Mudgathering, S. Ohio?

Subject: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Feb 14 - 11:18 AM

I need to schedule an early-spring trip to paint and interview for a housemate, at the new vacay house we bought in southern Ohio. The timing is pretty much up to me, so I wondered if there are enough folks interested in a MudGathering to include one in the time I'm there.

The house sleeps 10-12, and there is also tent space. Maybe the pop-up camper too which, if I take it, will offer two semi-private sleep chambers-- a double and a king, and maybe a twin too depending on setup. (It's ideal if a whole family wants to have a little more privacy than the main house offers, but I would need help popping it up.) There's a large garage also.

I'll refresh this periodically in hopes of snagging lurkers we all miss. Please use your email contacts to ask ole MudBuds to check in and post!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: GUEST,Bearheart
Date: 09 Feb 14 - 01:17 AM

I'm very interested, though I am currently dividing my time between Ohio (Athens area) and Central New York.
Do you have a ballpark date and general location?

Bekki

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 09 Feb 14 - 05:16 AM

I would love to be there , but financs mean I will be in UK , NOT USA .
Good luck with a decent turn out

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Feb 14 - 10:19 AM

Bearheart, are you a member here so we can exchange PMs?

Leadfingers, we'd love to see you too.

♡♡♡

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Feb 14 - 10:27 AM

Oops, hit submit too quick (wakie wakie! ).

Greene County, most likely early April.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: GUEST,Bearheart
Date: 09 Feb 14 - 10:04 PM

I am but due to a glitch with my email changing I can't access my stuff to messages at the moment. Hoping to get that fixed.

Early April will likely work for me.

Bekki

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Feb 14 - 11:05 PM

Sounds great Bekki!

~S~

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Feb 14 - 01:31 PM

"Camp Ridgebury" is a vacation bungalow in a mid-sized town, near midway between various Ohio family members. The house will be an alternative to our pop-up camper, in the area where we've vacationed most summers in the last 20 yrs.

We've been renting a three-family ancient PA farmhouse the last 20 years, originally necessitated by a freshly-blended family with 3 active teens. So-- I'm extracting one household's worth of furniture, etc. to furnish CR, mostly furniture that had held other past Mudcat visitors in the "MudDorm" we made out of a sleeping attic.

There are a lot of pictures of CR's setup phase on Facebook, for folks who want to find me there. (PM here if you can't find me).

Most of the other items in the house honor our departed family members, especially my Mom who died not long ago, and whose legacy provided the funds to take advantage of good loan rates.

Her other legacy, which I've written about here before, are about "Carpenter Camp," a self-sustaining Adirondack fishing camp which her side of the family has made available to visiting extended family members (and their church groups) since the late 1800's. That's where the guest policies come from, that have undergirded our past MudGathers. That approach lets us have time to enjoy the music, too.

~S~

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: Severn
Date: 10 Feb 14 - 01:55 PM

I'd possibly be interested if this lines up with my schedule and maybe could be combined with a trip to Columbus to see my daughter. Please keep me posted.

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: Cool Beans
Date: 10 Feb 14 - 02:09 PM

This sounds like fun. I may be able to swing down from Detroit, with or without my wife (I haven't asked her yet) Please keep me posted.

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Feb 14 - 02:50 PM

TRAVEL TIMES

Severn, it's about an hour and a half from Columbus.

Cool Beans, it's about 3 hours from Toledo. My son lives there if you need a stop along the way. Your wife would be welcome, and early birds get the double bed. :~)

~S~

Subject: HOW WE "DO A MUDGATHER"
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Feb 14 - 04:07 PM

HOW WE "DO A MUDGATHER" (ymmv!)

You will find the space waiting for you, a crockpot going, beds all made up, clean towels laid by in case you forgot yours, and chairs for a little picking. We've had many, almost-entirely GREAT experiences hosting... but to preclude a repeat of the few issues that arose, here's what we hope guests will keep in mind.

First, a MONTAGE of previous MudGathers (plus faces of MudBuds met on separate occasions). It shows the old PA setup; except for being all on one level, you will not find OH so different.


The management policies are based on two fine experiences I had on a regular basis, as a child and as an adult.

1. "Carpenter Camp" was an Adirondack fishing camp owned by elder family members, where anyone in the clan could go (for as long as the whole summer) for R&R. I was there often as a child. Hardi and I made week-long visits several times, seeing the adult side of keeping it all going. At Camp, anyone off on their own is assumed to be either sleeping, or otherwise not desiring company. You do what you can do for yourself, and ask help for the rest. Camp is always an adventure in being self-reliant and cooperative. And you can breathe there, and reflect.

You always arrive to find it clean-swept, dishes set to dry-- all ready for the first arrival to fire up the heat and turn down the beds-- and several days' food left where the mice can't get it to tide you over till you venture out for supplies.

And at Camp, you always leave it that way for the next arrival (unless you are physically unable, in which case you let the managing family know ahead of time that they will need to pick up the slack).

Camp Ridgebury's laundry facilities ensure that prepping for the next visitors is a snap-- about 30-45 minutes of prep time for each departing guest leaves us ALL glad we Gathered.

2. "Pleasant Valley" was an outdoor education center/summer camp getaway for inner city kids, on a real working farm. People learned how to live in the country, where milk comes from, what comes out besides milk, and how to work together to live lightly on the land.

When I went to a workshop there-- and later when I managed the demonstration farm and presented programs-- I found it heaven on earth. You left town concerns behind, because you met the concrete realities of life there. You could stretch. And, if you needed to, you could work hard enough to sleep deeply. (Between hikes.) It's gone now… redeveloped.

Camp Ridgebury adjoins 65+ miles of paved bike/hike paths, and enormous state parks are nearby.


MUDGATHER MEALS. I usually make a hearty crockpot for Friday arrivals (non-vegetarian). People tend to bring a lot of buffet-ready and beverage items and, well… people eat all day! Spare fridges are set for the overflow. At our MudGathers, breakfasts are self-service: whatever you can make, with whatever has been brought. First one to get up makes the coffee. Kitchen cabinets are left open so you can find what you might need, before I go to bed.

TEAMWORK. I don't "manage" all this very much-- I'm more of a resource person-- but if the size of the Gathering warrants, I will recruit teams to make sure we all have a good time. Usually it all takes care of itself quite well.

STANDARD "CLEAN ENOUGH?" DISCLAIMER. A super-clean house is not my first priority! A house with room for all sortsa people, that IS a priority. This place houses just two rapidly-geezifyin' people busy with ministries that are pretty time-consuming. And the occasional Catters who usually assure me that our house is cleaner'n theirs!

So here's the thing. If there is anything in the house that offends you when you come to stay with us, OK! Come to me privately and tell me your plan for resolving it. I'll be glad to point the way to the requisite cleaning supplies and equipment, in between tending to the other priorities in my life which are PEOPLE oriented! :~)

MUDCAT DONATIONS ACCEPTED. For us, a MudGather is a lot like parish events, where the host parish supplies the entree and other specified items, and others bring the missing items. It is our privilege to have folks come here when we can't go "there," and what actually motivates us more than anything else is timely RSVP's. So if anyone is thinking along those lines, a contribution to Mudcat is always appreciated and will be duly forwarded to Max.

THE "ALCOHOL? QUESTION" People sometimes get nervous around clergy, so here's the real deal: Hardi and I seldom drink but, as long as neighbors are not disturbed, neither are we. We do take keys off anyone who tries to drive and should not. The dog is available as a Designated Walker. :~)

~S~

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: Crowhugger
Date: 10 Feb 14 - 11:19 PM

Ahhh wish I could!

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: Bearheart
Date: 11 Feb 14 - 05:43 PM

ok i am sorted out and can do PMs etc, keep me posted... how far from Athen OH?

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 11 Feb 14 - 06:24 PM

Bearheart, it's about 2 hours. (On the way towards Dayton.)

♥♥♥

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 11 Feb 14 - 07:33 PM

I enjoyed the montage - A few very familiar faces there !

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Feb 14 - 09:41 PM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: Bearheart
Date: 15 Feb 14 - 01:48 AM

Keep me on the list...

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Feb 14 - 10:42 AM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Mar 14 - 09:52 AM

Dates have narrowed to April 1-15. That's when I'll be there. Folks interested in Gathering, please start negotiating with each other in this thread to settle on a consensus date-- and that's when we'll do 'er.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Mar 14 - 05:14 PM

Sorry, but I'll be recovering from some surgery about that time. Have you told Spaw?

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Mar 14 - 07:06 PM

Rap, I hope your surgery goes well and with minimal memory-affecting drugs (but enjoy tge ones you take!!!). I PMed Spaw and Hollowfox this URL but do not have email for them.... feel free.

♥♡♥

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Mar 14 - 08:25 PM

We should time NEXT year's to coincide with the Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival, an annual event held about 25 minutes from CR.

~S~

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Mar 14 - 10:14 AM

I've re-prioritized the time I had set aside for a group Mudcat event but would welcome meeting up with any Catters one on one, in the Columbus/Dayton/Cincy areas.

The next group opportunity will be September 26-29, 2014.

~S~

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Mar 14 - 09:01 AM

Anybuddy know about these folks? I assume YS = Yellow Springs, as that is the town for this meetup of a Dayton-area singalong community.

YS Folk at Glen Helen

They have songcircles while I'll be there!!!

♥♡♥

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Mar 14 - 09:04 AM

AKA Dayton Folk Music Sing-Along Meetup.

♥♡♥

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: CupOfTea
Date: 24 Mar 14 - 04:59 PM

Susan,

If you're an hour & a half from Columbus, you might want to think of coming up for the Central Ohio Folk Festival the first weekend in May. It's a lovely small festival that includes some very fine performers and participants. Longtime Mudcatter Phil Cooper will be performing there in his wonderful duo February Sky with HIS Susan. I'll be participating in giving two workshops. There are plenty of autoharps, dulcimers of both persuasions, bowed psalteries (one should be warned) and easy parking in a well arranged park.

I make it down to what sounds like your neck of the woods a time or two a year; my best friend lives in Carlisle (a wee town near Franklin, on the Miami river). He can be dragged along to singing sessions willingly. Dayton seems to have a great folk scene - or did years ago - enough that I've envied their range of events many times. Put me on your list, purty please?

Joanne in Cleveland

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Mar 14 - 10:49 PM

Thanks, Joanne, I'll put that Central Ohio Folk Festival on my list for next year. It all depends on when Easter falls, as my husband is not yet retired from parish life.

It'd be a good idea for folks who want to keep informed to Trace this thread, since the next thing I plan for Camp Ridgebury will probably show up on this thread first.

~S~

Subject: RE: Spring MudGathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Jun 15 - 04:24 PM

The inaugural "Celebration Circle of Song, Story, and Solidarity" planned at our place for mid-west. PM for date and location. Some beds in-house available. State park 20-30 minutes uproad. Event coordination will be via FB Events so plan on Fri ending your way to more info. I can be emailed via Joe Offer.

Alcohol, drugs, weapons not welcome. Music stands and songbooks OTOH are fine! 😉

~Susan

Subject: RE: Mudgathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Jun 15 - 05:39 AM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Mudgathering, S. Ohio?
From: CupOfTea
Date: 28 Jun 15 - 01:21 PM

Do you have a time frame in mind for this? I'm already scheduling things into the fall, but I'd love to get together. Any chance you got up for the Central Ohio fest this year? It was a lovely bit of incredible weather in a very soggy spring and slosshingly wet summer, and they had a record number of attendees. I spent much of my time chatting up other interesting folks I'd met during workshops.
I don't do facebook, so I don't know which Friday you have in mind. I can be emailed at this same screen name at ye olde ancient AOL. (can you tell I'm one of the first million suckers cause I have no numbers in my name?

Joanne In Cleveland where it's week two of too much rain.

Subject: RE: Mudgathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Jun 15 - 02:13 PM

Joanne, no I missed that festival-- I'm in Ohio just about 12 weeks a year. Will try emailing you the flyer.

~S~

Subject: RE: Mudgathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Aug 15 - 11:31 AM

The Celebration Circle begins today. We're limiting it a tad due to last minute health and plumbing issues, but the fire pit will be lit, songs will be shared, and stories will be told.

Repeating next month. Date TBA.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Mudgathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 11 Sep 15 - 05:25 PM

The next Celebration Circle is Sunday, Oct. 4, 5-9pm.

Subject: RE: Mudgathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 04 Oct 15 - 07:53 PM

Songs for the Oct. 4 Celebration Circle were:

Title (Songbook)

Now we take this feeble body (Gospel Favorites aka GF)

We have a good start on a brand-new songbook for Celebration Circle, mostly pieces drawn from the Golden Ring anthology.

Mike Fink (CC songbook aka CC)
Golden Years (CC)

Two young ladies stopped by. The songs they wanted to sing were contemporary pop, so they sang them with the songs downloaded on their smart phones, and I called it "Foneoke." It was a good way to involve younger folks! They then had me pick a bunch from my books to teach them, and signed up for the mailing list to tell their friends about the next CC. Our foneoke list:

Kissing on my tattoo (foneoke)
Love don't change (foneoke)
Drop in the ocean (foneoke)
A thousand years (foneoke)
Counting stars (foneoke)
Beautiful (by Aguilera) (foneoke)

Climbing high mountains (Spiritual, GF)
Detroit city (Yellow Springs Hootenanny Book aka YS)
Rock me mama (YS)
Wait til the clouds roll by (CC)
Handful of songs (CC)
Last train to glory (CC)
Early (CC)

We wrapped up when the sun went down and skeeters woke up; this allergy seems to be a cold-- I feel feverish, so there being no further arrivals I packed up, singing:

I'm packin' up (Spiritual, GF)

Two more your ladies stopped by as I was finishing the list of songs, and signed up on the mailing list for next time. Their favorite music is rap-- I guess we have a neighborhood activity underway! So the next CC will feature children's songs and stories from 5-6pm, young adults' songs and stories 6-7pm, adults 7-9pm. TBTG for foneoke!

It felt just like a MudGather, but with less help, and shorter.

I took pix showing setup details for the areas that were available tonight, since we may let others use the house for local sings and workshops. I drew heavily on our MudGather hosting experience, and appreciate so much the Catters that taught us how to do this!

I wish Catspaw was still on the planet; he'd have been just a short ride away and would have LOVED the youth energy. In his honor, I took the setup as easy as possible. ;-) Next year I'll invite Karen and gang.

~S~

Subject: RE: Mudgathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 05 Oct 15 - 09:21 AM

Relevant paste from thread about involving youth:

I've seen several ways young adults get involved. Some of them are probably not what [most of us old folkies usually want], but the topic is the topic.

1. Raise them in the tradition. US examples: Jenny and Becky Armstrong, daughters of George and Gerry Armstrong; my "folkbaby" Katarina (search for 'folkbabies' thread); Mudcatter Dan Schatz (if I recall right).

2. Give them electric guitars for church music, and then encourage their tastes towards the folkie songwriters. Leave them to their tastes, and hope they follow those tastes towards good, classic folk.

3. Accept and encourage their generation's 'everyone knows this song' choices, regardless of genre. For an example, yesterday's song circle was most heavily attended by young adults wanting to sing current pop chart-toppers. "I'm so glad you came! It's your turn in the circle to pick a song. (Girl names a title.) No, I don't know that song, can you teach it to me?" I explain that in a song circle, we go around picking songs. People are expected to lead the songs they choose. After much shy giggling (and my story of how i got over my shyness), she whips out her cellphone, plays a YouTube video just loud enough for her to hear the melody, and sings! (After warning us not to look at her while she sings.) Her friend and I praise her singing. The next pick is her friend's, who is equally shy. They encourage each other back and forth thru 5 songs! I name Then they remember that I haven't had a turn, and demand I play and sing several from my book. They like all of this enough to want to do it again, and happily sign the mailing list to get flyers to bring friends.

It ain't what I'd have considered 'folk'.... but it got them involved enough to come back. For my turn, then, I'll introduce similarly-themed songs to their picks (love songs mostly), and set out an extension cord for their fone chargers. The next flyer will break out an hour for young adults, who are bored easily and will do this for an hour at most. The first hour goes to family/children's songs.

It's on me to listen to their fave radio station to pick up on songs I can like enough to arrange. (Two or three.)

.......

The age group most of us long to reach are all about having something of their OWN, as they explore their identities away from their parents. They will seldom want to follow what they perceive as 'parental,' tho they often will like whatever old, classic music genre their parents DON'T like. If you can present Folk in a way they think their parents would dislike..... murder ballads for example.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Mudgathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Jun 18 - 04:05 PM

Refresh. What are people's Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 thoughts?

~Susan

Subject: RE: Mudgathering, S. Ohio?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 11 Jan 19 - 04:26 PM

Refresh for summer 2019. Accomodations now are two or three in-house recliners, the luxurious pop-up camper by the garage with electrics, your smallish tent or two in the pocket-sized yard behind the bedrooms, and the just-completed, pricey Hampton Inn within walking or handi-scootering distance. The great kitchen to cook in is here, and by then the outdoor kitchen and firepit too. The enormous and shady tree in front, to pick and share stories under, is all set with 6 chairs and more are handy.

Location is off Route 35-- about 20 minutes' drive east of Dayton, or 90 minutes' south of Columbus.

Speak soon, because old geezers prep slowly.

Jump to 2014 post in this thread.

~Susan