gcoover Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 It's time to start planning your calendar for 2012, so why not spend a fun music-filled weekend in the piney woods of East Texas where a group of regional concertina enthusiasts will be organizing their 8th annual event in conjunction with the Palestine Old Time Music & Dulcimer Festival (www.oldpalmusic.com) on March 29-31, 2012, in Palestine, Texas. Jody Kruskal will once again be the guest headliner and teacher for the concertina component of the festival, and we will also have two days of volunteer-taught classes on a variety of concertina-related topics for those who play English, Anglo and Duet, plus plenty of time for jamming and comparing instruments and tunes. Last year we had over 20 concertina players, and even performed on stage as a group regaling all with a stirring rendition of "Waltz Across Texas". Author and player Dan Worrall will be there to talk about his next book project, and concertina builder Harold Herrington usually stops by to talk about concertina construction and repair. All in all, a fun weekend with good music, good friends and good BBQ, plus you get to meet and hear some of the country's finest old time musicians. And the Sacred Harp singing classes must be heard to be believed. For more information watch this space at concertina.net or contact Gary Coover at gcoover(at)swbell.net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Worrall Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Thanks for taking the lead on this again this year, Gary. I'm certainly looking forward to it. For any who haven't been, the venue is great....old time musicians of vaious instruments in an antique old school building that is now a museum. Concerts each noon and night, workshops in the day, and sessions all the time. Laid back and informal. And Jody is of course Jody, a real treat to hear and see. Usually, the dogwoods and azaleas are cranked into high gear, which any non-musical spouse might enjoy (there is also an old steam locomotive operating from Palestine that is great fun to ride to a nearby town and back). Best though are the regulars who show up, bringing their Anglos, English concertinas, Haydens, Cranes, and even a Jeffries duet. Now if we could just get a Maccannic to show up, it would be complete. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidesqueeze Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 It sounds like a hoot! Any specifics on location/transportation/lodging would be appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcoover Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share Posted January 2, 2012 It sounds like a hoot! Any specifics on location/transportation/lodging would be appreciated! Palestine's not quite in the middle of nowhere, but it is deep in the East Texas piney woods about 130 miles southeast from DFW airport and 140 miles north of Houston International Airport (IAH). Folks who fly in typically rent a car, but carpooling and pickup can often be arranged with locals and others, sometimes via the cnet forums. None of the local hotels are within walking distance of the festival site, and most usually stay at the Best Western although the Holiday Inn Express on the other side of town is probably the nicest and newest. Both have free morning breakfast. The Holiday Inn is also right across the street from Shep's BBQ which is always a must for at least one great meal during the weekend. As I recall the festival charges $55 for the entire weekend, and we collect an additonal $30 concertina surcharge to cover our headliner's travel expenses. They don't do tickets in advance, just show up and pay them at the front and give us the $30 once you find all the concertina players. We usually have one or two rooms to ourselves, or we find open spots in hallways, or under a tree, or wherever. We try to organize the basic classes in advance and will let you know here on cnet once we have a preliminary schedule. All ages, all systems, all skill levels are welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Bellows Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I'm hoping to make it out this year...it'll be my first, but then again I've only been playing for about a month. I thoroughly expect to be stymied and flummoxed by the skill of everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Bellows Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 It sounds like a hoot! Any specifics on location/transportation/lodging would be appreciated! Most information should be obtainable from here: http://www.oldpalmusic.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenTx Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I am planning on attending for my first time as this is my first "concertina" year. (Actually, maybe my second since I started in July, 2011. :-) I live in Tyler, Texas which 53 miles from Palestine. Flying into the Tyler airport is another option, we have American Eagle and United/Continental service with regional aircraft Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Bellows Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 (edited) I am planning on attending for my first time as this is my first "concertina" year. (Actually, maybe my second since I started in July, 2011. :-) I live in Tyler, Texas which 53 miles from Palestine. Flying into the Tyler airport is another option, we have American Eagle and United/Continental service with regional aircraft Stephen It might be a tad cheaper to drive the 53 miles. EDIT: Just realized you might have meant for me to fly into Tyler and drive from there. I actually live in DFW, so I'll be driving from there. Edited January 13, 2012 by Reed Bellows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Bellows Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Looking forward to the festival! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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