Summer break!
Catching up after a busy few weeks
Hello all,
It’s been … almost two months? Lots of stuff going on and I’ve communicated more via email and Facebook than this forum. Sorry about that. I’ll try to keep posting more regularly.
So what happened between early April and now?
Several regular jams … An open mic (the entire YouTubes are below) …
And Make Music Day 2024! Various members participated in events at several of the 15 locations across Raleigh and Wake County, as you can see from this photo gallery provided by Nell!
Bonnie played piano for patients and their caregivers at Wake Med Heart and Vascular Center. The group played a set at Oberlin Regional Lib
George led a harmonica workshop at City of Raleigh Museum with the help of yours truly (behind the camera in this instance.
I (along with John) taught some newbies a basic version of ‘You Are My Sunshine’ at Azure Violins.
Vivian joined the Handsome Ladies of Raleigh for a bluegrass jam at Athens Drive Community Library.
And so much more with a lot of other photos and videos to come, mainly on the Make Music Day Raleigh website and social media feeds.
Coming next … NO JAM ON JULY 4
That’s right, folks. Because our next regular date falls on Independence Day, we’re taking a break. We’ll be back at the church, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, on July 18.
Fayetteville Ukulele Jamboree, Saturday Oct. 12
Once again, we’re participating with other Eastern N.C. clubs as part of the NC Ukulele Collective in an Autumn Extravaganza! Rather than perform a single set at the N.C. Whirligig Festival in Wilson, we’re getting together for a full day of events in Fayetteville.
It’ll be at the Arran Lake Baptist Church, 1130 Bingham Drive, Fayetteville. Many details remain to be determined, but there’ll be adult and youth workshops and more. The highlight will be a concert that evening afternoon featuring the entire collective — members of the clubs from Oriental, New Bern, Wilson, Raleigh, and Fayetteville. Each club will bring three songs, the collective will rehearse them as a group, and we’ll play them as a unit at the concert.
If you want to participate, wonderful! If you’d like to attend the concert and other events, that’s great, too!
What we know so far, other than the date of the event:
RUJ will bring “Loco-Motion,” “On the Road Again,” and “Sweet Caroline” to the party. We’ll announce a practice session time for our songs soon (probably before a scheduled jam).
Practice sessions will take place on Aug. 29 in Fayetteville, 3-6 p.m.; Sept. 14 in New Bern, 10 a.m.-noon; and Sept. 25 in Wilson, 10 a.m.-noon.
Nell’s running things from our vantage point, so check with her if you have any questions.
Have a wonderful and safe July 4th and see you soon!
Cool Hand Rick