Let's ... get ... busy!

New details on Bond Park, Garner Night Market, and IBMA Uke Jam

Keep your calendar close by. Life will come at you fast.

• Thursday, Sept. 15: Performance at Bond Park Total Life Center, Maury O’Dell Road, Cary. Yes, the Bond Park Total Life Center performance is happening! We’ll play for the participants, staff, volunteers, and caregivers at this adult day center. Please arrive no later than 10:15 a.m. to set up. We’ll play from 10:30 -11:30. The weather should be fantastic.

Our contact Salima says the city is doing some repaving and other street work near the park. Allow extra time to navigate the area (and hope there’s not much noise). We will set up either in front of the Total Life Center or at the gazebo nearby. Just be ready to adjust when you get there. Also be sure to bring a chair if you’ll need it. It’ll be great fun!!! The playlist is in Dropbox. We probably will return there to play Christmas/holiday tunes during the season.

• Later that day, we jam at the church, 7 - 9 p..m. In part, we’ll get ready for the Garner Night Market on the 23rd (see below), the bluegrass jam, and catch everyone up our other activities.

• Thursday, Sept. 22: Ukester Brown at the church! David (Ukester Brown) Remiger will lead a workshop on playing barre chords from 7-7:30 and perform a concert after that. He’s been at uke festivals across the country the past few months, so we’re lucky to have him. We’re asking for $10 to cover costs. If you want to come and haven’t let me know, we can still sneak a few more people in. Hit me up!

• Friday, Sept. 23: Garner Night Market, 120 E. Main Street, 7-9 p.m. (weather permitting, of course). This will be our first time in Garner and our first night market in 3+ years. I visited the location a few days ago and it’s really quaint and cozy. We’ll try to start as close to 7 as possible, so please arrive early to set up, check out vendors, etc. Just look for David or me or another familiar face to let you know where we’re playing. Again, bring chairs. Playlist is also in Dropbox.

• Saturday, Sept. 24, “All Wigged Out: The Musical,” an afternoon with Marcy Marxer, N.C. Museum of Art, East Building, SECU Auditorium, 2 - 4:30 p.m. Our friend Marcy Marxer told the story of her “adventures” with breast cancer in this award-winning musical/film. I’ll do a separate promotion next week. Lots of ukulele music, plenty of poignant moments … and laughs. Admission is FREE, but registration is requested. Check out this link for more information.

• Tuesday, Sept. 27: Bluegrass-y Jam at Pelagic, 7 - 9 p.m.. Alongside some of our usual numbers, we’ll play some bluegrass or bluegrass-adjacent songs to pay tribute to the IBMA World of Bluegrass Festival that’ll be downtown later that week. I’ll put a song list (not a formal playlist, just some suggestions) in Dropbox titled “Bluegrass songs.”

• Thursday, Sept. 29: 9th Anniversary Party and Open Mic, at the church, 7 - 9 p.m. Yes, it’s been that long! (It’s a uke-iversary for me, too. I got my first uke Sept. 6, 2013, a few weeks before RUJ started, though I didn’t join the group until summer 2014.)

We’ll swap stories (some of them true), spend time with friends, enjoy each other’s company, and then enjoy an open mic from anyone who wants to bring a song. Let me know if you want to perform. We may have time for more than one song per person, but I wouldn’t count on it. It’ll be great! If you know folks who attended jams over the years and stopped for whatever reason but might enjoy catching up, please invite them! We may not make them play.

Last, but not least …

• Saturday, Oct. 1, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m.*, World of Bluegrass Ukulele Jam, Jam Tent, Exchange Plaza, 219(ish) Fayetteville Street, downtown Raleigh. Ukuleles may not be allowed in bluegrass, but they’re allowed a bluegrass festivals! Marcy is back, along with her fellow Grammy-winning musical partner Cathy Fink. They’ll lead an open strum at the World of Bluegrass Festival.

Invite anyone you know who plays ukulele, who would like to learn to play ukulele, who plays another instrument, or who sings and would like to join the open jam.

There may be chairs … or not. (I’d suggest bringing your own.) During the jam, songs should be projected on a screen so you can see the chords. Cathy and Marcy led jams at the 2019 Mount Airy Ukulele Retreat and we had a ton o’ fun.

I strongly recommend setting aside the afternoon to check out the live music that’ll be playing on stages throughout the Fayetteville Street corridor. You’ll hear some wonderful acts, see interesting folks, visit wonderful vendors, and generally enjoy yourself.

*The festival literature says the jam is from 3 - 5. But as the flyer below says, the period from 2:30 - 3 is for beginners who want to learn a few simple chords before the jam starts. If you would like to come down and tutor a uke newbie, please head down early and pitch in!

Breathe deeply. Think strummy thoughts. See you soon!

Peripatetic Rick