ODPC News & Notes. From the President & Festival Manager. Kathy Rayman

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1 ODPC News & Notes August 2016 Kathy Rayman From the President & Festival Manager Thanks to everyone for all their efforts over the past four years. You are an amazing group of dedicated musicians that I am honored to work with. Thank you. To those who shared the Evart Funfest with me, thank you so much for sharing the love of the music and festival that I hold so dear. It is so much work and so many hours are spent with other Board members to think, plan and implement changes that are necessary to grow and not stagnate and yet keep the family reunion feel that we all cherish. I take the responsibility of Festival Manager of this event and President of the O.D.P.C. very seriously and I continue to respect those before me who dedicated so much to keep this festival alive and well. To every Board member and Festival Chair and their assistants, my sincere thanks for your dedication and loyalty to this festival and the people who cherish it. To the volunteers and even to the folks that don't understand the enormity of it, but yet have suggestions of what "WE" should do or should not do, we thank you for whatever role you have to keep this festival, tradition and the hammer dulcimer alive. The Funfest had so many positive improvements this year. Our goal was to utilize all the resources available to us at the fairgrounds. OJ North building had been empty for a few years and we decided to use it for workshops. The old fair office was utilized for what we thought was going to be smaller classes. They turned out to be rather large classes. The new ODPC Headquarters building was great. Being centrally located on the grounds encouraged more members to take advantage of our new location and get more involved in our club. The Board was hesitant to initiate the free t- shirts to volunteers program, but we didn t know how else to secure enough volunteers. As it turned out, it was an extremely successful program. Sue Crandle s amazing software app that allowed folks to develop their own workshop program was an overwhelming success. Contained in this Newsletter is an absentee ballot for the upcoming election on October 1 st. I encourage you to vote. Running unopposed or not, your vote gives us feedback of your support, recognition of our hard work and lets us know that you care. Let s hear from you. Many Thanks I would like to thank Gwyn Besner for her many years as Gates Chair. Gwyn had let us know she was ready to retire from her position. Bill Beyerlein, Gwyn s assistant, has now taken on the job as Gates Chair and we appreciate his continued dedication to the job. Joe Baer volunteered to be Bill s assistant and started his assignment this year. I would also like to thank John Kuch for his years as a Trustee. John has decided to retire and Paula Brawdy has taken over John s job as Locations Chair. Paula will work to find different locations for our January and May meetings. July and October are annually held at the Osceola Fairgrounds. Thank you, Paula. Replacing John, I have appointed Scott Freeman to finish John s term. Thank you, Scott. Additionally, I would like to thank Sue Crandle for the great job taking over the Workshop Leaders role at the Festival in addition to her Secretary role on the Board. So many positive feedback comments have been coming in. And, that software app is amazing. Gail Perna - So many people stopped me to compliment us on the quality of the Stage Show. I told them, it s all you and your efforts. Thanks, again. Finally, please mark your calendars for Our festival always includes the 3 rd Saturday of July. Funfest 2017 is July 13, 14 & 15.

2 ~Funfest 2016~ Stage Shows ~ Gail Perna Audiences were entertained by 34 invited acts over 3 nights of evening shows. The open mic show on Saturday afternoon had 5 acts. It is wonderful that so many are willing to share their talents with festival goers! Many thanks to our emcees, our backstage crew, and especially to Andy Cox for sound and Scott Freeman for the use of the stage. Next year the ODPC will be renting a state-of-the-art stage, which includes setup and take down, because the Indiana Fiddler s Gathering will be selling the one we have used for 3 years. The View from The Stage Scott Freeman ODPC Stage Manager I just want to say a huge thank you to all the folks who selflessly volunteered to set up and take down the stage this year. The Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering has been so very gracious in loaning us their stage the past three years. There is a time for everything and as it is with the IFG stage, the end has come. The IFG is moving into a new direction that utilizes technology to help volunteers and distributes resources much more efficiently. I presented this information to the ODPC board of directors and offered several different solutions to help us move forward. The board unanimously voted to move in this same direction as the IFG! What is this direction you ask? Next year we will be using state of the art technology by bringing in a StageLine SL100 mobile stage (Google it). This is a hydraulic stage that takes two to four people about 45 minutes to set up and tear down. These things are amazing. It will save the backs of our stage warriors and those nagging Michigan winds won't be a factor anymore. We have the option to use wind walls and backdrops and this will make the stage do what we need it to do. This is an exciting time for us at ODPC! We continue to strive for excellence. We are always seeking fresh ideas to keep us on the cutting edge while maintaining the traditions that we all know and love. Andy Cox is working to augment and enhance our sound system as well. This, combined with the new stage, will make our FunFest concert experience second to none. Thank you again for all your support and here's to a great 2017 FunFest! Youth Program ~ Ida O Dell We give a big thank you to all the instructors and other volunteers in the youth department. We had a well rounded program for everyone including making a bubble wand, drawing a treasure map, rhythm, ukulele, mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, recorder, harmonica, whistle and making a bucket bass. On Saturday the youth put on a wonderful concert in the morning for everyone s listening pleasure. Thank you to the sound department and our helpers for their involvement in putting on the concert. Then, after lunch they were entertained by having their faces/arms painted and a folk dance. During the festival approximately 80 youth participated in the activities. The class sizes ranged from a few to over 40. There were some who just stopped by to say hi and that they had graduated to taking workshops with the adults. Such an awesome feeling knowing that the youth program is doing its job of getting them interested in the Folk Music World. Many of the instructors have agreed to do their classes again next year. Our schedule is getting full. If you desire to teach a youth workshop let us know as soon as possible by youth@originaldulcimerplayers.org

3 ~Funfest 2016~ Workshops ~ Sue Crandle 76 talented musicians presented over 210 hours of instruction for 21 different instruments as well as voice this year. I was overwhelmed with compliments and thanks for this year s program. It was all made possible by the work and dedication of our volunteer instructors and helpers. Many thanks to all of you for a job well done! Mountain dulcimer players were especially happy with the addition of the OJ North building as their workshops area. Many classes there had in excess of 160 players in attendance. The old fair office (Area 3) turned out to be too small for some of the classes scheduled there. Who would believe more than 60 clawhammer banjo players would come to Funfest? I expect to continue using Area 3 for workshops but will re-evaluate which instruments to put there. It has been my pleasure to work with our volunteer instructors and to create a workshops program that is user friendly for the ODPC going forward. The base for the program is now resident on a club owned computer, built so that almost anyone with computer experience will be able to administer workshops coordination with a small amount of guidance. In the coming months, I will be working to migrate the interactive schedule base to club owned web space so that, too, will easily transfer to the next workshops coordinator. ODPC Office Mary Peka/Sue Crandle ODPC Headquarters was a resounding success. A team led by Office Manager Mary Peka managed 4 departments: Membership, T-shirt sales, Workshop leader CD sales, and the copy machine station. The front porch area featured an after-hours table where folks could register for membership, enter the dulcimer drawing and leave comments in our suggestion box when headquarters was closed. A jamming canopy was placed to the east of Headquarters and was well used throughout the festival. Many thanks to Mary and everyone who volunteered! We have some wrinkles to iron out. I didn t fully anticipate the volume of users at the copy machine. Mary and I will re-think better ways to manage this area next year. Also, CD sales will return to the vendor barns next year. Our workshop leaders are volunteers and deserve as much exposure for their sales as we can provide; a vendor booth is a better place for them. In 2015, the club began including membership dues in the cost of admission to the festival. This meant that everyone who attends Funfest shares the cost of producing it. It also means that people are no longer forced to pay membership dues in order to enter drawings or sell used instruments. In years past, the membership rolls were bloated with people who signed up one year and never returned the next. Now, because of the new membership plan, our numbers are more realistic. Registered members are those people who are truly interested in supporting the ODPC s mission. Member registrations totaled 366 this year, of which 52 signed up as new members. 34 people renewed their USPS newsletter subscriptions for HD Education Program 2016 Gail VanAmberg Funfest was a great success for the dulcimer loaner program. All of the 2015 loaned dulcimers were returned in good condition. Of the 13 dulcimers loaned out I am aware that six of the students bought a hammered dulcimer for themselves. There may be more but I can t be certain. For the 2016 year nine dulcimers were loaned out. There are still a few very nice instruments available for loan.

4 ~Funfest 2016~ Jim Rathbun Vendors The vendor chairman is in the middle of fine tuning procedures and policies for next year. There were a number of small adjustments that need to be done but this was the smoothest year as far as vendors were concerned. Next year the following will be proposed: 1. Vendor barns will be opened an hour earlier (9:00 a.m.) and close two hours earlier (7:00 p.m.) all three days. Because of the lower attendance the drop off of customers is dramatic during stage shows. There was a proposal for splitting vendors into those who wanted an earlier closing and those who wanted later closing times however none of the vendors wish to move from their current spots. 2. One issue was the lack of attendance in selected vendor booths by the performers. Vendors are tasked with concerts, workshops and working the crowds to increase sales. While there was no problem with the majority of vendors, there were a few booths that were rarely staffed. These people were asked to either bring a helper, combine with another vendor or to drop off their CD's to the vendor sales and save the $40 on a space. 3. Vending will take over the CD sales. CD sales were disappointing this year because the CD sales were located in the office. The CD sales will be located as close to the workshops as can be and promoted by fliers around the workshop barns. 4. There were mixed reviews for the third vendor barn. Having the option of a third barn allows me the option of putting in more vendors but the running of three barns, one located apart from the other two was problematic. No decision has been made yet for next year. Vendors told me they had quite a few festival goers who said they didn't know there was a 3rd building (even though the largest "VENDOR" sign was over the door). 5. Vendors who carried small items under $20 appeared to have a successful festival experience and musical accessories always command bigger profit margins. 6. I am looking for more variety in vendor merchandise. I am looking for a seamstress who makes music related quilts and a potter to make thematic mugs. 7. Theft: There were a few items stolen out of the used equipment barn this year. Vendors are more aware and taking precautions, mostly watching each other's table while the other is absent. 8. WIFI: Most vendors noticed the upgraded wifi signal, especially in the upper barn. Last year the ODPC gave the fair board some money for the upgrade and the vendors appreciated it. 9. The vendors REALLY make this the best, most fun job in the festival! I say that from my heart! There's not one of them I wouldn't invite to my hanging! In addition to conversations, a blind survey was sent to the vendors asking about their impressions of our funfest. 65% rated Evart as excellent, 35% rated it as very good. There was no ratings for average, fair or poor. About 1/3rd saw their sales go up, 1/3rd saw their sales as the same as last year and 1/3 were below expectations. At the time of this note I have only 4 spaces open for next year in the two vendor barns. As these are filled I will retain the option of the third barn or create a waiting list.

5 ~Funfest 2016~ Just a little bragging on all the mountain dulcimer performers at the pre-show! I've never been this excited about my students. They never complain about trying new tunings. We worked on playing in G and Aeolian and Dorian this year and had a lot of fun doing it. I'm so proud of the way this group takes a challenge and runs with it. It just goes to prove this group has always been open to me teaching them to get out of the D tuning and be open minded. It's my privilege to be part of this group. A big thank you to all the encouragement you give me. ~Annette Lindsey We just returned from our second Funfest. We had a great time again. We live about 12 hours away in Rochester, NY. It is well worth the drive for us. We have made many new friends. The classes have been very informative and the jam sessions were a lot of fun. I love the Squirrels Nest because they play the tunes so fast. The concerts are great. The cost of the weekend is so reasonable. We are looking forward to next years Funfest! ~Chuck and Mary Durand This year at Evart we endured quite a bit of crazy weather, which, for tenters like us, confirmed the phrase on my husband Mike's t-shirt, 'camping is in-tents!' But generally, it was a good year for weather, not too hot and way less bugs than usual. However, one night as I was jamming along with residents in "The Pines", the mosquitos were especially 'intense'. I had brought along an electronic fly swatter and it became pretty popular as Paul Gelderblum, in his own energetic style, danced around the circle, swatting bugs. We had lots of laughs over that, and I remember thinking that a good name for a song would be "Mosquito on the Strings". So, a few nights later, at the Thursday night concert, Matthew Dickerson announced from the stage a contest to name his most recent tune. The name fit perfectly to my thinking. He agreed, and you can hear the tune on You Tube here: Mosquito on the Strings -Gail Miloch Vermontville (when not tenting in Evart)

6 ODPC Officer Candidate Biographies Kathy Rayman Kathy Rayman is the incumbent for the position of president. She states that serving as the O.D.P.C. President for the last four years, along with serving for four years as first vice president, has been a great experience. Her guide is having a clear vision of doing the right things for the right reasons. She also credits an enthusiastic and supportive Board, and an amazing Fair board President, Rick Sherman, and an accommodating Fair staff as key elements of her successes. She is enjoying the experience and states that it is really rewarding. The 2016 FunFest saw many changes including a new O.D.P.C. HQ that was centrally located on the Fairgrounds and was appreciated by all. She and her husband, Mark, reside in Ray, MI. She has three children, granddaughter Paisley Grace 15 months old, four dogs, two cats and four grand-dogs. Gail Perna Running for the position of vice president is Gail Perna. She has served the ODPC as secretary of the board as well as newsletter editor, and she currently also serves as the vice president and stage show chair. She was instrumental to the development of the Funfest Manual, a policy manual that offers guidelines and duties for all festival positions, and she also worked on the major overhaul of the bylaws in Her focus is on keeping the promotion of the hammer dulcimer at the forefront of the club s mission, as well as to work to make Funfest appealing to the next generation. As vice president, she has focused on board policies and meeting procedures. She has worked to create a policy manual to guide the board in the implementation of the bylaws, as well as other club programs, positions and duties. Deb Stewart Hi, I am Deb Stewart and have accepted the position as Treasurer. I have been a member of the ODPC since I have really enjoyed getting to know the members and watching this organization grow and prosper. When I was asked to fill this position, I decided it is a good way to share my bookkeeping experience with the club. I look forward to getting to know you. Sue Crandle Sue has been an active member and volunteer in the ODPC for many years. Before retiring, she owned and operated a computer graphics business, designing and publishing advertising circulars and newsletters, as well as designing, organizing and publishing a 1,100 page quarterly catalog. She brings to the job of ODPC Secretary her strong work ethic and team spirit, well-honed organizational skills, and a great enthusiasm for this club she loves. It has been her pleasure to be a part of the ODPC board the past four years, and she looks forward to to serving the next term if elected.

7 Official Ballot for ODPC Officers October 1, 2016 Please Circle Your Answer President: Kathy Rayman Yes No Write In: Vice President: Gail Perna Yes No Write In: Secretary: Sue Crandle Yes No Write In: Treasurer: Deb Stewart Yes No Write In: Ballots may be cast at the October 1, 2016 membership meeting OR may be mailed to the ODPC Secretary All mailed ballots MUST be RECEIVED no later than September 24, 2016 See instructions below Voting Directions Only those who are registered members with the secretary are allowed to vote. If you registered two names on the membership form, each person may submit a ballot using the same set of envelopes for mailing. Do not place two votes on the same ballot. You may vote in person at the meeting on October 1 or you may submit a ballot(s) by mail that must reach the secretary by Saturday, September 24. Ballots should be mailed to: Sue Crandle 4651 Valleyridge Ave SW Wyoming, MI Use the ballot above or print your own if you need two. Using two envelopes, place the ballot(s) inside the unmarked inner envelope and address the outer envelope. The back side of the outer envelope must contain the printed name(s) and signature(s) of the person(s) who is (are) voting. Names will be marked off the membership roster, and ballots at the meeting will be given only to those who have not already voted. The unmarked inner envelopes will be opened at the meeting. Ballot is for four positions: President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. Officer Candidates The deadline to submit a name for candidate to be placed on the ballot was July 31, Those named above represent the candidates who were submitted by the Nominating Committee. All candidates will serve in these positions for two years. It is VERY important that you participate in this election. Share your opinion of how you view the direction of the ODPC and its accomplishments the past two years by how you mark your ballot. Even if you cannot attend the meeting to vote in person, please submit your ballot to the secretary before the September 24 deadline for absentee ballots. Just follow the simple directions stated in the left column. Biographies for each officer candidate are in this issue of the newsletter.

8 From our Tunes Meister Jim Rathbun: The two tunes for this quarter reflect the energy from an awesome Funfest. Enjoy! Oklahoma Rooster is an old timey tune that has a great B part. Highlight Reel is an awesome tune by the Kaiser kids, a high energy tune.

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10 Kathy Rayman President/Funfest Manager Indian Trail Ray, MI Cell: (586) Gail Perna Vice President/Stage Shows 8220 Buchanan Allendale, MI Sue Crandle Secretary/Workshops 4651 Valleyridge Ave SW Wyoming, MI Deb Stewart Treasurer 1275 Jefferson Road Ionia, MI Paula Brawdy, Trustee Bill Beyerlein, Trustee Scott Freeman, Trustee All ODPC members are invited to submit articles for publication in our newsletter. Deadline for the Fall issue is October 15, 2016 Bill Beyerlein, Gates Jim Rathbun, Vendors Scott Freeman, Publicity & Stage Mgr. Ida O Dell, Youth Program youth@originaldulcimerplayers.org Gail VanAmberg, Education education@originaldulcimerplayers.org Jim Curtiss, Historian historian@originaldulcimerplayers.org Freeman Gillmore, ODPC Jam Coordinator jams@originaldulcimerplayers.org More ODPC information at originaldulcimerplayers.org. Festival information and updates at evartdulcimerfest.org ODPC News & Notes Sue Crandle, Secretary 4651 Valleyridge Ave SW Wyoming, MI Spring 2016