Festive Holiday Potluck Dinner & Dance

After the Christmas Concert tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 12th), you're invited to continue the festive holiday spirit with a Holiday Dinner & Dance.

Get out your Glad Rags and Dance Shoes: it's time to celebrate!

If you can walk, you can Contra Dance! All ages, beginners and experienced dancers, singles, couples, and families welcome! No partner or experience needed.

Dinner will begin promptly at 6 p.m. 

Please bring a dish to pass, and a smile. Table service and water will be provided. So that we have a variety of foods, we'd appreciate it if you would be so kind as to let us know what you're bringing for the potluck. You can post on our Facebook page (Midland Traditional Dancers), or send a message to midlandtraditionaldancers [@] gmail.com. (Remove the spaces and brackets.)

Admission is the same as a regular dance, $7. No charge for dancers who have purchased a season pass.

Formal attire will be admired, but is not required.

Warm-up/New Dancer Lesson 7 p.m.; Dancing 7:30 p.m.
Old-time traditional music is provided by local musicians.

Held in the Barstow-Shipps Activity Room at the Midland Community Center at 2205 S. Jefferson Ave, Midland.

The next Dance on January 9 will have a Sparkle Theme.


~ The Midland Traditional Dancers
(Copy-edited & posted by K. Goodwin)

Christmas Concert 2015

Folk Music Society Christmas Concert On 

Saturday, December 12, 2015 at 2 pm

Grace A. Dow Memorial Library Auditorium
1710 W. St. Andrews, Midland, Michigan

Featuring the Rostollan Family 
and
A Christmas Sing-along 
with
The Jolly Hammers and Strings


Remember Mid-Michigan Music when shopping this holiday season

For Holiday Shopping, think Local, think Music, think FMSM membership, and SAVE! 

Delivering Christmas Concert posters today, I was informed by the owner of Mid-Michigan Music that if you show your Folk Music Society Midland membership card you will get 10% OFF your ENTIRE Purchase at Mid-Michigan Music in downtown Midland!   
This business has shown our organization ongoing support over the years by offering discounts to our membership.  Please support them and let them know your music needs.  They are located at 240 E Main St, Midland; can be contacted at (989) 832-9525; or found on the web at http://www.midmichiganmusic.com/










































Kris Goodwin

Winter Concert


Save the Date! WASSUP Festival

SAVE THE DATE!!!!!!!!!!


Friday and Saturday, MARCH 11 and 12, 2016

WASSUP!!! A fun-filled ukulele festival!

Winter
Ain't
Stoppin'
Serious
Uke
Players!!

SUGAR [SAGINAW UKULELE GURUS AND ROOKIES]
AND THE FOLK MUSIC SOCIETY OF MIDLAND
are planning a concert along with Workshops, Open Mic times, Group Strums
on Friday and Saturday March 11 and 12.

STAND BY FOR MORE DETAILS!!

Come Celebrate on Halloween Day with JH&S at Chippewa Nature Center

Come join the Jolly Hammers and Strings at the Chippewa Nature Center on Halloween Day between 1 and 4 pm.  Bring your instruments and play along.  If you don't have an instrument, come howl along to The Monster Mash!!  Dress up in your favorite costume if you like.

Second Jam is no more...

This is just to let you all know that Second Jam has gone the way of the dinosaur, and is no 

longer a part of the FMSM calendar.  I have too many other FMSM responsibilities going on, 


and it's just too much for me to do right now, so thanks to all of you who came out and 


supported Second Jam, and to the FMSM board for providing the finances to have done this


over the years!

Hunt

Labor Day week

Monday, 9/7/15 - JH/S at the Tridge Walk at 9am - (see note below for details)


Wednesday, 9/9/15 - FMSM board meeting at Dow Library in the basement at 6:30pm
Thursday, 9/10/15 - SUGAR at Bickford in Saginaw at 10:30am, PEANUT ukulele lesson at MPS Administration Building at 7pm.
Friday, 9/11/15 - No Second Jam - it just never really clicked :-(
Saturday, 9/12/15 - Traditional dance at the Community Center at 7:30pm - $7 or save and get a season pass!




Jolly Hammers and Strings To Play for Labor Day Tridge Walk


Labor Day Tri 

 

Jolly Hammers & Strings will be playing at the Tridge Walk on Labor Day, September 7, 2015.  The event starts at 9:00 A.M. at the Farmer's Market side of the Tridge, Midland's three-legged bridge at the confluence of the Tittabawassee and Chippewa Rivers.  JH&S will be playing in the Pavilion across the Tridge in Chippewassee Park.

Farewell, festival friends

Heaps of thanks to all who put their shoulder to the wheel to make the 2015 MFMF such a wonderful event, and oodles more thanks to all who came and added their talents and support to make it the mos' funnest festival it could ever be!  Here's to safe travels home for all the campers and hotelers, and we locals look forward to seeing you all here again next year...

Hey, there, in case you didn't know, ... it's FESTIVAL WEEK!

As I write this, the carnies are packing up and fixing to move on to the next town, and people like us are preparing to move in.  Please let the county fair people get out and on their way before chasing them off!  There will be plenty of great campsites available on Monday.  Don't give others a bad impression of the festival by shooing them away.  Thanks for that consideration...

I think of the Evart festival as the middle of summer, and the Midland festival as marking the end of summer.  So, by that reasoning, summer is winding to its end, and even if the calendar still says summer for three more weeks, Labor Day and the start of school come the following week, and those are signs of autumn's approach.

As you get your ribbon for the 2015 festival this week, please consider this perspective, too...  i
f you're not an FMSM member yet, I would encourage you to join our organization.  It's not so much that there are tons of personal benefits to be had from joining, but your membership helps support all the things that FMSM does to be able to do things like the festival that we all enjoy.  Individual memberships are $12/year, and get you a $5 discount on festival admission ($5 instead of the $10 non-member cost), and family memberships are $18/year, and also get your family members (but not your cousins and in-laws!) into the festival for $5.  

Thanks, and here's to a fun-filled week together!

Hunt

FMSM at the Midland County Fair

We're still looking for friendly people to help staff the Folk Music Society's booth/canopy at the Midland County Fair, which is the week before the Midland Folk Music Festival, and is a great opportunity to get the word out not only about the festival, but all the other FMSM-sponsored activities  

If you have some time to help out from Monday, August 17th through Friday, August 21st, please contact Claudia Warren at clouddancer0752@yahoo.com.  If you'd like to bring an instrument and your voice along, that's fine, too, but is certainly not a requirement!

Thanks for your help!

2015 Festival Schedule Posted

The schedule for the 2015 Midland Folk Festival, August 27-30, is now posted on our Festival page. Actually there are two schedules, one lists the events by day and time and the other lists the workshop sessions by instrument. As with everything in life, they are subject to change. We hope to see you there!

July 5th is Folk Music Sunday...

Folk Music Sunday is coming up! On Sunday, July 5th, FMSM will be well-represented at Dow Gardens. There will be three groups scattered about the grounds, along with the traditional dancers in the barn. Admission to DG is $5/day or $10/annual pass. Come on out and enjoy the beautiful music in a beautiful setting!

Second Jam, PEANUT

NO SECOND JAM this summer! PEANUT meets at 7pm at the MPS Administration Building, 600 E. Carpenter (between Rodd and Haley) on Friday, 6/12/15.  Future dates are Thursday, July 9, and Thursday, August 13.

 If you would like to see Second Jam resume in the fall, someone will need to step up and make that happen. Contact me (sugarfmsm@gmail.com) if you are interested in doing so, and I will be glad to guide you in what needs to be done. - Hunt

2015-2016 FMSM Officers & Board Members & Others

Louis Dupuis, President
Joann Satkowiak, Vice President
Cliff and Bell Atwater, Treasurer
Mary Ledbetter, Secretary

Ken Lukowski, Historian
Cilla Jones, Midland Traditional Dancers
Jerry Hickman, Midland Traditional Dancers
Julia Dryzga, Grants
Katherine Machul, Election
George and Jin Wilkins, Festival
John Hunt, SUGAR and PEANUT
Kris Goodwin, Community Relations, Concerts, Folk Music Sundays Coordinator



Here's an updated Jolly Hammers schedule (as of 6/10/15)

JH&S 2015 Schedule (as of 6/10/15)

 June 24 – Wednesday- William H. Haithco Recreation Park 7:00-8:30 2121 Schust Saginaw
 June 25-Thursday- Standish Historical Depot 6:30-8:30 107 N. Main St. (U.S. 23) Standish

 July 24- Happy Diners 11:00 Christmas in July
 July 29- Wednesday- William H. Haithco Recreation Park 7:00-8:30 2121 Schust Saginaw

 August 14-Friday Frankenmuth Fun Nights 5:30 Location?
 August 16-22- Midland County Fair (time undetermined)
 August 22-Saturday -Midland County Historical Society 11:00-2:00 3100 Cook Rd. Midland 48640                 on the porch set up 10:30
 August 26- Wednesday- William H. Haithco Recreation Park 7:00-8:30 2121 Schust Saginaw
 August 27-30-Folk Music Festival

 October 3- Chippewa Nature Center Harvest Festival 11:00-4-00
 October 20- Trailside 10:30
 October 31- Chippewa Nature Center Jam1:00-4:00

 November 28-Chippewa Nature Center Jam 1:00-4:00

 December 9-Mills Christmas Party
 December 19 Chippewa Nature Center Christmas Jam/sing along 1:00-4:00

Annual Meeting & Picnic Tonight (6/10/15)

If you're a member, please remember: 
Tonight, is the Annual Meeting and Picnic! 
Bring a dish to pass and see old friends and new!

 Whiting Forest
2303 Eastman Ave.
Midland, MI
6 p.m.

Cast your ballot, see all the ways your membership dollars are spent,
learn about the programs we have and any changes, ask questions, 
find out ways you can volunteer, and how the community is helping us.  

Bring your instrument and/or dancing shoes for the jam at the end!
Hope to see you there!
~ Kris Goodwin

June edition of Folk Music Sunday is CANCELLED!

Dow Gardens is canceled for June (6/7/15), so stay high and dry! - JH

Link to WASSUP! Ukulele Festival Video...

https://youtu.be/syN6MnSzVS4 (copy and paste into title bar)

Are You an FMSM Member?

Please take a few minutes to read this note and why it is important to support FMSM... If you're like me, when you see a message like this, your first question is “what's in it for me?” And although there are individual benefits to becoming a Folk Music Society of Midland member, such as an admission discount at the Midland Folk Music Festival, a quarterly newsletter either mailed or e-mailed to you, and maybe a discount at a local merchant or two, the real question to ask is “how are all the FMSM events that I enjoy funded?” One of the major sources of the funding of FMSM activities is your membership dues. There are many expenses that you may not even be aware of that are necessary to keep FMSM running. There is liability insurance, BMI fees to use copyrighted songs at our events, sound equipment to maintain and replace, community relations costs to publicize our group's activities, an annual business meeting and picnic to put on, and an incredible number of expenses to put on our annual Midland Folk Music Festival that admission charges and camping fees don't completely cover. I would urge you to consider how inexpensive it really is to support these and many other FMSM activities that you enjoy. An annual individual membership is just $12, and an annual family membership is only $18. That is a dollar or two a month to help keep the programs that you enjoy funded. Ask for a FMSM membership form or download and return the membership form found under the "Join" tab, along with a check made out to Folk Music Society of Midland to the address listed, and get on board! Thanks for your support.

The last weekend of March, 2015...

Word on the street is that there is a big surprise in store at the Mt. Haley Jamboree Friday night (3-27-15), and that it has nothing whatsoever to do with the Easter Bunny! Come check it out... And then, JH/S is at Chippewa Nature Center on Saturday (3-28-15) from 1 til 4pm, and the Traditional Dancers meet at the Midland Community Center at 7:30 that evening. Who says that FMSM doesn't have it all going on!

Second week of March, 2015

Tuesday, 3/10/15 - JH/S practices at Zion Beaver at 1pm. Wednesday, 3/11/15 - FMSM board meeting at Grace Dow Library (downstairs) at 6:30pm. Thursday, 3/12/15 - SUGAR plays at Bickford Assisted Living in Saginaw at 10:30am. Friday, 3/13/15 - Second Jam at Midland Free Methodist Church, 5821 Eastman Rd. at 7pm is still ON! Friday, 3/13/15 and Saturday, 3/14/15 - WASSUP! ukulele festival at MFMC Saturday, 3/14/15 - Traditional Dance - Midland Community Center at 7:30pm.

Last week of February 2015 events

Tuesday, Feb. 24 - Jolly Hammers Practice 1:00--4:00, Zion (Beaver) Church Basement Friday, Feb. 27 - Mt. Haley Jamboree 7-10pm, Mt. Haley Twp. Hall, SW corner of Freeland and Homer Rds. Saturday, Feb. 28 -Jolly Hammers play at Chippewa Nature Center 1:00 --4:00, 400 S. Badour Road, Midland Saturday, Feb. 28 - Traditional Dance at Midland Community Center, 7:30-10 pm, Jefferson at George, Midland

Mt. Haley is on - Friday, January 30, 2015...

Bring songs, instruments, and your finely-tuned voices to the Mt. Haley Twp. Hall, on the SW corner of Freeland and Homer Roads from 7-10pm on Friday, January 30th, for an evening of music and fellowship.  Donations to help with costs are appreciated if you are able to do so, too.

"End of Winter" Concert with Sonas

Friday, March 20th, 2015

7:00 p.m. Jolly Hammers and Strings
8:00 p.m. SONAS

Grace A. Dow Memorial Library Auditorium,
1710 W. St. Andrews, Midland, MI

SONAS is a Gaelic word for “happiness or contentment” which describes how this band, by the same name, feels when they get together and how you'll feel during and after their performance.  Tom Krause, Dee Dee Tibbits, and Bruce Macartney will delight your ears with their Celtic and Americana tunes.

Suggested Donation of $5/Person Graciously Accepted

Download a printable PDF copy of the concert poster to share.

Happy New Year!

It's 2015, so resolve to involve (yourself with FMSM activities this year)!

Here's what I'm aware of that's happening this week:

Thursday, 1/8/15 - SUGAR plays at Bickford Assisted Living on Mackinaw Rd. in Saginaw from 10:30 until 11:30am.  Bring along Sets G, I, and 20.

Friday, 1/9/15 - Second Jam (7-10pm) and free PEANUT ukulele lessons (7-8pm) meet at Midland Free Methodist Church, 5821 Eastman Rd. in... Midland!  Instruments, music, and smiles are mandatory, donations and snacks are optional.

Saturday, 1/10/15 - Community Dance at the Midland Community Center on Jefferson at George St. at 7:30pm.  Dress comfortably.  Partners are provided.  Cost for dancing is $7, and is payable at the front desk.

JH

CANCELED! - SUGAR at Sullivan's - 1/3/15

Old Man Winter wins today.  See you at Bickford on Thursday - JH