December Meeting
• Although attendance at the December meeting was light, it was festive! A couple of highlights for the day: the goodies we enjoyed at break time were exceptional.... not a crumb was left...lots of homemade candies...cookies....and snacks...thanks to all who helped out! The gift exchange was great fun. Gloria Kirkland and Peggy Bailey collaborated with the Christmas story of the Wright (Right?) Family. We sat in a circle with the gift we brought on our lap, and as the Wright family tale unfolded we passed our gift to the right or left...Grandfather Wright (pass right), Grandmother Wright (pass right) left (pass left) to go shopping for their last minute gifts for the family to be sure no one was left (pass left) out.....well...you get the idea! Thanks Gloria and Peggy for a fun way to do the gift exchange! The gifts all showed a lot of care in their selection..we had hand made dulcimer angel tree ornaments, music stands, homemade candies, music on CD's,sheet music and shirts to match. The day turned out to be a good get together and a good way to put 2003 to rest.
• Reflecting on 2003 - 2003 was a good musical year for us. Dulcimer Day at Two Rivers was another big success. Thanks to all who organized it and to all who helped bring it off. We know things like that don't just happen, so again to all.... great job. We had two home workshops with Debbie Porter and Maureen Sellers and had our horizons widened with new songs and techniques. The club played at the Carter House Candlelight tour and recieved some very nice comments from those attending. Individuals and small groups have shared their music with a number of folks during the year. Club attendance and interest has very definitely been on the grow in recent months and sure makes us think 2004 will be a banner year for the Grand Old Dulcimer Club....Keep it up!
• January Meeting
  • At the January meeting, we chatted a bit about possible Dulcimer Day songs and are looking at Give Me the Flowers While I Live, June Apple, Sally Ann and, for sake of tradition,Wildwood Flower and Amazing Grace. We'll talk more about it at the February meeting.
• Plans for February
  • Let's start the February meeting jammin' with our old favorites, and during sharing time let's hear that new song you have been working on at home. It's February and only one day after Valentine's Day so how about a sweet lovey dovey song that you know! We will break into groups as necessary with a yet to be announced leader for the beginner group and we'll have something else for the rest of us to work on. Invite a friend to come along to the meeting this month....anyone who can play a lick is sure welcome...guitars, bones, harmonica...you name it. Nancy Seifert have some copies of The Hills of Kentucky Dulcimers dulcimer club CD for sale at the meeting for $10. If anyone has the box of name tags, please let Sandy know! Wanda O'Guinn and Marcie Luther have volunteered to be our breaktime hostesses for February. Thanks!
• Other News
  • We got a call from the folks at Carnton Plantation in Franklin to participate in their folk craft weekend in the fall, dates to be announced later. We also received an invitation to play informally on their front porch on weekends. We'll talk about this at the February meeting. It could develop into something really fun and interesting. We were recommended to the Carnton Plantation by the folks at the Carter House as a result of our Christmas playout there. We might want to work on some songs of the Civil War period for our repertroire.
  • Flem Smith has come up with the words for Ground Hog so let's take another look at that one ( be ready to holler ..GROUND HOG ! ) (Be careful what you say or ask when he is around! Flem is a digger...he'll come up with the durndest stuff if you pose a question to him! ) He found the words and tune to Ground Hog in Dennis Cyporyn's The Bluegrass Songbook. He also recommends Alan Lomax's Folksongs of North America....both great sources for our kind of music. Flem will also be helping out with the beginners at the February meeting. Thanks, Flem!
  • Bob Yeager acquired this unusual zither recently and wants to find out more about it. If you have knowledge about this type zither, let him know. Perhaps you have a photo of one like it in one of your music books. Zithers have strings only over the body of the instrument, so even though this instrument doesn't look exactly like our mountain dulcimer, they're in the same musical family!
  • Thanks to Jorge Rojas for spotting an outstanding article in the Nashville Register and forwarding it to the newsletter. Anitra Sullivan at St. Mary School is teaching young people about the dulcimer. Click here to see the article!
  • Hi from sunny AZ! Mountain Laurel is staying warm! We are in our "winter quarters" in Mesa, AZ and are enjoying playing outside on our patios. We have several performances lined up at resort parks here and enjoy introducing the mountain dulcimer to the "snowbirds" from all over the US and Canada. Mt. Laurel will be back with us early in the year!
  • Adie Grey, one of our favorite Dulcimer Day performers will release a new CD in late spring. Most of the dulcimer work is a non-traditional approach, although there is one banjo/dulcimer duet with Vince Farsetta. We'll let you know the date of the CD release and the release party.

• February 12 - Lee Rowe at Brentwood Borders in Brentwood on Franklin Rd., 7 p.m.
• February 14 - Lee Rowe will be playing the third movement of Blackberry Winter with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra at the Grand Ole Opry House.
• February 25 - Lee Rowe at Bongo Java, Belmont Blvd., 7:00 p.m.
• March 6 - Larry Conger will be doing workshops and performing at the Renaissance Center in Dickson. For information call (615)740-5600.
• March 19-21 - Ohio Valley Gathering in Evansville,IN. For more information, email Maureen Sellers at MaureenSel@aol.com.
• April - Elderhostel Dulcimer Rendezvous. For information go to www.elderhostel.org.
• April 13, 11:00 a.m. - Nashville Dulcimer Quartet on Live in Studio C with Will Griffin - WPLN, 90.3 FM and in streaming audio on their website at wpln.org
• April 22 - Appalachian Celebration at Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music featuring Carol Ponder (awesome Appalachian ballad singer), David Schnaufer, Butch Baldassari, Bobby Taylor, Nashville Dulcimer Quartet and Sarah Elisabeth.
• Branson Festival beginning May12th through the 16th, 2004 - Hunter's Friend and DreamCatcher Resort will be hosting the first-ever Branson Dulcimer Jam. The schedule of events has not yet been set, but you can call at 1-800-338-2842 if you want more information.
• May 16 - Our own Grand Old Dulcimer Day, noon until six at Two Rivers Mansion. Visit the club website for pictures from Dulcimer Day 2003.

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  If you have information for the newsletter or performances or events to list, please let Sandy or Glen know.

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In partnership with Metro Parks, The Grand Old Dulcimer Club sponsors Grand Old Dulcimer Day each year in May at Two Rivers Mansion. Don't miss our sixth annual Grand Old Dulcimer Day, May 16, 2004

The club and its members perform at festivals and civic events and often take their music into special needs facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, and other care facilities.

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