KPFR/KCHO is also very knowlegeable about music in the north state..she can be reqached at npr@awwwsome.com she also is in touch with trinity river rafting guides so may be the perfect contact.. good luck to your friend--perhpas they make a water proof fiddle that he can take on the river?? where does your friend live? i'll look for teachers who live close... Laurel (i accompany young fiddlers at contests, and also play at contra dances...the folk music society in chico has jams - singer ansd picker circles -0- often on the first sat. of the month in chico--a good place to share tunes...)