FFS Board of Directors
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Volume 50 Edition 2 February 2021 Submit articles to: [email protected] By the 15th of each month FFS Board Of Directors President Ron Bohigian [email protected] A Non-Profit Corporation for Traditional Arts Vice President Notes from Board President, Ron Bohigian Ann Lamb [email protected] Are you hopeful that we’re another month closer to a more Secretary Sue Wirt open lifestyle? Little over a week ago, Megan and I got a hot tip [email protected] that they were giving COVID vaccinations to those over 65. We Treasurer lucked out and got our first shot. We’re due back in February for Jim Ross shot number two. So, I’m optimistic. Optimistic that by May or [email protected] June we’ll be back playing our music with a lot of friends like…in Concert Master Pat Wolk the good old days. [email protected] Big Thank You’s to all our members who have continued to sup- Membership port us through these difficult times. Our board has spent some time trying to Lifetime Member help our local professional musicians in some small ways if nothing more than Alan Hubbart publicizing grant opportunities. FFS has been pleased to give Members At Large some support to Evo Bluestein and his weekly Zoom jam Bill Lehr which has also featured Terry Barrett on the mandolin. It [email protected] looks like several of us have gotten into his zoom jams. Sal Sciandra [email protected] Megan and I watched President Biden’s inauguration on Jan- th Larry Cusick uary 20 . If you haven’t heard Youth Poet Laureate Amanda [email protected] Gorman reciting her poem, I encourage you to do so. Hers is Susana Peckinpah what my poet wife tells me is called performance poetry. [email protected] Gorman’s command of language and Bill Johnson style of delivery is not unlike that of skilled musicians. Also [email protected] check out Lady Gaga’s singing of the National Anthem. Finally, there’s a lot we can and should be learning from the wealth of knowledge and skills of our more accomplished mu- Flyer Editor sicians in our community. That’s an obvious truth for young Bill Johnson [email protected] people but it’s also very important for us more mature citi- zens. Keep learning something all the time and then, put on Calendar Editor Maria Glover your mask and go for a walk. Hm 559-322-8677 Cell 559-281-8278 [email protected] Logo Design by Tom Walzem at Otto Creative Banjo Frog Art by Jon Adams 1 Hi there again. For those folks that know me it's been a while. I hope you are all safe and well. For those newer members hi. My name is Susana Peckinpah and I am a founding member of FFS. Not because I knew what I was doing but because my dearest friend Sue Beevers told me to go. It was best choice of my life. I was intro- duced to so many marvelous musicians and and developed life long friends such as Jim and Lynn Ross. This has become the centerpiece of my life. I want to thank all of the board for welcoming me back. I will do my best to serve you all with peaceful- ness in mind and with respect. At this time in our lives we need peacefulness and mindful communication. (Susana Peckinpah) Every Tuesday, 7-9pm, there is a Fresno Irish session on Zoom. We play Irish session tunes and songs. Every participant gets a turn. If you are interested in participating, or just listening, contact me, Larry Cusick , for the zoom link. (Larry Cusick) [email protected] Greetings! Most of you know about my book Road to Sweet’s Mill. I have been interested in history, education, and documenting–as a photographer, writer and musician. I am glad to learn about Patreon, a web platform for artists. My Patreon web page allows me to receive monthly support for sharing a lifetime of archival folk music goodies–exclusive, never before seen video, images, recordings and writing. I provide a little something for my patrons on a monthly basis. I haven’t even been on board two months and I’ve already posted 22 items! I have a lot of cool stuff and I’m looking forward to sharing it with you. It requires quite a bit of work to prepare all of this, and now I have incentive to do it. There are different levels of support for patrons. The lowest level–$3 monthly, unlocks most of the goodies. Some patrons are already supporting at $10 a month. Thank you! Take a peek. <http://patreon.com/evobluestein>. 2 Ed Note: This article is the third in a monthly series highlighting a member of the Fresno Folklore Society Board MY LIFE WITH THE FFS; MORE THAN YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW My early association with what was to become the Fresno Folklore Society started around 1972-3, when my sister, Sherron Brown, first met Sue Beevers, Linda Halk, Lynn Ross, Nancy Waidtlow, and Linda Booth, Linda Dryden, etc. Sherron and I had sung together throughout our lives in duets, trios, and quintets. She asked me to sing in a couple of shows at the Wild Blue Yonder with her friends. I also attended a couple of events at The Blackstone House. Exit, Stage Left. After FFS incorporation, I attended a few concerts and then, in the early 80's, I lost my voice due to nodes on my vocal chords. Imagine a person who sings through life and suddenly can't sing at all. Enter, Stage Right. In 2002, Sherron asked me to meet her at The Santa Fe Basque Hotel and Restaurant on Fridays to hang out with her while Heartland Harvest played and stay for dinner afterward, where I had a chance to meet everyone. It was on my way home from work, so I went, and continued to go unless I was camping that weekend. After I retired, I started going to the Santa Fe Basque Restaurant on Wednesdays at its new location, first a couple times a month and then every week. I joined FFS again (had been a member a couple of times throughout the years). I volunteered to help with the folding of the monthly Fresno Flyer at Carl and Kathryn Johnsen's home and, later, took over the mailing of the Flyer from Nancy Waidtlow. Well, you know how things snowball. I was asked to be on the ballot for a Board Member slot in 2006 and was elected Secretary at my first Board meeting. I have continued to serve in that post, also assisting with membership and helping out with concerts. Okay, that's the dry part. It was so worthwhile to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. On top of all that, most of my vocal register has returned (nodes are caused by stress) so I can sing along at jams and concerts. I hold the FFS community of friends deep in my heart. That may sound trite but it is very true. (Sue Wirt) 3 Oldtime Zoom Jam with Terry Barrett and Evo Bluestein continues! Sundays at 4 pm, PST is the time. The jam lasts one and a half hours. We share music sheets on screen. Some people are reading the notation, some are reading just the chords, and some are probably just using their ears. It’s all good. A recording of the session is later posted on Youtube and I’m glad to say, people are really using it during the week. Terry and I have made music together since the 1970s and both of us have had lots of other music experience since. We’re having a great time putting together each program with music from Kenny Hall’s repertoire and much more. We are asking for tips on a sliding scale, $5-$20 (Venmo, Paypal, or checks, for those who don’t like exchanging currency on the internet). NOW THE REALLY GOOD NEWS! FFS is paying for the first Sunday of the month (for a short time). Be sure and tune in February 7 for the next free session. Send your email request and we’ll send you the link. https://www.evobluestein.com/ More wisdom from Maria Glover Thank You Note from Kevin and Lisa Crary for their Sue Beevers scholarship. 4 Pat’s History Corner Last month I wrote about “how” I became president. Here’s a bit of history about our concerts. Before me there was Sue Beevers, Maria Wortham, Glen Delpit, Jon Adams, Sherron Brown, Virgil Byxbe, Evo Bluestein, Café Midi and the Wild Blue Yonder. After my twenty-five year stint, Steve Ono and Sue Wirt took over, bringing many artists to that beautiful space we treasured on Van Ness. I leave it to any of them to fill in their history. I was a latecomer with little knowledge of who was who in the world of folk musicians. Although it was a steep learning curve, I loved every minute of it. We’ve had sold out concerts of big name performers, but I think it is more important that we bring lesser known artists to introduce to the community. As you well know, folk musicians spend a lifetime learning their craft but are poorly paid for what they share with us. They play for love--and money--and need an ap- preciative audience and financial support. FFS rarely makes money on the concerts. We try to give a guarantee to the performers up front, then we cover our expenses.