Fall News - California State Old Time Fiddlers Association

September/October 2012
Coming Events
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October 25-27 Western Open. Red
Bluff CA— See flyer.
Nov. 10, 2012. Grassy Green Pickin
& Fiddle Contest. Death Valley, CA.
See flyer.
March 14-16, 2013 State Fiddle
Championships, Oroville, CA. Details to follow.
Fall News:
It looks like a busy Summer seguewaying into a busy Fall season as well.
Keep practicing and we’ll see ya down
the road!
Look for contest results for the Weaverville & Redwood Fair contests. Fiddlin’ down the Tracks (Tehachapi) Sept
21/22 will be reported next newsletter.
Anita
California State Old - Time Fiddlers’ Association
PO Box 1703 Oroville, California 95965
President:
Patrick DeLuca
[email protected]
Bill Whitfield
[email protected] 16506 Elm Ave, Patterson, CA 95363
209-402-3881
Secretary:
Sharon Barrett:
[email protected]
530-527-6127
Treasurer
Robert Curtis
[email protected] 60 Vernal Ct, Alamo, CA 94507
925-930-7272
Membership
Charley Oveland [email protected] 12901 Foothill Lane, Saratoga, CA 95070
408-867-18 14
Editor:
Anita Marley
209-777-6824
V. Pres.
1533 S Sunnyside Ave., Clovis 93611
559-349-7729
469 Jackson St. , Red Bluff, CA 96080
[email protected] 16506 Elm Ave., Patterson, CA 95363
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
District 1:
Ben Clark
530-534-0775
[email protected]
65 Hart Drive, Oroville
95966
District 2:
Steve Davison
559-252-5177
[email protected]
District 3:
Gayel Pitchford 661-821-7511
[email protected] Tucker Road #G, Tehachapi 93561
District 4:
Pat Nelson
714-524-6673
[email protected]
17392 Chicago Ave. Yorba Linda
92886
District 5:
Doug Dempster 916-489-3856
[email protected]
4829 Foster Way, Carmichael
95608
District 6:
Tex Ash
530-527-6127
[email protected]
469 Jackson St., Red Bluff 96080
District 7:
Willie Randel
619-444-8888
[email protected]
313 Horizen Hills Dr., El Cajon
District 8:
*Cathy Agnew
805-517-1131
[email protected] Hedyland Ct., Moorpark
93021
District 9:
Ruth Oveland
408-867-1814
[email protected] 12901 Foothill Lane, Saratoga
95070
District 10:
Katy Bridges
415-331-9661
[email protected] Prospect St., Petaluma
94952
District 14:
Don Shrum
760-356-4325
[email protected]
92250
870 Circle Dr., Holtville
92020
DISTRICT MEETING LOCATIONS, DATES, AND TIMES:
District 1:
Centennial Cultural Center 1931 Arlin Rhine Rd (Next to auditorium) 4th Sunday 1:00-4:30 p.m.
District 2:
Brooks Ranch Restaurant, Hwy 99 & Chestnut : 2nd Sunday 1pm. The Brick Wall 2005 N. Van Ness, Fresno, 4th Sun
day, 1pm.
District 3:
Carden School Cafeteria
District 4:
Orange Thorpe Pk. Activity Bldg., 1414 Brookhurst
District 5:
Orangevale Grange, 5807 Walnut Ave.
2nd Saturday
Tehachapi Ca
Moose Lodge
Redding CA
Spring Valley Ca
1:00-5:00 p.m.
1nd Sunday Oct thru June 2:00- 5:00 p.m.**
1st & 4th Sunday
El Cajon Ca
Terrace Est. Club Room, 1815 Sweetwater Rd.
1st Sunday 1:00-4:00 p.m.
2nd Sunday
Orangevale Ca
District 6:
St. James Lutheran Church 2500 Shasta View Dr.
**Free Workshop Prior to Jam
District 7:
Fullerton Ca
2:00-5:00 p.m.
2nd Sunday
12:00-3:00 p.m.
12:00-3:00 p.m.
2nd & 4th Sunday 1:30-4:00 p.m.
District 8:
Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Rd. Oak View Ca
District 9:
United Methodist Church, 19806 Wisteria St.
District 10:
Redwood Café, Cotati 4th Sun. + traveling: jam call Mark Hogan 707-829-8012 or Katy Bridges 415-331-9661
District 14:
Pioneer’s Museum, Imp Co. Hist. Soc, 33 Aten Rd
Castro Valley Ca 4th Sunday
Imperial Ca
1:30-5:00 p.m.
1st & 3rd Sunday 1:00-3:00 p.m.**
**Free Fiddle Lessons Sept. to March at the Imperial Library Thursday Nights 6:00 p.m.
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Save a Tree!!!
Your e-mail Soundpost newsletter will have: Full color news and photos
Internet links
If you wish to receive e-mail Soundposts, send a message to me at
[email protected] and say yes to green!
Please include your district #. Thanks
Save the CSOTFA lots of money (postage) and
time (snail-mail)!!
For address errors, please contact Charlie Oveland, the Membership
Secretary. He will correct it and send it on to me. For typos, editorial
comments, letters to the Editor, and newsletter contributions, send
them directly to me: [email protected].
Please send contributions to the newsletter by the 15th of the ODD
numbered months to ensure inclusion in the current edition. P.S It is
very important to get your articles in at least 2-3 months ahead of
your event.
Thanks, Anita Marley, Editor
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In Memoriam
District 1:
Johnny Echols
Henry “Snapper” Phillips
“It is said a man is measured by the friends who come to bid
them goodbye, if this is true both Johnny and Snapper could be
called huge men, who will leave a vacancy hard to fill.” Bob
Hedrick.
District 2:
Charlie Rhoades
Charlene Meczywor Newsom
District 9:
Joseph Chmielewski
District 10 Report
Greetings from the North Bay Area. I'd like to announce that the California State Old Time Fiddle
Association's newest District, Number 10, had its first general meeting and concluded all the business necessary to officially become a member district in the CSOTFA. The area we encompass
includes Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties.
We got together in the meeting room of the Cloverdale Historical Society July 22 and elected our
officers and board members. Our first piece of business was to select a secretary since we needed
to have someone take down the minutes. Colleen Hogan graciously accepted the position. Our
new President is fiddler Mike Drayton whom you would know from the band the Road Oilers. Our
Vice-President is Chris Carney. Membership Secretary is yours truly, Mark Hogan, and our state
wide district representative is Katy Bridges. Doug Laurice stepped forward to be out Treasurer and
our advisory committee will consist of Don Coffin, Gus Garellick and Janet Duncan.
We are very excited about this new development within the CSOTFA. The previous district of which
we were a part was Number Nine. It 's boundaries went from San Luis Obispo County to the top of
Mendocino County. We hope by sectioning off a portion of the aforementioned counties into a new
district that we can better serve the area. Evidence of this is apparent in that we already have had
over twenty new members who were not previously CSOTFA members join up.
The immediate goals of the new district will be to develop an interest in old time fiddle playing
among the youth. The tri-county area already boasts several events which when well coordinated
can help in achieving this goal. Within our boundaries we have the Anderson Marsh Bluegrass and
Old Time Festival slated to return in 2013, the Cloverdale Fiddle Festival which will be happening
at a new date, May 4-5, 2013. We also have a very well attended old time fiddle jam at the Red4
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wood Cafe in Cotati, California from 4-6pm every fourth Sunday of the month. We will also be
meeting periodically in Lake County at a regular time to be announced.
We also have two members who have local public radio shows in Lake and Sonoma Counties
devoted to bluegrass and old time music. My show is on KOWS FM 107.3, currently fro m 35pm on Mondays. Don Coffin's show runs on KPFZ 88.1 FM in Lakeport, from 7-9 am with a rebroadcast on Saturday from 5-7AM. Both shows can be streamed by going to their respective
websites, KOWS.com or KPFZ.com and clicking on the live broadcast icon.
I should point out that you don't have to be a resident of a specific district to be a member of the
new District 10. I'm directing this to all our old time fiddle friends, especially in Napa County,
(Howdy Jerry Pujols). If you want to participate in our activities please contact me. My contact
information is on page two of our Bluegrass Breakdown. However you can give me a call at 707
-829-8012 anytime.
This would be a good time to segue into the latest information regarding the Cloverdale Fiddle
Festival scheduled for May 4-5, 2013. At this writing and not currently posted on the event web
site, www.cloverdalefiddles.com, the fiddle judges for 2013 will be Janet Duncan, Blaine
Sprouse and Vivian Williams. We are extremely excited about this. Janet Duncan is a well
known dance fiddle player and teacher in Sonoma County. Blaine Sprouse has a significant resume including having been the fiddle player for a number of high profile bluegrass bands including the Osbourne Brothers and Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys. Vivian Williams first
arrived on the California Bluegrass Association stage as the fiddle player in the Seattle, Washington based bluegrass band, Tall Timber in the 1970's. She is the foremost authority on Pacific
Northwest Old Time Fiddle playing. Her works resides at the University of Missouri.
Keep in mind as I have mentioned before the Cloverdale Fiddle Festival isn't just exclusively a
contest anymore. In addition to the old time fiddle contest we have added divisions in both youth
and adult mandolin an guitar. We also feature a second stage with scheduled bluegrass and old
time acts in addition for several fine workshops.
See you down the road.
Mark Hogan
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District 1 News
District 1 is growing. We are maintaining our numbers and are actually ahead of the game right
now. Our growth has been directly related to our Fiddle Group Workshops. Where we work on
learning to jam and perform with each other. They have been a great success.
Our focus now is getting the young folks to join us and keep our group healthy. We are working on
putting some ideas together, to see if we can get them out to the jams and to the different community events that we perform at.
Our July and August jams were wonderful, there was great camaraderie and that always makes for
some really great music. The food was good too.
The District 1 winners at the Weaverville Fiddle Contest were:
Pee Wee Division, Annie Culbreath ~ Second, Junior Junior Division,
Elizabeth McDonough ~ Third, Amanda Culbreath ~ Fifth, Junior Twin Fiddle Division, Amanda Culbreath & Elizabeth McDonough ~ Second, Adult Twin Fiddle Division, Amy Culbreath & Christopher
Culbreath ~ First Junior Division, Francis McDonough ~ Second, Christopher Culbreath ~ Fourth, Accompanist, Jonathan Culbreath ~ Second, Open Division, Amy Culbreath~ First. Congratulations to
these young people. Let us hear more from you.
Keep the music going,
Larry Jendro, President
District 1
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District 3 Report
CSOTFA District 3 Report
As of 8 August 2012
New Officers: We have a new slate of officers, because we had a spate of resignations, some from people
who were not doing their jobs. . .I think this will strengthen our District.
President:
Brandon Guthrie
661-972-3638
Vice Pres: Sharon Ellsworth
661-823-1506
Secretary: Teri Moore
661-477-3108
Treasurer:
661-822-3667
Mickie York
Membership: Warren Claypool
661-557-7289
Advisory Council: BJ Mitchell
661-821-5110
Advisory Council: Lois Claypool
661-972-3853
State Director: Gayel Pitchford
661-821-7511
Contest: Our 36th annual Fiddlin’ Down the Tracks Fiddle Contest will be held at West Park Auditorium, 410
East “D” Street, Tehachapi, on Friday/Saturday, September 21/22. The contest is being held in memory of
Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith, big star of the Grand Ole Opry. There will be story boards and lots of other info about
his life and a “Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith Fiddle Division,” where the best performance of an original Arthur Smith
tune will win a big trophy. Smith wrote dozens of songs like Blackberry Blossom, Red Apple Rag, Peacock
Rag, Paris Waltz, Sugar Tree Stomp, and many others, so get a tune together and come compete.
We will have the usual fiddle age divisions, plus a Junior Cello/Bass Fiddle Division. There will be a Novelty
Division, Band Scramble, Twin Fiddles, and presentation of the 6th annual Howdy Forrester Memorial Plaque
and Scholarship ($500) to a college bound fiddler who exhibits the spirit of Big Howdy Forrester. There will
also be a Contra Dance and Apple Pie Social on Friday night.
Judges will be Hughie Smith, Anita Marley, and Bill Whitfield, so come on down to Tehachapi and have fun
with us!!
Amateur Contest: In March 2012, we held our second annual Amateur Contest for fiddlers ages 18 and under. There were no cash prizes, but medallions for the first five places in each division and a Grand Championship trophy for the overall winner, which turned out to be Taylor Welch, who also won the Junior-Junior Division. We had 40+ contestants, from as far away as Visalia, Hanford, and San Diego! We had fiddle divisions for PeeWees, Junior-Juniors, Juniors, and Cello/Bass. (A 9-year old Bass player won the Cello/Bass
Fiddle Division, playing on a ¼ size Bass. You should have seen his bow flying over the strings; there was
smoke in the air!) We also had a Novelty Division, Twin Fiddles, and Band Scramble, and the Championship
playoff. Judges were Phyllis Belcher, John Haynes, and a high school champion fiddler, Morgan Welch.
(This is part of our program to train younger judges for the future.)
The winner of the PeeWee Division, Elsa Crotty from Hanford area, went on to win first in the PeeWees at the
State Contest the next weekend and took fifth at Weiser this year!
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We could have used another guitar player or two; Gayel Pitchford was eight days into wearing a hip to ankle
cast because of her broken knee, but she sat on the stage with her leg propped up and played for virtually
EVERY fiddler all day long!
Junior Miss: One of our championship Junior fiddlers, Alexis Schoenberg, won the Tehachapi Junior Miss
Contest in June. Her talent was, of course, playing the fiddle!
First Friday Art Walk: Every first Friday there is a downtown Art Walk from 5 – 8 p.m., with food and drinks
at all the galleries, including the Performing Arts Center Offices and Gallery space, called the Back Street
Gallery. The BSG has fiddlers and a guitar backup there each First Friday and we pack the people in with our
old time music.
Fourth of July at City Park: District 3 had plenty of fiddlers and back up people playing at City Park for
about three hours during the Pancake Breakfast on the 4th of July. This has become an annual event for us,
and lots of people come to breakfast just to hear the music.
49ers Meeting in Tehachapi: District 3 provided entertainment for this meeting in the form of sister duo Morgan and Taylor Welch.
Playing for Charity: We have had many of our young fiddlers playing at various venues to raise money for
charity: Humane Society, SPCA, Dog Rescue, and Salvation Army have been some of the beneficiaries.
This is part of our program to teach our young fiddlers to give back to the community.
All Kern Honors Orchestra: Four of our violin fiddlers were selected for the All Kern High School Honors
Orchestra, and three violin fiddlers and one cello fiddler were selected for the All Kern Junior High Honors Orchestra.
Jams: We are still jamming every second Saturday from 2-5 p.m. in the Carden School Cafeteria. We often
get great visitors at our jams, including auto harp picker Al Robertson and his wife from District 14 in El Centro, who dropped in several months ago. That was a GREAT jam. Al can play auto harp better than anyone,
even Mother Maybelle!
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Death Valley 49ers Encampment Fiddler & Grassy Green Pickin’ Contests
Fiddler’s Stage Events
November 7-11, 2012
Wednesday November 7, 2011
Death Valley 49ers Contest Prizes & Medallions
1st
2nd
3rd
Mandolin
$75+M+Cert
$50+M+Cert
$25+M+Cert
Thursday November 8, 2011
Banjo
$75+M+Cert
$50+M+Cert
$25+M+Cert
3:00 Coyote Howl Sign-ups
Guitar
$75+M+Cert
$50+M+Cert
$25+M+Cert
6:00 Coyote Howl Entertainment
Novelty
M+Cert
M+Cert
M+Cert
Friday November 9, 2011
Juniors
$50+M+Cert
$35+M+Cert
$25+M+Cert
6:00 Special Concert
Adults
$100+M+Cert
$75+M+Cert
$50+M+Cert
Seniors
$100+M+Cert
$75+M+Cert
$50+M+Cert
Saturday November 10, 2011
SR-Seniors
$100+M+Cert
$75+M+Cert
$50+M+Cert
8:00 Registration for Grassy Green
Open
$150+M+Cert
$100+M+Cert
$75+M+Cert
1 Time Ever
M+Cert
M+Cert
M+Cert
Hot Fiddle
M+Cert
M+Cert
M+Cert
Twin Fiddle
M+Cert
M+Cert
M+Cert
10:00 Break for Veteran’s Ceremony
Youngest Fiddler
M+Cert
1:00 Registration for Old Time Fiddle Contest
Oldest Fiddler
M+Cert
1:30 Old Time Fiddle Contest
Accompanist
$50+M+Cert
$40+M+Cert
$30+M+Cert
6:00pm Special Concert
(Ron Hannold in charge)
(Ron Hannold in charge)
st
Pickin’ Contest
8:30am Grassy Green preliminaries start
Mandolin-Banjo-Guitar-Novelty
Preliminaries start
5:00 Break for supper
6:00 Grassy Green Pickin’ Contest continues
Through finals. Followed by the Old Time
Fiddle Contest through finals.
After the finals, 1st place in Mandolin, Banjo & Guitar will compete in a playoff for the Prize Guitar. Each contestant will play one
tune of their choice, but NOT a tune that they played earlier in the competitions. The judges will mark their scores and the
scorekeepers will add up the scores. The contestant with the highest score will be awarded the Prize Guitar.
MC: Bill Whitfield
JUDGES: Dan Touchstone, Stacy Snodgrass, Randy Warner
Runner Duties: Richard Doak
Death Valley Membership Required. No additional registration fees. Membership available at Registration Table.Fiddlers Stage is in back of the Chevron Service Station at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, CA.
For more information call Bill Whitfield at (209) 402-3881. Ask about RV Parking. These contests are
funded by the Death Valley 49ers. We have no outside sponsors.
Sound: Arly Sound
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Redwood Empire Fair
Fiddle Contest
Junior:
Results ‘12
2nd Clayton Rudiger
1st Edison Serena
3rd Lars Tisell
Pee Wee:
Adult:
1st Miles Quale
1st Matteo Quale
2nd Hailee Bussard
2nd Faith Skiles
2nd Marcela Vallejo
1st Morgan Cummings
2nd Carl Malotte
3rd Bruce Goble
4th Bobby Collier
5th Kate Haley
Junior Junior:
Open:
1st Celeste Pena
1st Sophie Pena
1st Sydney Roberts
2nd Jenny Ranger
2nd Raphael Contreras
2nd Mattie Smith
1st Darin Smith
2nd Eric Anderson
3rd Jim Wimmer
4th Rob Hansen
5th Leon Ranney
2nd Janelle Millani
Accompanist:
Twin:
1st Eric Anderson
1st Celeste and Sophie Pena
2nd Clayton Rudiger and Lars Tisell
3rd Andi Skelton and Edison Serena
2nd Don Coffin
3rd Andi Skelton
4th Darin Smith
5th Christopher Quale
Any Instrument (Junior)
1st Celeste Pena
2nd Sophie Pena
5th Mark Rudiger
Youngest Fiddler:
Matteo Quaile
Oldest: Leon Ranney
Any Instrument (Adult)
1st Darin Smith
2nd Eric Anderson
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Weaverville Open, September 8, 2012
Peewee
Young Adult
1. Clara Boyle, Cottonwood CA
1. Martha Boyle, Cottonwood CA
2. Annie Culbreath, Chico CA
2. Tori May Gillam, Chico CA
Junior Twin Fiddle
Junior
1. Celeste and Sophie Pena
1. Tallon Sandoval, Janesville CA
2. Molly Bainbridge and Amanda Culbreath
2. Francis McDonough, Bangor CA
3. Jacob Akana, Redding CA
Picking
4. Christopher Culbreath, Chico CA
1. Jacob Akana, Redding CA
5. Margaret Murray, Shingletown CA
2. Jerry Rose, Mt. Shasta CA
3. Tom Spence, Redding CA
Open
1. Amy Culbreath, Chico CA
Junior Picking
2. Darin Smith, Potter Valley CA
1. Celeste Pena, Palo Cedro CA
Accompanist
Senior
1. Al Myers, Redding CA
1. Hughie Smith, Bakersfield CA
2. Jonathan Culbreath, Chico CA
2. Nicki Carlisle, Shingletown CA
3. Lee Brushett, Shasta CA
3. Kathy Kampschmidt, Willows CA
4. Anne Huber, Redding CA
Judges
5.
Hughie Smith, Bakersfield CA
Joanie Kirk, Red Bluff CA,
Martha Boyle, Cottonwood CA
Junior Junior
Nick Righos, Newcastle CA
1. Celeste Pena, Palo Cedro CA
Ron Johnson, Redding CA
2. Sophie Pena, Palo Cedro CA
3. Elizabeth McDonough, Bangor CA
Picking Judges
4. Bryon Brushett, Shasta CA
Lee Hayashida
5. Amanda Culbreath, Chico CA
Ron Johnson
Morgan Hannaford
Adult Twin Fiddle
1. Amy and Christopher Culbreath
MC
2. Nicki Carlisle and Kathy Kampschmidt
Tex Ash, Red Bluff CA
3. Tori Gillam and Tallon Sandoval
4.
Anne Huber and Alma Reitan
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U.S. Postage
PAID
16506 Elm Ave
Patterson, CA 95363
Permit No. 34
Patterson, CA 95363
Return Service Requested
We’re On The Web:
www.thecsotfa.com
CSOTFA
California State Old Time Fiddler’s Association
Is a non-profit 501©(3) organization