Most of you know from FaceBook that long time MFC staff member, Kaity Newell’s, home in Damariscotta burned to the ground last week. Kaity is fine as are her dogs, cats, chickens, car and fiddle. Everything else is pretty much gone. There is a go fund me campaign started to help Kaity recover from this devastating loss, and you can find that here: www.gofundme.com/f/kaity-newell-fire-recovery I can’t say enough about how big a part Kaity has been in the traditional music scene in Maine for the last 40 years or so. Please help as much as you can!

Those of you who registered for V-MFC all received a survey form to fill out. If you haven’t done that yet, please do, so we know what we did right and what we could improve on. We will definitely have more Maestro Bistros throughout the summer and there is talk about a “virtual winter MFC”, but no definite plans at this point. There are still “Camper Concert” Virtual Ensemble videos being processed and you can stay informed by watching the website and all news will be carried on the newsletter right here!! And of course, we are still hoping to get back to REAL “in person” live Maine Fiddle Camp in 2021. We will keep you informed right here!!

Well… we ALL did it!! Virtual Maine Fiddle Camp is over and it was an unqualified success. There were close to 500 registered campers and well over 1000 who “stopped by.” (Many stayed!) I’d like to let you know about the “crew” who put this all together. This was unchartered territory, and starting approximately one month before the virtual camp, we pretty much made it up as we went. Some of the MFC staff had familiarity with Zoom meetings and other interactive online platforms. Others had knowledge of YouTube, and others yet were familiar with website design, etc. None had EVER done anything approaching the scope of Virtual Maine Fiddle Camp 2020, but we wanted to give it a try. Read on if you want to know who made this happen… (more…)

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A note from Doug:

This is a dance tune we played for many years, along with The Dominion Reel.  It works great and is an intermediate level classic. This tune was first collected by Smokey Mckeen, Greg Boardman, John Gawler, and Bob Childs around 1976 when visiting maritime folklorist -tune collector Gale Huntington in Cape Cod.  He played it for them on a button accordion.
I think it is on the OGG Folkways recording from 1978. — Douglas Protsik

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       “The Grand Life of Upright Piano”
by John Pranio

(PA Starck Piano Co. est.1891 New York – Chicago)

So here’s the fairly thrilling story of the piano the Oshima boys grew up plunking away on as kids in Whitefield.  Toki’s mother’s old upright was gifted to us early on, and we all enjoyed years of its musical generosity.  We had the old-timer tuned countless times and refurbished more than once. But finally, a couple years before we moved to Belfast, it was beyond repair and it ended up out on the screen porch. Here it hunkered down, functioning as a table of sorts at pot-lucks; a dusty collector of stuff; a plant stand, etc. There, hit by sideways spraying rain or snow, spilled lemonade, or manhandled by a new generation of young musical explorers, it stood, dignified, with unflagging posture. (more…)

Hi Fiddle Campers and prospective Fiddle Campers! As most of you know, the complete 2020 season of MFC has been cancelled due to the coronavirus. *sigh*.. BUT the MFC staff has put together a team to work on a “Virtual Fiddle Camp”. We plan to keep the spirit of MFC alive with live streaming concerts, workshops, presentations, music videos, one on one or group lessons with your favorite instructor, and MORE!! This will definitely be the BEST virtual Fiddle Camp ever!!! You can help to that end by donating with the knowledge that your donation will be going to help underwrite this project and help the MFC staff who are working on the project, many of whom have lost some or all of their livelihood. So keep an eye right here on the website for updates.. Stay safe!!

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