October Old-Time Week and Fiddlers' Reunion
Augusta Heritage Center, Elkins, WV
October 21~29, 2007

If you haven't yet gotten the opportunity to visit Elkins, WV to  participate in the Augusta Heritage Center's summer and fall programs then you have a wonderful experience to look forward to. According to the Augusta website the Center is:

 "best known for intensive week-long workshops that attract several hundred participants annually. Thousands more attend our public concerts, dances, and festivals. Augusta’s full-time staff, plus volunteers, seasonal staff, and work-study students, produce a great variety of quality workshops. These world-renowned workshops and festivals have brought together master artists, musicians, dancers, craftspeople, and enthusiasts of all ages."

This year a group of FOBers made the trek to Elkins, a beautiful mountain town in central West Virginia, to participate in October Old-Time Week.  Jim, Leslie, Wilmer, Doug, Ulrike, William and Brad were all there.  Columbia, Maryland's New Southern Cowtipper's Sandy Hofferth was teaching one of the fiddle classes. Her fellow Cowtippers Howard  and Jim were there, too, and performed at the Reunion.  Donna and Melanie came for the weekend to enjoy the Reunion.  Of course, many other folks from across the country, as well as a fiddle student all the way from Japan, participated in the week's activities.  Despite the rain, which arrived on Tuesday, the daily mountain view was gorgeous with the colors of the changing season and part of the delight of being at Augusta in October. 

Augusta activities take place on the campus of Davis and Elkins College.  Participants can stay on campus ~ in dorms, in the conference center or, for a special treat,  by booking a room in the college's historic mansion, Graceland Inn.  There are also other options at B&Bs, lodges and motels in the surrounding area.  Substantial and tasty food can be purchased at the college cafeteria which caters nicely to both vegetarians and meat-eaters.  And for a change of pace, a quick walk or drive into town offers some more dining choices at local food establishments.

October Old-Time Week goes like this:   From Monday-Friday, students meet each day in their chosen class and level until noon.  Then there follows a break for lunch before a daily mini-concert performance by staff and/or invited musicians.  They take place in a  lovely round wood and stained glass chapel.  After the concert there are more scheduled sessions where you can choose amongst several events, i.e. repertoire class, documentaries on local culture, slow jam or crafts class.  After dinner there are still more opportunities ~ flatfoot class, square dance, film, and lots and lots of jam opportunities, slow and fast. My favorite evening event is Bob Smakula's Monday Night String Changing and Instrument Maintenance workshop where, using a giant peg head and a rope as a string substitute, Bob teaches even the clumsiest of hands how to swiftly change strings.

An exciting thing about October Old-Time week is that the week ends with the Old Time Fiddlers' Reunion where:

 "scores of West Virginia's master fiddlers, pickers, and singers gather, along with hundreds of local folks and visitors for a weekend of fun, packed with jam sessions throughout the weekend, informal concerts, and renewal of friendships"  ~~ Augusta website

The Reunion  begins on Friday night with a Halloween square dance, continues from 10am-7pm Saturday with the performances from master fiddlers followed by evening jam sessions and then ends Sunday morning with a Gospel Sing and Continental Breakfast.

Next year I hope you will all get the opportunity to either visit for the the first time or revisit the Augusta Heritage Center's workshops and festivals.  It is a wonderfully organized program and a great opportunity to hear the music in its natural setting, to learn new skills and new tunes, hear old time masters and to meet like-minded folks in a beautiful location.

PS  . . . and did I mention that Jim and Leslie both bought new banjos at the Reunion.  Does that mean 7 new FOB banjos this year ~ Jim, Jill, Jill, Jill, Ruth, Leslie, Doug ?  BAS persists . . .  Jill ~ you're cut off!

Doug's Portraits
of students from Pam Lund's Intermediate/Advanced Banjo Class