1981 Evart Photo Scrapbook

Way back in 1981, I took my shiny new video recorder and separate camera (remember those?) to the ODPC FunFest in Evart Michigan. Back then, I was living in Evanston Illinois, and there were exactly three other dulcimer players that I knew of in the whole of Chicago. Imagine my ending up in Evart, where no one had to ask what it was, and there were lots of them! Somewhere back then we shot a group photo that ended up in Dulcimer Players News.... 54 as I remember. A far cry from the 280+ that we get on stage these days, but that was just the leading edge of the dulcimer explosion. But I digress.....

Anyway, I shot a lot of video back then, and the footage brings back lots of nostalgic memories for me. The wonder of meeting all those dulcimer players at Evart, the massive jam sessions we used to have under the tin roof in the vendor pavillion (before it was off-limits to jamming), the new tunes I was learning, the special people I met, and just the pure fun of being in a place like Evart.

The other day it occurred to me that I now have a web site and a video capture card.... why not put together a scrapbook of some of the "snapshots" I can extract from my old videos. What you see here is a rough draft..... I dashed it off without too much attention to detail, but you can get a little taste for what we all looked like in 1981, if nothing else! Please excuse the less than ideal image quality... these were shot with a color video camera of the day, and needless to say they have improved since then! Plus, I have compressed the *&*$## out of them to save bandwidth. Finally, for those of you who never knew Bob Spinner, there are a couple shots of him too. Enjoy!

The fairgounds as seen from the (then) main entrance. Notice the absence of the fountain and the "new" jamming pavillion. This was probably on Friday afternoon. Not so empty these days! And of course the infamous festival rules! They survive to this day to greet festival-goers.

This may have been the very first year Veanna Bordeaux came with her harp. She started the whole harp thing at Evart. Here's a rare shot of Viola Cox (as in "Viola's Favorite") talking to the puppets.

And the puppet gang, with Gene Cox in the back. Gene was the ambassador of the club, always gathering people together to meet each other. He and Esther have retired to Arizona and were not at the 1999 festival, and were SORELY MISSED. Cece Horodko (Webster) in a big session in the 4H building.

Bob Hubbach and Cece in that same session. Paul Gifford on the main stage. Back then it was much more of an open stage affair, with index cards handed out as you entered the fairgrounds. You filled one out with your time preferences, and you got 10 minutes on stage.... no more, no less.

Here's someone we don't see any more..... Paul Griffeth. Paul, WHERE ARE YOU?!?!! There was a time when we could have formed a band called the "PG's".... Paul Gifford, Paul Griffeth, and Paul Goelz. Paul is playing the dulcimer he made, with 1981 carved in huge characters on the front of it. He "antiqued" it (with a hammer and nitric acid on the pins as I remember), and was constantly asked where he got "that dulcimer made in 1891". Hey, what's that funny instrument? Leo Kretzner, of "Pig Town Fling" fame on the Appalachian Lap Zither. You do have a copy of Pig Town Fling, don't you? Leo showed up for the weekend and wowed us with his state of the art dulcimer playing.

OK, this isn't really from Evart, but it is from 1981. Our own very special person, Les Raber at the 1981 Indiana Fiddler's Gathering in Battleground Indiana. He was there with Paul Gifford and Bill (William these days?) White. Bill owns the White Brothers String Shop and also the Traveler Club Gallery and Tuba Museum in Okemos MI. Really! Bob Spinner in that big jam in the 4H building. He has his dulcimer in front of him, but he had actually just finished a hot session on the tenor banjo. When he wasn't playing the dulcimer, Bob played banjo in a polka band!

Bob Spinner in a big jam in the vendor pavillion. Note that it is daytime and that there aren't any vendors! Things change, eh? Back then, the vendor pavillion was the hub of the festival due to its central location. There were jam sessions there at just about any hour, and it was easy to find folks. Pretty soon the vendors started congregating there too for the same reason. Before we knew what hit us, the vendors kicked the jammers out so they could be heard over the racket of the dulcimers! Bob Spinner and Bob Hubbach on the main stage. Bob Spinner said he was there under protest and refused to talk into the mic so Bob Hubbach "translated" for him. For me this is a very historical picture.... they are playing the Westphalia Waltz, which I fell in love with and went home and learned from that video sequence. I subsequently played it for years and years and taught it to folks outside Michigan.

A closer shot of Bob. Sadly, Bob passed away quite a few years ago and we can't hear him play any more. Take it from me that Bob was one of those treasures that don't come along every day. He was simultaneously the LOUDEST and the gentlest player I have ever heard. He could rise above any jam session, and then in the next breath could coax the gentlest and most musical sounds out of his old dulcimer. And where in the world he found those notes he used for the gypsy music he could play.... all I can say is that you DON'T have to have a chromatic instrument! His sure wasn't.

Bob, we miss you!


The fairgounds as seen from the (then) main entrance. Notice the absence of the fountain and the "new" jamming pavillion. This was probably on Friday afternoon. Not so empty these days!	And of course the infamous festival rules! They survive to this day to greet festival-goers.


This may have been the very first year Veanna Bordeaux came with her harp. She started the whole harp thing at Evart.	Here's a rare shot of Viola Cox (as in "Viola's Favorite") talking to the puppets.


And the puppet gang, with Gene Cox in the back. Gene was the ambassador of the club, always gathering people together to meet each other. He and Esther have retired to Arizona and were not at the 1999 festival, and were SORELY MISSED.	Cece Horodko (Webster) in a big session in the 4H building.


Bob Hubbach and Cece in that same session.	Paul Gifford on the main stage. Back then it was much more of an open stage affair, with index cards handed out as you entered the fairgrounds. You filled one out with your time preferences, and you got 10 minutes on stage.... no more, no less.


OK, this isn't really from Evart, but it is from 1981. Our own very special person, Les Raber at the 1981 Indiana Fiddler's Gathering in Battleground Indiana. He was there with Paul Gifford and Bill (William these days?) White. Bill owns the White Brothers String Shop and also the Traveler Club Gallery and Tuba Museum in Okemos MI. Really!	Bob Spinner in that big jam in the 4H building. He has his dulcimer in front of him, but he had actually just finished a hot session on the tenor banjo. When he wasn't playing the dulcimer, Bob played banjo in a polka band!