Coming Events - California State Old Time Fiddlers Association

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Jul /Aug 2015
The Official Publication
of the
California State Old-Time Fiddlers’ Association
Coming Events
33rd Annual, 19th Red Bluff Edition of the
WESTERN OPEN FIDDLE CHAMPIONSHIPS
District #3
"Fidlin' Down the Tracks”
39th Annual Old Time Fiddle Contest
September 18th & 19th
Country Oaks Baptist Church
20915 Schout Road, Tehachape, CA
2015 Kick­off Concert to feature CALVIN VOLLRATH
Thursday - 22 October @ 7:PM
Contest, Friday & Saturday
23 & 24 October 2015
>>>We'll be Back at the
Red Bluff Elks Lodge <<< Red Bluff CA
For Information: WesternOpenFiddle.com
District 1 Report
The big news from District 1 is that the State
fiddle contest will be held in a different location
in 2016. The long awaited remodel of the
Municipal Auditorium will be underway at that
time, and we have moved the contest to the
Veteran's Memorial Hall, just up the street from
the Auditorium. RVs will be able to park on the
levee as before, and the hall is near businesses
and restaurants in the downtown area. Stay
tuned for more developments, as we prepare for
this huge event in a new venue.
District 1 continues the fiddle workshops on the
first and third Mondays of each month at the
Bolt Tool Museum, and jams on the 4th Sunday
of each month at the Feather River Senior
Center. We have enjoyed welcomming a few
families with young children to the jams.
“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” never sounded so
good! Fiddlers also entertain the residents of the
Country Crest Senior Living complex in
Oroville the first Sunday of each month. As
many of you know, they are often our biggest
fans, and it is a joy to share our music with
them. For more information about our activities,
go to www.orovilleoldtimefiddlers.com .
District 2 Report
CSOTFA District 2 currently has 87 members with
40% of the membership being in the Mother Lode
chapter. Due to lack of volunteers for office, the current
board will continue its term through 2016. It is hoped
that soon some of the newer members will take an
interest in the business side of maintaining the district.
One of our members and fiddlers, Clyde Wheat,
celebrates his 95th birthday this month. He still
continues to charm us with his old time fiddling.
We hold our jams and meetings on the 2nd Sunday of
the month at Brooks Ranch Restaurant in Fresno from
2-4 and the 1st Sunday of the month at
Standard Community Church in Sonora from 1-5.
Lynda Emanuels,
President
District 3 Report
We are having our 39th annual Fiddlin’ Down the
Tracks fiddle contest here in Tehachapi on
Friday/Saturday, September 18-19. Registration
opens at 1 p.m. on Friday and playing starts at 3
p.m. with the Seniors and Senior-Seniors, followed
by the Adult Band Scramble. Registration opens at
8 a.m. on Saturday and playing starts at 9 a.m.
There will be playing happening all day Saturday,
as we have all the age divisions (PeeWee, JuniorJunior, Junior, Adult, and Open), Cello-Bass Fiddle
Division (17 and under), Junior Picking, Open
Picking, Junior Novelty and Open Novelty
(Novelty is any instrument NOT a fiddle or picking
one), Junior Band Scramble, Twin Fiddles, and at
the end, the Grand Championship playoff for the
certification to Weiser for the Nationals. Please
note: THE CONTEST VENUE IS COUNTRY
OAKS BAPTIST CHURCH, 20915 Schout Road,
just west of town. Great acoustics, padded seats,
etc. ,etc. We were there last year, and it was truly
wonderful. So DON’T look for us at West Park, as
we will NOT be there!
This contest is being held in honor of Fiddler
Vivian Williams, the first woman fiddler we have
honored in this way. I hope you will all come and
help us celebrate Vivian’s many contributions to
the world of fiddling.
On Saturday, we will also be presenting the 9th
annual Howdy Forrester Scholarship, presented to
a college bound fiddler who best embodies the
spirit of Big Howdy Forrester. This scholarship
($500) is funded by Howdy’s son Bob, who lives
in the Nashville area. Incidentally, Howdy
Forrester was inducted into the National Fiddlers’
Hall of Fame in Tulsa on May 28 of this year. Bob
went to accept the posthumous award , which was
WAY overdue!
For more info on the contest, visit our website at
www.tehachapifiddlers.org.
On the dark side, District 3 lost one of its very
long term members this year, Mr. Dewey
Shanholzer of Bakersfield. If you came to our
contests in Tehachapi some years back, you heard
Dewey in action, as he was our Emcee for a
number of years. His wife, Fay, is a fiddler and
usually comes to our contest to play.
I just returned from the State Board meeting at
Sacramento, and I must say this: Sharon Barrett
(Ash) is one of the finest Presidents we have
EVER had. The State is in good hands!!
Gayel Pitchford
State Director, District 3
District 4 Report
District 4 had a great BBQ potluck at our July gettogether. Photos attached. Lots of food and lots of
fiddlers and a good time had by all. We have our
regular meetings scheduled through the fall, with a
Christmas dinner planned for December. Our meeting
place, which is owned by the city of Fullerton, has
been updated and is still free for us to use, for which
we are grateful. We are doing our best to keep fiddling
alive here in Orange County in District 4.
Pat Nelson
Fiddling
Cake
Chef Howie
July 5, 2015 BBQ
District 5 Report
To broaden the appeal of our monthly jam programs and increase musician
participation, District 5 recently changed its jam format. Our meeting place,
Orangevale Grange, has a stage but in May we moved the mics and other action down
to the floor.
As before, musicians sign up and choose who
they want as accompanists. But the new format
allows other musicians to sit nearby and strum
along, which before was a no-no. As a result,
musicians between turns used to drift outdoors to
play under a giant oak or were left to twiddle
their thumbs. Another advantage is to lessen stage
fright for novices. So far reaction is positive. At
the same time, befitting our club's name and
emphasis, we're adding more fiddle tunes to our
mid afternoon "everybody-gets-to-play-at-once"
slot and showcasing those who play them.
On May 24, we lost one of our honorary lifetime
members, Harold Patton, at age 92. Some of you
from other districts may remember this quiet
unassuming guy who singlehandedly set up, tore
down and manned the sound system at our
regular sessions as well as at the 3-day jams held
at County Fair Mall in Woodland for about 15
years. Many folks from Districts 1 (Oroville), 6
(north state) and 9 (Bay Area) would attend those
monster jams in February and September in the
1990s and early 2000s. Besides listeners and
shoppers, they would attract 100 musicians taking
turns playing on a stage at the center of the mall
or jamming in clusters in front of stores up and
down the mall and side corridors as well as
outdoors. Snowbirds from Oregon and
Washington made Woodland a must stop on their
journeys to and from the desert. Harold was a
WW II Navy veteran and after the war worked at
McClellan Air Force Base.
For the first time in my memory, Sacramento will
be site of one of the two CSOTFA state board
meetings held each year. It will be Saturday, Aug.
22 at 8 a.m. at Homewood Suites/Hilton, 3001
Advantage Way, off I­5 between downtown and
Sacto Metro Airport. Members from any district
may attend. The state board's main function is to
plan for and put on the state fiddle contest each
March in Oroville. Kudos to District 1's state rep,
Mary McCluskey, for making the arrangements.
Doug Dempster, Dist. 5 rep
District 6 Report
The California State Old Time Fiddlers Association,
District 6 has had a busy, busy July and August.
Probably two of the busiest months so far this year.
In addition to our usual events, we have had several
others that have kept us jumping in the summer heat
the last two months.
In Redding, we continued with our first Sunday of
the month event at the St. James Lutheran Church,
the second Saturday each month event at Round
Table Pizza in the Mt. Shasta Mall, and the fourth
Sunday of each month at the Millville Grange in
Palo Cedro, where we usually feature a free concert
by a local band and Open Mic for local musicians to
share their talents.
In addition to that we had a booth and our members
playing each Thursday night at the Market Street
Faire in downtown Redding throughout July. Our
bands also played at the local, Saturday morning,
Farmers Market, Sponsored by the Shasta Growers
Association, in Redding.
Above and beyond that, our dedicated members got
together to reach out to the community and play at
the California Veterans Home, and several Assisted
Living and Care Facilities each week in the
Redding area.
Best of all, we held our First Annual Summer
Mountain Music and Arts Festival on July 25th at
the beautiful Cedar Crest Vineyards, in the
mountains near Manton, California.
This fundraising event included music all day from
nine bands including Rock Ridge Bluegrass Band,
Reckoning (DeadGrass), Old Kennett String Band,
and other Bluegrass, Old Time String Bands and
Fiddlers performing on 2 stages throughout the day.
There was a live mural artist and other artists, along
with foods and crafts from local vendors. Silent
auctions and raffles were held throughout the day.
It was ten degrees cooler up in Manton than it was
down in the valley that day and the wonderful wine
and new Craft Beers from Cedar Crest helped make
the Summer Mountain Music and Arts Festival the
place to be on that Saturday.
We had a great day of music, arts and food and
helped the California State Old Time Fiddlers,
District 6, to continue to support live music events,
provide free live music and education to children
and senior adults, host fiddle contests, Old Time
Fiddle Jams and support other local non­profit
organizations all here in the North State.
The festival was a huge success and we learned a
lot about staging festivals. We are looking forward
to having our Second Annual Summer Mountain
Music and Arts Festival next summer. A big
THANK YOU to our sponsors, our volunteers, and
the committee of six dedicated Board Members and
friends that put it all together.
District 7 Report
Nothing to Report
District 8 Report
Nothing to Report
District 9 Report
RUTH OVELAND LEAVES BIG SHOES TO FILL AT THE CSOTFA
STATE FIDDLE CHAMPIONSHIP
For several years we’ve heard Ruth Oveland invite
D9 members to volunteer to help with the duties at
the registration table during the annual State
Fiddle Championship in Oroville. Ruth and
Charley have handled the responsibility of the
registration process for nearly a decade and Ruth
has done a superb job of fine tuning the process
during that time. Having never been to this
wonderful event I really had no idea of what the
registration table was all about. This year however
Dian and I made the trip north to lend a hand and
as it turned out have a great time hanging out with
other D9 members that were there as well as being
entertained by some outstanding fiddlers and
pickers both young and seniorized.
To register for the competition a person fills out a
form listing the categories they wish to compete
in, and then pay a fee for each category selected.
Then another form, the song sheet, is filled out
pertaining to each category entered that lists the
three songs that the hopeful contestant will
perform for judging. This form will go to the stage
announcer for use in introducing the fiddler and
their accompanist to the audience and judges.
The task of the volunteers is to process this
paperwork, check the forms for accurate and
complete information and collect the fees. The
name of each contestant is added to a competition
category list and a nametag is made up and
presented to the contestant. The paperwork is then
rechecked by another volunteer at the table before
being placed in a file box for quick retrieval as the
contest performances unfold. With so many steps
involved, time constraints and the number of
contestants entering the events the scene at the
registration table could border on chaos. But Ruth
was right there to quickly answer questions and
smooth out any concerns or confusion. The
registration process is seamless thanks to Ruth’s
many years of dedication to overseeing the
workings of the registration table.
None of this paperwork shuffling however
includes Ruth’s compiling and posting of the
performance schedules or her interaction with the
stage announcer and judges for the presentation of
the winner’s ribbons and awards.
Needles to say, Ruth is a very busy person for the
several days during which the Championship
event takes place. But, she always had a smile and
friendly words for all the contestants, their
families and friends, and the other district member
volunteers that she has worked with over the years
as well as folks attending and entering the
Championship for their very first time.
Ruth and Charley will certainly be attending
future State Championships but Ruth is stepping
aside from the duties of conducting registration.
District 9 thanks Ruth for representing our
membership in such a FINE and
PROFESSIONAL way for so many years. Her
effectiveness at the registration task will be missed
and its absence felt but I have a hunch she’ll be
there to ease the transition to the next district that
takes it over.
When you next see Ruth, Be sure to give her a
figurative or actual pat on the back for all she’s
done. GREAT JOB! RUTH and CHARLEY.
Submitted by Carl Brown
Patti Bossert, Dian & Carl Brown / Dian’s Parents Harry & Dorothy Hunt, MaryAnn & Tom Clausen,
Bob Curtis, Cindy Dinga, John Durbin, Bruce Goble, Susan Goodis, Betty & Julie Hainley,
John, Jean & Mark Kalvig, Art Kee, Anita Marley, Ruth & Charley Oveland, Bob Palasek, Donna & Larry Sadler,
Billy Smith & Sue Toliver, Todd Townsend, Bill Whitfield.
District 10 Report
District 10, covering Lake, Mendocino and
Sonoma Counties, has had a quiet summer
in terms of special events; however, the
regular jams in our area continue. Now that
the school year has resumed, more
presentations in public schools to expose
young folks to fiddling (and guitars, banjos
and mandolins) are also in the works.
Our membership continues to hover around
80. We're attempting to recruit new
members at public jam sessions in the area,
with occasional success. For jams in District
10, please see our web site at
http://csotfa.org.
Member Judith Jones continues to
coordinate performances by local
volunteers in retirement communities
around Sonoma County, for which we
generally receive donations to our
scholarship fund. Our Scholarship
Committee has been working hard: raising
funds and evaluating applications. Now,
after accumulating funds for well over a
year, we have made several awards to
deserving students of traditional music!
Blaine Sprouse leading fiddle workshop
District 14 Report
District 14 is on a summer hiatus. Our jams will resume in the fall.
Regards,
Gail Philipp
District 14 Director
California State Old - Time Fiddlers' Association
State Officers
President: Sharon Barrett -- [email protected]
V. Pres. : Bill Whitfield – [email protected]
Secretary: Josie Rosica – [email protected]
Treasurer: Robert Curtis – [email protected]
Membership: Charley Oveland – [email protected]
Editor: Bruce Goble – [email protected]
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
District 1: Mary McCluskey -- [email protected]
District 2: VACANT
District 3: Gayel Pitchford -- [email protected]
District 4: Pat Nelson -- [email protected]
District 5: Doug Dempster — [email protected]
District 6: Tex Ash -- [email protected]
District 7: Avery Ellisman – Avery@familyfiddlecamp.com
District 8: Charletta Erb – [email protected]
District 9: Ruth Oveland -- [email protected]
District 10: Mike Drayton – [email protected]
District 14: Gail Philipp – [email protected]
DISTRICT MEETING LOCATIONS, DATES, AND TIMES:
District 1: Feather River Senior Center 1335 Meyer St. Oroville 4th Sunday 1:00-5:00 p.m.
District 2: Brooks Ranch Restaurant, Hwy 99 & Chestnut : Fresno call for dates/times 2nd Sunday 2pm.
District 3: 21100 Lonely Lane, Tehachapi Ca 2nd Saturday 2:00-5:00 p.m.
District 4: Orange Thorpe Pk. Activity Bldg., 1414 Brookhurst Fullerton Ca 1st Sunday 1:00-4:00 p.m.
District 5: Orangevale Grange, 5807 Walnut Ave. Orangevale Ca 2nd Sunday 1:00-5:00 p.m.
District 6: St. James Lutheran Church 2500 Shasta View Dr. Redding CA 1nd Sunday 1:00—4:30p Round Table Pizza,
Shasta Mall, 900 Dana Dr., Redding, CA 2nd Saturday 5:50p—7:30p
Millville Grange Hall, 2023 Old Forty-four Dr., Palo Cedro, Ca 4th Sunday 1:00p—3:00p
Web site: www.csotfa.org
District 7: Rancho San Diego Public Library, 11555 Via Rancho San Diego, El Cajon 1st , 3rd, & 4th Sunday 12:00-3:00
p.m. Terrace Est. Club Room, 1815 Sweetwater Rd. Spring Valley Ca 2nd Sunday 12:00-3:00 p.m.
District 8: Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Rd. Oak View Ca 2nd & 4th Sunday 1:30-4:00 p.m.
District 9: United Methodist Church, 19806 Wisteria St., Castro Valley Ca 4th Sunday 1:30-5:00 p.m.
District 10: Redwood Café, Cotati 4th Sun.+ traveling jam: call Mark Hogan 707-829-8012 or Katy Bridges 415-331-9661
District 14: Methodist Church Pre School, 8th & Olive, El Centro. Sept 15 to May 30. 1st & 3rd Sunday 1:00-3:00 p.m.
District Websites
State – http://csotfa.org/
District 1: www.orovilleoldtimefiddlers.com
District 2:
District 3: www.tehachapifiddlers.org
District 4:
District 5: www.csotfa5.com
District 6: www.northstatefiddlers.com
District 7: www.sandiegofiddler.org
District 8:
District 9: www.csotfa9.org
District 10: www.csotfa10.org
District 14: