Newsletter

January-February-March 2007

                                                  Board of Directors:  Chairman -Oscar Summers - 301-898-5572, President – Ronald O’Brien – 540-955-1187

                                                    Vice-President/Membership Secretary – Larry Sisk – 304-274-2262, Secretary-Treasurer – Shari Reed – 304-258-4419

Members-at-Large: Mel Connor – 410-552-1728, Isaac Luttrell, Glenn Marvin – 301-482-1021, Bud Hall, Guy Eaves

www.tri-statebluegrass.org

                            Our February Meeting will be Friday, February 9, 2006 , at Log Cabin Campground

There will be no meeting in March, 2007

Our April Meeting will be Friday April 13, 2007 , at Log Cabin Campground

Members may arrive at 7:00 PM for a jam session and the meetings will commence at 8:30 PM .  As usual, bring your instruments, voices, ears and friends

 DUES FOR 2007 ARE NOW DUE!!!!! - $6.00 PER YEAR – MAIL TO - Shari Reed, 4176 Timber Ridge Road , Berkeley Springs , WV 25411 – Check your mailing label for your year of expiration               

                                                    Meeting Notes

                       November 10, 2006 -

            A decision was made to host a Bluegrass Show in February.  Oscar Summers will see about renting a place in the Brunswick , MD area.  The cost of the rental will be deducted from the door receipts and the bands will share in the net receipts.  Shirley Jo was present at the meeting and confirmed that Ernie Bradley’s band is available.  Oscar Summers’ band will also play.  A Friday night was determined to be the best night sometime in late February.  

                        December 9, 2006 –

            A brief meeting was held following the Christmas Party.  Oscar advised that the Burkittsville Ruritan Club had been rented for February 23, 2007 , for a Bluegrass Show.  Details of the evening were discussed.

There was some discussion about Board Members who have not been attending meetings and it was decided to contact each member personally to ascertain their interest in continuing on the board.  

                        January 12, 2007 –

            Final plans were discussed for the Feb. 23 concert. 

The guitar for the June function has been purchased and posters are being prepared. 

It was decided to cancel the March meeting due to vacations and other commitments.

   UPCOMING TRI-STATE EVENTS

             February 23, 2007 – Bluegrass Show – Tri-State will be hosting a Bluegrass Show featuring Ernie Bradley and Grassy Ridge and The Glade Valley Travelers.  The show will be held at the Burkittsville Ruritan Club, 500 E. Main Street , in Burkittsville , MD. starting at 7:00 PM till 11:00 PM .  Refreshments will be available for sale by the Ruritan Club members.  Please plan to join us for a fun night of great bluegrass music. Admission is $5.00 per person.

            Directions - From North take I-70 to exit 42 (Route 17), take Route 17 south about 11.5 miles to Burkittsville, turn left onto E. Main St., go to #500.

                              From South –  From Route 7 in Berryville, VA, take Route 340 North through Virginia, W. Virginia and into Maryland to intersection with Route 17 North (about 25 miles), take Route 17 north about 4 miles to Burkittsville, turn right onto E. Main Street, go to #500.  

            2007 Pig Roast and Picking Party – June 15 and 16, 2007 – Log Cabin Campground – Mark your calendars now.  We have booked the fabulous Bluegrass Brothers for this year’s event for both Friday and Saturday.  Also returning will be Jay Armsworthy and Eastern Tradition, Ernie Bradley and Grassy Ridge, Nickel Misery Band, Sweetwater String Band and of course the Tri-State All Star Band.  We will have a couple of other bands yet to be decided.

            A Blue Ridge Carter Stanley model guitar will again be raffled off.  Tickets are ready and are $5.00 each.  We will sell only 400 tickets.  If you are interested in obtaining tickets for purchase or to sell, please call Shari Reed – 304-258-4419. 

            We are going to prepare an ad booklet this year.  A full-page ad will be $40, half-page $20, and quarter-page $10.  Members are encouraged to contact local businesses and solicit ads for the booklet.  We have prepared a letter that can be given to business owners, so please contact Shari if you can get some ads.  We need everyone’s help to make this year a big success.  Please try to get one ad for us – many of you have businesses or I’m sure you know someone who does.  If they want to include a promotion (such as a discount upon presentation of the ad) be sure to get that information.

A business card will do or a copy of a previous ad.

            Instead of Tri-State selling food we have contacted some food vendors to come in for the 2 days.  We will also have the pig roast on Saturday and anyone who attends is asked to bring a dish to share.         

 DUES FOR 2007 ARE NOW DUE!!!!! - $6.00 PER YEAR – MAIL TO - Shari Reed, 4176 Timber Ridge Road, Berkeley Springs, WV 25411 – Check your mailing label for your year of expiration  

MEMBERSHIP

New Members

            Welcome to our newest members:          Gene and Tina Beachley – Point of Rocks, MD

                                                                                 Jimmie and Louise Moore – Marlboro, NJ

 Keeping up with our Members

            No bad news or good news to report.  Here’s hoping everyone has had a safe and Happy Holiday season.  Please let me know if you hear any news about anyone that they wish to have printed in the newsletter.

FOLLOWING THE BLUEGRASS TRAIL                                                                                                                                   

Arcadia Bluegrass

Picking Party - Wednesday evenings – 7-10PM - $3.00 admission at the door

 Spring Festival - April 19-21, 2007

            Thursday – Hanover Express, Danny Paisley & Southern Grass, Ernie Bradley & Grassy Ridge

            Friday – Fair Mountain, The Stevens Family, Nothin’ Fancy, Lost and Found

            Saturday – Jay Armsworthy & Eastern Tradition, Carroll county Ramblers, Dean Sapp & Hartford Express

                              Karl Shiflett, Michelle Nixon & Drive, Dave Evans & River Bend

For more info – contact Bill Hale (410-374-2895) or go to www.bluegrassville.com/arcadia

 Lucketts

            Lucketts continues their Saturday night concerts

                            Jan 20 – Springfield Exit/ Cliff Waldron & The New Shades of Grass

            Jan 27 – Randy Waller & The Country Gentlemen

            Feb. 3 – Jay Armsworthy & Eastern Tradition/Mill Run

            Feb. 10 – Seneca Rocks (features four former Johnson Mountain Boys)

            Feb 17 – Skystone/The Wildwood Valley Boys

            Feb 24 – Phoenix/Dan Paisley & The Southern Grass

            Mar 3 – The Dry Branch Fire Squad

            Mar 10 – Recent Addition/Melvin Goins and Windy Mountain

            Mar 17 – Iron Ridge/ Lonesome Highway

            Mar 24 – In the Tradition/Ernie Bradley and Grassy Ridge

            Mar 31 – Shenandoah Blue/Bill Yates & Friends

 Check their website http://www.luckettscommunitycenter.org/bluegrass.html for a complete listing for the season and other details. It’s a fun night with some really good music.

 Instruction Books

            Bill Becraft has donated some Instruction Books for Bluegrass, available for members’ use.  There is Mandolin, bass, flat-picking and several others.  If you are interested you may borrow one.  They will be available at our meetings.          

 Message from the Secretary

             I took over this position two years ago and had hoped to revive some interest in our organization.  Despite continually asking for offers of assistance I have not heard from a single member!  This is your organization and you, the members, are the ones who make an organization what it is.  We have added over 40 new members; however, we have had to drop almost 30 members due to delinquent dues.  Others have moved from the area and left no forwarding addresses.  We currently have 224 members of which 26 will be dropped because their dues have not been paid for two years. 

            We have some great plans for our annual Pig Roast and Pickin’ Party this year.  With the Bluegrass Brothers coming we should have a really good crowd.  I would like to see more of our membership support this activity by coming to the event and/or offering your assistance.  I realize we all have a lot of commitments these days with family, jobs, and other outside activities.  If we want this organization to continue and grow, we all need to take part.  Come out to a meeting; attend the events; let us hear from you about what you want the organization to do.  Call me or any board member with your input or better yet, get involved as a board member.  We have some board members that have never been to a meeting since I began as Secretary-Treasurer two years ago!!  Let us hear from you!

            Don’t forget – your dues for 2007 are due now!  Check your mailing label for your expiration date.

Many of you are receiving your newsletters by e-mail and I am sending individual notes to those of you who get them by e-mail who have delinquent dues.  I realize you don’t have mailing labels.  

                                                                                        Shari Reed

                                                                                        Secretary-Treasurer

                                                                                        4176 Timber Ridge Road

                                                                                        Berkeley Springs WV   25411

                                                                                        304-258-4419  

                                                                                        e-mail:    sreed4143@aol.com