Thank you! The annual FSGW Mini-Fest was delightful!!
There were a few lost-and-found items, and a complete list will be posted later today (after I retrieve the box from the car).
A special thanks to all of the volunteers (more than 400 of you) -- sound engineers, logistics minions, track programmers, ticket takers, and all of the talented people who danced and sang and showed us all such a good time.
April Blum, Chair
Dancers and dumbeks, washboards and waltzing, tales and the tango, blues and ballads, Morris and more. Come to the Takoma Park Middle School, 7611 Piney Branch Road, today -- Groundhog Day -? Saturday, February 2. We start at noon, and we run to 10:30 pm. Two all-day dance tracks, and seven workshop and performance sites, plus unscheduled hallway shenanigans ?there's no shadow of a doubt that it'll cure your winter blues!!
Breaking News: The Maritime Singers chantey sing will begin at NOON, and the FSGW Gospel Sing will begin at TWO. (These two groups have switched slots). Juggling will be from 4-5. If you have a 5-10 minute story to tell, the last half-hour in the Storytelling Room (122) is open mic. The change ringers (handbells) have had to cancel this year, but we hope to see them next year. Nice photo of the Foggy Bottom Morris in today's Washington Post Weekend tab!
Volunteer slots are full and applications for craft vendors closed on January 15. Please put a reminder on your calendars for late December 2013/early January 2014 to check in and sign up.Click here to see this year?s schedule, in pdf format. The date and time it was most recently updated are in the lower left-hand corner. Print out a copy and bring it along, if you wish, but paper copies will be available at the ticket table.
Ticket prices are unchanged from last year. Note that we hope to open the "gate" at 11:30 am; performances/workshops begin at noon. AdultChild
(6-12)Family
MaxDay plus evening (noon to 10:30 pm)FSGW Member$15$8$45Non-Member$20$10$55Day (noon to 6 ONLY) OR Evening (6 to 10:30 ONLY)FSGW Member$9$4$25Non-Member$13$5$35Children under 6 get in free.
You can join FSGW at the door, and get the discount for members.
You will not be able to pre-purchase Mini-Fest tickets via PayPal through the website, but you will be able to use credit cards at the door.
April Blum, Chair
What does Family Maximum mean in the ticket price section? This rate allows parents and their children to attend for one affordably capped admission price. The Family rate for a family of four is slightly less than four individual tickets, and there is no additional fee for any additional child.
For information about volunteering, click here or scroll all the way down -- there's a link to a list of "job descriptions". The best place to sign up is at either the Friday or Sunday night dance at Glen Echo, but you can also send an email to minifestmessages (at) aol dot com. Please put "Volunteering" in the subject line. Our slate of volunteers is currently full, but keep us in mind for next year!
All of the wonderful photos are courtesy of Steve Tuttle (thanks, Steve!), of Tuttle and Tuttle Photography.
Hallways and Lobby.
Perhaps we should warn you.... ahem. Perhaps we should mention that Morris Dancers and Rappersword groups infest.... ahem...appear unexpectedly. They dance in the hallways.
And they dance outside, weather permitting.They often wear bells, so sometimes you can hear them coming. You can run, but you cannot hide.
FSGW encourages those who play instruments to bring them along. One of the real delights every year is hearing music being made in stairwells and at the end of corridors. In fact, we encourage these ad hoc jams by putting extra chairs in appropriate spots.
Retail therapy will be available. CDs (through Camsco Music) and musical instruments (through House of Musical Traditions) will be available for sale in the Cafetorium, and craftspeople will have tables in the corridors near the main lobby.
There will be a one-hour learn-to-juggle workshop, probably in or near the main lobby, from about 4 to 5 pm, taught by Bill Amos.
Daytime Cafetorium Performances
Noon to 6 pm -- six hours of music, thanks to Mini-Fest Co-Chair, Charlie Baum (thanks, Charlie B!).
*We start at noon with the memorable folk music of the 50s and 60s by Shenandoah Run.
*At 1, you'll delight in a one-hour concert by The Chromatics -- a high-energy a cappella vocal group singing outrageous originals, crazy covers, and some science songs. 2012 Photo here. They'll also be doing a singing workshop at 3, in Room 118.
*Long-time favorites The Capitol Hillbillies play from 2-3 pm. These master musicians offer primitive New Orleans-style jazz, hot blues, gospel, jug band, and more on piano, harmonica, horns, bass, and fiddle, along with some very fine vocals.
*At 3, lively Tamburitza music from Serbia and Croatia (and places beyond) by ?arenica. Come boogie to the brach and bugarija and prance to the sound of the prim, backed by bass and dumbek and the multi-stringed cimbalom.
* At 3:45 the Irish Bog Band will fill the hall with rollicking Irish music.
*At 4:30, the lively trio Kensington Station serves up fine 60s folk music.
*Closing out the daytime performance track, at 5:15, are the Bumper Jacksons -- Hot and sweet, with a traditional jazz and pre-war country repertoire featuring clarinet, washboard, guitar, banjo, ukulele, vocals, and mouth horn.
Main Gym: Programmed by Chair April Blum. The day begins with an hour of Eastern European Folk Dance -- demonstration and workshops by Carpathia Folk Dance Ensemble. At 1, Michael Barraclough leads a knees-up English ceilidh. At 2, there's a Tango workshop -- instruction and dance, featuring Tango Mercurio Community Orchestra. At 3, English Country Dancing (think Jane Austen) will be led by caller Dan Gillespie with wonderful music by the Treble Makers: Liz Donaldson, Emily Aubrey and Robin Wilson on piano, fiddle, and flute, respectively. At 4, Lisa Brooks and Dan Kahn teach Swedish Schottis, with music by Melissa Running on the Swedish nyckelharpa. 2011 Photo here. Finally, at 5 pm, local favorite Ann Fallon will call a Barn Dance to old-time music by AP &The Banty Roosters. Easy circle and line dances, guaranteed to make you smile. No partner needed, just show up and join in.
From 6 to 7, open waltz with beautiful music by FireFly!!
Auxiliary Gym, features contras and squares all day long, with excellent local bands and callers, programmed by Chair April Blum. 2011 Photo here. 2012 Photo here. And here. And here. And here.At noon, an hour of squares, with music by the Lovely Lane String Band, called by Eva Murray. Then five hours of contradance. The Treble Makers at 1, with caller Bob Hofkin;then music from 2 to 4 pm by the MetroGnomes, calling for the first hour is Perry Shafran followed by Dave Colestock. At 4 pm, the Torch Takers -- the next generation of young musicians -- will play to calling by George Mercer. We round out the day with an Open Band Jam, with calling by Kim Forry.
Jams Room, programmed by Charlie Baum and April Blum, begins at noon with Sea Chanteys, led by Maritime Voices. 2011 photo here. 2012 photo here. At 1 pm, the Morris Dancers have threatened... ahem... have agreed to lead an hour of raucous... ahem... vigorous singing, aka Morris Chorus. From 2 to 3, a one-hour Gospel Sing, led by Kathie Mack. From 3 to 5, members of Archie's Barbershop will play some fine Blues, and at 5 pm, there's a rollicking Irish seisi?n, led by "Pete Moss" of The Bog Band.
Workshops/Concerts -- Rooms 104, 114 and 118
FSGW is grateful to Linda Goodman and Sandrolin Koppel(thanks to you both!), who have done such a fine job on Rooms 114 and 118), and to Emily Hilliard for organizing an interesting schedule, including two musical show-and-tells and a panel discussion, for Room 104.
Room 114
*At noon, a concert by Shane Speal,King of the Cigar Box Nation ?- a songwriter whose guitar is an empty cigar box and a stick. You will find yourself chanting and tapping along with his work hollers, chain gang songs, eclectic vintage covers, and humorous original tunes.
*Starting at 1:30 pm, David Williams (One String Willie). will make fantastic roots-based music on a diddley bow ?a single wire string with a glass bottle slide.
*At 2:45, there will be a one-hour concert by The Primal Brothers (Jim Bunch, David Williams and Shane Speal), all of whom are experts on make-it-yourself instruments.
*At 3:45, get ready for The Washboard Extravaganza: a showcase of playing styles, with some audience participation. Washboard musicians will include Ron Goad (zany), Jess Eliot Myhre (ragtime/swing), and Wayne Kahn (zydeco), with banjo and guitar accompaniment by Chris Ousley.
