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Archive for July 18th, 2004

Dulcimer Fun Fest

Sunday, July 18th, 2004

Friday night I joined Brian in Evart, Michigan, for the Dulcimer Fun Fest (warning, this website plays music in the background). Neither of us plays any variation of a dulcimer, but it’s basically an acoustic music festival where we fit in well. Brian has taught ukulele workshops there for perhaps three years, and they are well attended and well reviewed.

He had been there since Wednesday if I remember right. I just went for one overnight. It is another of those camping places, where we slept in a tent. I’m not big on that part, but the music was great fun.

Actually, my instrument is the big hit at this show. Everyone wants to know about my bass (it looks like a huge banjo) and where I got it and if it’s for sale. Brian’s father, Larry, built it and has built a good number of other ones but as a hobby. He’s retired and has many interests, not just making Heftone basses. But I sure need to be my best sociable self when I carry that instrument around a festival! It is not for the meek, believe me.

We got to play a lot of music Friday night. We found a small group of folks to jam with for a good long while, and a few other times we just played music by ourselves. We had a great time. We met a few other musicians who were new to us, and we delightfully ran into a bunch of old friends. In fact, the first music I heard as I entered the festival grounds, was “The Flaming Ukulele in the Sky” being played by perhaps a half dozen ukulele players… some of whom we’d met at the Midwest Ukefest in Indianapolis last October. It was great to see them! They said they are planning to go to the Ukefest in the Pocanos mountains of Pennsylvania this September. We’re going, too! I am excited about that.

I think I have more pictures than things to say here… but the first picture is our friends playing ukulele as I first arrived. Next are two shots of folks doing a traditional-style circle dance Friday after dinnertime, and the last two shots are Brian’s beginning ukulele workshop on Saturday morning.