The officers of the Blue Ridge Mountain Dulcimer Players Club extend our appreciation to Debbie Campbell for her service as Secretary of the Blue Ridge Mountain Dulcimer Player for slightly more than a year.  Each month Debbie sent out jam reminders, as well as club announcements.  With the increasing demand of caring for her family members, as well as her work requirements, Debbie feels she needs to set aside her secretarial activities and requests we find someone else to fill this role.  Becky Chalam who has served as Secretary in the past has agreed to be responsible for this function for the remainder of 2020. 
Please express your appreciation personally when you see Debbie at a dulcimer event and also welcome Becky.

“Dulce” was formed in 2015 by a core group from the Charlottesville Women’s Choir and Sue Davis.  We now have seven women and may be joined by music therapist and dulcimer player Janice Stegall-Seibert. We meet on the last Tuesday afternoon of the month at clubhouse of Sharon Baiocco in Charlottesville for two hours of playing together.  

Two of our players now have Blue Lion dulcimers, and most of us are working on chording and finger picking.  Membership is informal, by invitation.  Each meeting, we share tunes we are working on, and, if music is not copywritten, we share the music so others can learn with us.  Our choices are very eclectic, from folk ballads to fiddle tunes and sweet old hymns, with an occasional popular tune thrown in.  We are just beginning to work on songs with harmonies.  Most of all, we value the fun of playing together! – Sharon Baiocco

Our next Third Saturday gathering will be from 2 – 4 pm on February 22, 2020, which is actually the FOURTH Saturday. This change is due to work being done in the downstairs of the library. The location will be the Augusta County Library in Fishersville, downstairs. Bring a list of songs you would like the group to play, your Dave Haas Jam Book and our Joe Collins hymn collection!

NOTE: The March Third Saturday Jam will be on March 21 in the WAYNESBORO Library, rather than the Fishersville Library. Parking at the end will allow easy no-stairs access to the lower level where we will be meeting.

Workshop planned for May 2, 2020

Check out the ** plans here ** for Jeff Furman’s Workshop for our club, on May 2!
The location will be: Alexander Mack Room, Maple Terrace, in the Bridgewater Retirement Village, 210 Virginia Avenue, Bridgewater, Virginia 22812

Read more about Jeff, his music and his teaching on his website: http://jefffurman.com/about.shtml

Save the date: MAY 2, 2020 –  DULCIMER WORKSHOP,
Location: Maple Terrace, Bridgewater, in the Alexander Mack Rooms

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First and Third Saturday Jams

Our upcoming jams are listed here (view here).

Note: In the event of inclement weather, PLEASE CHECK THIS WEBSITE or our Facebook page for a notification of cancellation.

Our next First Saturday jam will be March 7, 2020 from 2 – 4 pm in the Maple Terrace in the Bridgewater Retirement Community. (unless ongoing construction requires a relocation – check your email to confirm the location.)    Parking is now available in the front as renovations continue. The March First Saturday Jam will be on April 4.

For our December, we played on the balcony in Maple Terrace!

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Our next Third Saturday gathering will be from 2 – 4 pm on February 22, 2020, which is actually the FOURTH Saturday. This change is due to work being done in the downstairs of the library. The location will be the Augusta County Library in Fishersville, downstairs. Bring a list of songs you would like the group to play, your Dave Haas Jam Book and our Joe Collins hymn collection! The March Third Saturday Jam will be on March 21 in the WAYNERSBORO Library, rather than the Fishersville Library. Parking at the end will allow easy no-stairs access to the lower level where we will be meeting.

Note: In the event of inclement weather, PLEASE CHECK THIS WEBSITE for a notification of cancellation.

Summer First Saturday Jams MAY be relocated to the Oasis, just for fun, for sharing and for being in an outdoor venue.  This always depends on the availability of the Oasis Shelter in the Bridgewater Retirement Village, as well as weather!  If the location is changed from the Shenandoah Room, members will be notified via email.

Music Memories:

Familiar Music for those in Nursing Care, Memory Units and Retirement Villages

In the dining rooms, the community rooms and gathering places of Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, White Birch Retirement Home, Sunnyside Retirement Community, The Springs Retirement Community in Hot Springs, and Brookdale Senior Living, strains of familiar tunes and hymns are often heard. Tom and Jan Scanlan, have entertained in these venues for literally hundreds of hours over the years. They are greeted enthusiastically, and the question each time at the end is “When will you be back?”

Sometimes they are joined by other club members and players, and make special appearances from time to time to celebrate birthdays or other special occasions.

In addition to their regular circuit in the retirement communities, they make an annual appearance at the Maple Sugar Festival in Highland Co., in March and at the Hands and Harvest Festival in Highland Co. in October each year.

Jan and Tom include music related stops in their travels, including several areas that claim they are the home to Old Joe Clark of the old time tune. However, Kentucky may have the most authentic claim; they have his statue and  plaque to prove it!