Hi Tyler! Good to know we might see you in Newburyport. Even if we can't coordinate the monthly shaty sing down there you can watch the Mudcat for news of a Roll & Go concert down there at some point next year (2003).

Last weekend I went to Massachusetts and on my way home I clocked the trip from Newburyport. For those of us in Maine I clocked it at 21 miles and 26 minutes from the center of the Portsmouth Bridge to the Newburyport Exit. For Charley Noble and me it is 112 miles and can be traversed in 1 hour and fifty minutes.

Jaque, overall I like the idea of going to some place local but I also need to point out that a lot of our participants come up from down south. We need to get as close to them as possible to make sure we can continue to get them in with us. However, if you can work out something in the islands for the spring/summer/fall we might be able to drag them in for a ferry ride and an afternoon on the islands.

Julia, I also like the idea of a shanty gathering at the Maine Maritime Museum. If we could exchange the use of their space for a daytime sing during the hours they are open we might be able to get a group together. If we don't charge money they might be amenable to letting us sing. It might even be a way to open the board's eyes to the value of music in a museum environment. Charley and I sang there for the open house a couple of weekends ago. People were saying they could hear us all through the museum. And they said they liked what they heard. Can your brother scope out the idea and se if it might fly? You could have him email me about it. I think he and I met at one of your parties.

This is shaping up well. I hope we can pull something together.