FOB Mule Driving and Playing on the Canal in Georgetown & at Great Falls

Summer - Fall  2005  In June, when Pat invited FOB to spend a day on the canal playing old time tunes for the tourists, little did we know that Ruth and Barbara would find a new passion. They both volunteered to spend weekends at the Park where they entertained tourists with old time music and learned to drive the canal boat mules. Barbara and Ruth  encouraged the rest of FOB to join them on occassional Sundays to play music on the canal boats in Georgetown and Great Falls.  Dressed in period costumes (even Howard who hates costumes), they played old time tunes with an eye to generating an interest in preserving this chance to experience canal life, a fascinating part of our nation's history.  Folks riding the boats and passersby enjoyed the music and we even met a couple of new FOBers.  One weekend, a teenaged girl came up and practically demanded to try the banjo—she's destined to become one of us!  The canal volunteers loved FOBs efforts and took photos to promote FOB on the canal!  Ellie, one of our own website photographers, 11 years old, a jug player and our youngest FOBer, loved the canal. The Great Falls canal  volunteers put her in period dress and put her to work!  She swept out the boat, helped the tourist children try on the costumes available on the boat and played her little jug which resoundingly echoed inside the boat.  Ellie’s in a program at school where community service hours are credited and she was delighted to earn 4 credits!

Georgetown
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Great Falls
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