Updated: May 13, 2008

From the Prez

We had a very busy meeting on May 10^th.   Thanks all for the great participation.  

Camp Out: 

            We will have a dance Friday night that will be Grange style.   Les

 will get the individual performers together.   Call Les at 683-3133 and sign

up for three tunes, a foxtrot, a two step, or a waltz.   The Dungeness All

Stars will get together and practice jigs and reels at the Tri-Area Community

Center on the 24^th.  Steve Nordine will be heading up the All Stars.   We

will also practice Friday afternoon before the dance at the Sequim Prairie

Grange.

We will have pizza Friday night starting at 5:30p.   Bring a salad for pot

luck.   Also this is by donation so throw in a couple of bucks.   

Saturday and Sunday, we start with 7:00 to 9:00 breakfast hosted by the

pancake and egg specialists Pete Crose, Hershel Lester, and George Yount

with generous back up from Gerri’ Tuller’s Cup and Saucer Brigade .

There will be four workshop sessions starting at 9:30 and lasting till 1:50.  

They will include John and Donna and company singing songs that the

assisted living folks want to sing.  Joe Hunt will work his moveable chord

fret board magic.   Ken Maaske will teach arpeggio chording.  Steve

Nordine will host a slow jam on old time fiddle tunes for all instruments.  

George Yount will give his views on techniques of learning tunes by ear. 

Saturday afternoon and evening will have performance shows with a

potluck in between.   Again, bring salads and desserts.   We have the meat. 

Sunday we will do another breakfast to be followed by a Gospel

performance.  Of course, there will be jamming all over the place,

particularly in the picnic building out back.  Last year it went to two in the

morning.  What fun. 

There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer.   All you have to do is ask

someone how can I help?  There are many small quick tasks that add up to

a great event.  

Advisory Committee Formed:

The issues generated from the Performance Show have demonstrated we

need to be more cognizant of state and local issues that affect how we carry

out the mission of WOTFA.   The moratorium on filming or recording

District activities has sparked scrutiny of our WOTFA Constitution and

Bylaws.   The issues have significant impact on our operation.   These

issues require thoughtful research and deliberation which cannot be

accomplished in once a month meetings.   Therefore, Jack Reagan and

others have suggested we establish a standing Advisory Committee open to

all members for the purpose to advise the Chairman and the members on

what course of action we should take as well as the State Board of Director

meetings   the membership approved a resolution to establish a standing

committee.   Their first meeting will be Saturday, May 24^th at the Tri-Area

Community Center during the jam session.  Their agenda will be published

in the Weakly Chuckle next week, and folks without computers will also be

notified by phone.   The initial committee membership is Jack Reagan,

Frank and Marijane Figg, John and Donna Spence, Pete Crose, and John

Marrs.   Anyone can be on it, so show up at the Tri-Area Community

Center.  

WOTFA Bylaw Amendment:

One of the state issues considered was a bylaw change regarding who

should be eligible to represent a District at a Board meeting in case the

Chairman could not attend.  Jo Yount proposed an amendment of Section

II, Article 3 to include the chairman can appoint any elected official of the

District to represent the District’s membership.  The motion carried, and I

am forwarding it on to the state for consideration at the state convention on

August 2^nd, 

Archival Committee: 

Since one of our primary missions is to archive all that we do.  It is time to

have a standing committee for that purpose.    If you would like to help

preserve and protect old time music and how we go about it, please join the

archival committee. 

Recording System for the Secretary: 

Since a lot of information comes out of our regular business meetings, it

would be very helpful if our Secretary had a recording system to make sure

we get the word for word on motions and relevant discussions.   The

members agreed we should acquire a recording system.  

Then, it was on to jamming and performing.    It was Irrigation Festival, but

it did not stop folks from showing up and enjoying our music.   Celia Read,

the head of our greeter’s committee, noted we had 98 people sign our

attendance log.   We all had a very grand time. 

On The Horizon:  

You like old time music?   How about Dixieland Jazz?   Bud Critchfield is

coordinating with the Dukes of Dabob to come over and put on a workshop

on the history of Dixieland Jazz and let us play a few tunes with them.   We

are looking at October as the tentative workshop date Stay tuned…