38th Annual Getaway

Friday October 18, 2002 through Sunday October 20, 2002
(and even into Monday morning, October 21, 2002)
Camp Ramblewood (Darlington, MD)

Get away from it all, at the height of the autumn color season, and make music together with your neighbors and musicians from all over the world. (Last year, people came in from as far away as California and England.) Camp Ramblewood is a lovely spot with lots of inviting places to jam or sing, from first light to the wee hours. There is plenty of beautiful land for walking and hiking and for kids to run around in

FOOD, HOUSING, FEES AND OTHER LOGISTICS

Camp Ramblewood is on the banks of the Susquehanna River just a few miles upriver from Havre de Grace, Maryland. Friday evening is our usual potluck dinner, with foods that change as each successive party arrives. Your registration fee covers lodging in cabins with real mattresses and hot showers, as well as all meals on Saturday and Sunday (and even a breakfast on Monday, if you choose to linger). Or you may come for the day if you are unable to get away for the whole weekend. Daytrippers are offered two meals--lunch and dinner--each day. (But you MUST register in advance if you wish to dine!)

While the cabins have no central heat, we are permitted to bring electric space heaters (as long as we don't overload the fuses for any individual cabin!) Smoking is prohibited in any camp building.

There are handicapped accessible cabins, and arrangements can be made to help people who need help negotiate the slopes of the site, but please let us know your needs when you register, or call the Getaway chair for details. A limited number of vehicles will be permitted to shuttle up and down the hill. And for those who are early-to-bed types (or have small children), a few cabins will be designated as quiet areas, with no singing after 10 pm.

Getaway fees depend on whether you're an FSGW member or not, and whether you're an adult or a child. See the registration form for the fee that applies to you. Fees are determined by our actual costs to run this event--food, camp rental, etc. If you're not yet a member of the FSGW, but you join now, you will pay the lower member rates for the Getaway. They've gone up ever so slightly since last year, but we limited the increase to the minimum necessary to try to break even on this year's event. We've also changed the fee structure to allow full-time students to attend at the same fee-rate as teenagers, to encourage attendance by college-age folks.

Scholarships are Available

We especially encourage families to come, and if the fees seem too steep, some scholarship money is available for those who need help in affording the Getaway, thanks to the Linda Lieberman/David Olive Memorial Fund . If you need assistance, contact the Getaway chair, Charlie Baum at chbaum@earthlink.net or 301-587-2286.

On the other hand, if you can afford to contribute to the scholarship fund, you'll help to interest the next generation in folk music. Remember that we hold a silent auction at the Getaway to help replenish the Lieberman/Olive fund--you may wish to bring items to auction off to help others who can't afford the whole cost of the weekend.

For Children, a Kid-Friendly Environment

Activities for kids will include interactive games and stories and an evening campfire complete with singing, stories and marshmallows. If any parent would like to provide materials for a do-it-yourself crafts table or a toy chest (contributions of out-grown toys) please call Rita Ferrara at 301-946-2161.

Volunteers Are Needed to Help with Some Tasks

We'll also need some volunteers to help out with some chores:

• We need a few volunteers to help set up the camp on Friday afternoon.
• We need volunteers to welcome guests and register them and make ID buttons.
• We need to make sure the dining hall is cleaned up after the Friday night potluck.
• We need to coordinate and provide shuttle service between workshop locations up and down the hill.
• We need help to make sure everything is in order when we check out.

Call Rita at 301-946-2161 or Charlie at 301-587-2286 if you'd like to help.

What is the Getaway Like?

For more than 37 years, FSGW has held its Getaway weekend so that members and friends can share music, stories, crafts and dance in a relaxed camp setting. The Getaway is:

• Music-making under the trees, on the lawn, by the pond, or by the pool;
• Group singing and jamming at its best;
• Informal workshops on singing, dancing, crafts and storytelling led by FSGW members and friends;
• Trying a craft--quilting, basket-making, puppets, and mask-making have been highlights of past years;
• Great food;
• A wonderful weekend for the whole family, with lots of special children's activities;
• A chance to renew old friendships and make new ones;
• A beautiful camp with modern facilities in scenic rolling hills adjacent to the Susquehanna River;
• A wonderful chance for parents to introduce their kids to the magic of group singing and dancing--or to discover that magic for the first time themselves.

The weekend starts Friday evening with a potluck dinner. If you register for two nights, your registration fee covers three wonderful meals and a midnight snack both days on Saturday and Sunday. Three-night registration gives you an additional night's lodging and breakfast on Monday morning.

Schedule

A schedule of organized events at the 2001 Getaway may be viewed by clicking here. The 2002 Getaway promises equally wonderful programming. On-line versions will be posted as the program develops.

Special Guests

We've invited a few special guests to make sure interesting music happens. This year's guests include Sandy and Caroline Paton, Kendall Morse, Rick Fielding, and the Missing Person Soup Kitchen Gospel Quartet (Bill and Becky Kimmons and Will Fanning).

Fees

Getaway fees depend on whether you're an FSGW member or not, and whether you're an adult or a child. Fees are determined by our actual costs to run this event--food, camp rental, etc. The fees for 2002 can be found on the registration form, downloadable here in .pdf form.

Registration

A registration form can be found in the FSGW newsletter, or downloaded here. It's in .pdf format, which can be read with Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded here, if you don't already have it. You can print it out on your own printer, and mail it in with the appropriate fees.

Facilities

The dining hall, several common rooms, the pub, the drama barn, the dance barn (with a hardwood sprung floor), and the outdoor pavilion offer all-weather spaces for music making and dancing. NO SMOKING is allowed in any of the camp buildings.

If you choose to go to bed, there are more than 50 rooms, mostly in modern cabins. They feature indoor flush plumbing and hot showers; comfortable beds with box-spring mattresses (bring your own linens and bedding). There are handicapped-accessible cabins with wheelchair-accessible bathrooms for those who need them; please indicate any special needs when you register. Cabins are not usually heated (bring warm clothes!), although we will be permitted to bring low-wattage space heaters, providing they don't overwhelm the camp's electrical system (check with the organizers for details). You may also bring electric blankets and the like, and there are electical outlets in every cabin. If you prefer to bring a tent or your own RV, you may do so, and camp on the grounds (no discounts, but you get guaranteed privacy!). If you don't want to sing, there's a pond with boats (and stocked with fish), tennis courts, ball fields, and a trail through the woods to the banks of the Susquehanna. The immediate area offers antiques, history and horse farms. (See more of Camp Ramblewood at its website: www.ramblewood.com.)

Handicapped Accessibility

Camp Ramblewood is on a hillside. Many buildings are wheelchair accessible, though some are not. With advanced notice, we will try to avoid scheduling things you might want to attend in those inaccessibile spaces. For folks who cannot manage the hill, a limited number of vehicles will be permitted to drive about the camp. Please contact the organixer, Charlie Baum at 301-587-2286 if you have mobility problems and would like a Ramblewood handicapped access pass, allowing you to drive up and down the hill.

For further information, please contact the Program coordinator: Charlie Baum at getaway@fsgw.org or 301-587-2286 or via a Mudcat Private Message.