2016 Board MembersPresident: Mary Sanders! ! ! MLSAND123@aol.comVice President: Howard Detamore! ! howde1948@hotmail.comSecretary: Steve Arbuckle! ! ! sarbuckle288@gmail.comTreasurer: Barry Levitt! ! ! balcpg@gmail.comMusic Coordinator: Cathy Platt! ! cpplatt@comcast.net 317-485-5010Member-at-Large: Connie Temm! ! ctemm@iupui.eduPast President: Dave Tucker!! ! dtucker@vinu.eduNewsletter Editor: Susie Kraeszig! ! susankay49@sbcglobal.netWebmaster: Myrna Gray ! ! ! myrna.gray@gmail.comEagle Creek Folk Fest Chair: Morgan Sanders-Jackson amusingcalliope@gmail.com

December 2016 MeetingSunday, December 11, 2016Bethlehem Lutheran Church52nd & Central, Indianapolis, IN1:00 - 4:30 Holiday Pitch-In DinnerSilent AuctionMusical Entertainment/Carol Sing-along

Volume 2016, Issue 12! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! December 2016

THE CENTRAL INDIANA FOLK MUSIC &MOUNTAIN DULCIMER SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER

December Musical Theme“Holidays”

December Song of the Month“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”

HOLIDAY PARTYPITCH-IN DINNER, SILENT AUCTION, ENTERTAINMENT, DOOR PRIZES!

The December Society meeting is our Holiday Party and we do things a little differently. This is a good meeting to bring your family, neighbors, friends & grandkids. We always have a good time! First of all, we have a Pitch-In Dinner. The Society provides a main dish, such as a ham, and everyone brings a side dish or dessert. We set the food up buffet style and enjoy a holiday meal together. We also hold a Silent Auction and the proceeds are a donation to the Society. People usually bring music-related items - instruments, music books, etc - but anything you’d like to donate would be great. It’s a good opportunity to do some Christmas shopping for your family or for yourself. And finally, we have Entertainment. We will have sound equipment and we look forward to hearing your favorite Holiday tunes. There is a rumor that there will be DOOR PRIZES this year!! Be sure to get your raffle ticket as you walk in.

PLEASE SEE THE LAST PAGE OF THE NEWSLETTER FOR MORE DETAILS!

From Your President…and

MEET OUR MEMBERSby Mary Sanders

It is holiday time, a time of family and friends, song and food, celebrations and spiritual moments, warm fires on cold nights, children’s excited faces, and my thoughts turn to …… me! Well, actually, in the midst of all of this hustle and bustle, the person I could most easily interview was myself. So, here is a bit about me. I was born in Chicago. My father, Alexander, a cardiologist, passionately loved all classical music and playing violin. Mia, my mother, a nurse and artist, loved singing of all kinds, proudly recalling singing in the Jenny Lind Choir at Augustana College. My older brother, a true musical genius, read classical record labels at two years of age, and was a talented saxophone player, a pianist who learned to play piano (Bartok) in two weeks, a harpsichord builder, and a composer. My maternal grandmother’s passion was hymns (she reportedly belted out “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” as she was wheeled from surgery). My paternal grandfather, a refugee from the pogroms in Ukraine, worked in a haberdashery, but most loved playing violin. At four, I started campaigning for a piano. I found a little toy piano, a Christmas present, hidden under the stairwell, thus ending my belief in Santa. At five, I started piano lessons on a real piano. In addition to classical music (including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra), we listened to the Midnight Special WFMT on Saturday nights, Miriam Makeba, Marais and Miranda, the Weavers, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, Harry Belafonte, and, thanks to my mother, old torch songs, but when, at around eleven years of age, I started listening to the Beatles, I was at risk for excommunication by my father. At twelve, two pivotal events: At the eighth grade year end performance, I stood up with three other aspiring vocalists to loudly sing “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” in four part and total disharmony. I was also given the honor of playing a recital with my piano teacher, Miss Peterson. We were scheduled to play a 30+ page classical piano duet by memory. Half-way through, I lost my place. My teacher had to show me the music. I continued to the end and then, after being totally humiliated, quit, not touching another piano for twenty years. I attended Washington University, St. Louis, from 1968-1972, guitar over my shoulder, blues harp in my pocket, during a tumultuous time rich in folk music, old and new. With a family, including daughters Ashley and Morgan, and a doctorate in psychology, we settled into life in C a l i f o r n i a , m o v i n g t o Indianapolis in 1 9 9 2 . L i f e happened. Cricket Creek played for A s h l e y ’ s w e d d i n g . Recognizing my m o r t a l i t y , I o v e r c a m e m y t e r r o r o f performing, and Myrna Gray and t h e b a n d g r a c i o u s l y welcomed me. I p i cked up my mother’s uke. Bill Griffin sat next to me, sharing his m u s i c , h i s wisdom, his friendship. Later, after leaving Cricket Creek, Bill took me in. Then Howard Detamore, another ex-Cricket Creek member, joined us. Bill encouraged us and we joined the Dulcimer Society several years ago. I miss Bill, but feel lucky to be part of Sugar Cream Pie with my family members, Howard and Morgan, and Sunny. To all… during these cold, busy and confusing days, I wish you and your family peace, love, joy, and song!

Notes from your Music CoordinatorCathy Platt

cpplatt@comcast.net; phone: 317-485-5010

Thanks so much to all who performed with us this year! It has been a most successful year. By year’s end, we will have made $1000 more than last year. Wow!

Special kudos for our Set Leaders, Dan Reneau, Mike Raab and Dave Slates! Thank you all so much!!

Our performance at the Mooresville Library was a huge success. I kicked myself all the way home because I didn’t take a picture of the performers in all their Christmas finery. You looked great, folks!

Here is information on the next two gigs. Sign-up sheets for both of these will be available at the December meeting. Please consider joining us.

Thurs., Dec. 15, 7-8 pm, Westminster Village Christmas Party, Lafayette. Setup 6:30pm. This is a new venue for us and this group is super excited to hear us! Like the Mooresville Library, this will be ½ Christmas music and ½ folk music.

Sat., Jan. 21, 2017, 5-7-ish, St. Peter’s UCC, Carmel. Setup 4:30 pm. We are being invited to dinner and afterwards we will play for a social event for all ages to sing along with us. We performed for their church service in 2014. They are nice folks and this will be fun!

Money Bag$ By Barry Levitt – November 2016

Welcome new members, Debi and Dave Fouts, Juliana Littrell-Wiesenhofer and Ellen Davies.

Account status for November 2016 as of this writing (prior to reconciliation):

! $  7,347.00 => Checking balance (higher than one year ago).

$  2,775.00 => Net Gig income over the past rolling year ($75 above prior 12 months)

$  1,825.00 => Dues income over the past rolling year ($140 above prior 12 months)

$  6,596.42=> Total expenses over the past twelve months ($2,896.32 above prior 12 months)

$ 1,081.84 =>  Operating surplus for the past twelve months ($497.15 worse than prior 12 months)

Based on the past rolling year’s experience, we have sufficient funds on hand to cover about 13 months of expenses.

       Membership Status:  In November we had three new members, three renewals, no reinstatements, and one dropped member. Total memberships stand at 76, vs 71 one year ago.

       Membership Dues:  Annual individual and family membership dues are $25/year. The immediate family, living at the same address, of an individual member may be included in a family membership. If your membership is due or past due, please send a check to CIFM&MDS, P.O. Box 1503, Indianapolis, IN 46206-1503, or catch the treasurer at the next meeting.  We are always happy to take your money.

   Songbooks:  Printed versions of some songbooks are available to all members in good standing for $30 each while supplies last. Songbooks will also be available in electronic format on flash drive (memory stick/flash drive) for $10 each. Fiddle tunes are included in the Main Songbook, but a special “Fiddlers Edition” is available as a separate printed supplement for $5 each. See me at the meeting if you are in need of any of these songbooks.

   Jean Vance has been a great help providing treasury service assistance at our CIFM&MDS meetings the last several years.

The Dulcimer Only Group (AKA DOGs)The Dulcimer Only Group is a group of dulcimer players who play the Appalachian mountain dulcimer. They meet the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at Robin Run Village, 5354 West 62nd Street, at 7 P.M. They are led by Tull Glazener and work on his arrangements for the mountain dulcimer. Please contact Susie Kraeszig for more information at susankay49@sbcglobal.net.

Happy Harpers HappeningsHappy Harpers is a group for autoharp players of all skill levels. We meet on the fourth Sunday of each month at members’ houses. We have a Yahoo group you can join that has music and our calendar. If you have any questions about the group, please call Cathy Platt at 317-485-5010 or email: cpplatt@comcast.net

Ukulele LadiesThe Ukulele Ladies are a welcoming group of women who want to play the uke. We are a group of all skill levels. We meet at Betsy Wilson’s on the 1st, 3rd and 4th Thursday, and Mary Sanders’ on the 2nd Thursday. If you’d like to join us, send me an email and you will be set up with our Yahoo group to receive meeting reminders, music and other info. If you’d like to learn how to play, get in touch! Contact Cathy Platt, cpplatt@comcast.net; phone: 317-485-5010.

November Performance Hour PerformersThe Theme of the Month was “Gatherings”

Gary Reiter ! ! ! ! “Carmelita”George Babbitt! ! ! ! “Mississippi Mud”Dianne Kafka! ! ! ! “Come Ye Thankful People/ We Gather Together”Ukulele Ladies! ! ! ! “Gramma’s Featherbed”Janet & Phil Dodd! ! ! “Pack Up Your Sorrows”George Heavilin! ! ! ! “Salute to the Services”Sugar Cream Pie!! ! ! “Uncle John’s Band”Sidetracked! ! ! ! “Mari’s Wedding”Allan Gross! ! ! ! “Tribute to Leonard Cohen - ! ! ! ! ! ! Hallelujah”

A copy of the Central Indiana Folk Music and Mountain Dulcimer Society Procedures, By-Laws, and Standing Rules  will be available for review at the information table during our meeting for anyone interested in learning more about our committees and by-laws.

OUR WEBSITEhttp://www.indianafolkmusic.org/index.htmlOUR YAHOO GROUP

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/DulSoc/info

Notes from our Member-at-Large, Connie Temm:

The greatest refreshment time has arrived! I will be bringing a ham and request others to bring another meat, side dish, salad or dessert to the December Meeting/Holiday Party.Groups within the Society are invited to adopt a month in the new year to bring refreshments. The sign-up will continue at the next meeting. Of course you can always email me your selected month: ctemm@iupui.eduI will try to have the first version of the picture directory available for comment or suggestion at the next meeting, as well.Have a safe and happy Christmas season!

From Howard Detamore, Vice PresidentWe will be having Big Band set leader training for all who are interested. Dan Reneau has graciously offered to conduct Mentor Set Leader Training, which will commence in January 2017. More

information to come!

2017 CIFM & MDS Board of Directors Named

At the November meeting, the Annual Business Meeting, Election of the 2017 Board of Directors and Selection of the 2018 Nominating Committee was held.

During the business meeting, each officer of the 2016 Board of Directors gave a yearly report. The duties of each office was explained, and the 2017 Slate of Board of Directors was nominated.

Returning this year will be President, Mary Sanders; Vice President, Howard Detamore; Treasurer, Barry Levitt; Music Coordinator, Cathy Platt; and Member-at-Large, Connie Temm. New to the Board will be Melanie Blakely, Secretary.

Many thanks are due our Board of Directors. Please consider thoughtfully a request to serve in 2018 if a member of the Nominating Committee approaches you. The 2018 Nominating Committee will be Dave Wensits, Betsy Wilson, Greg Hicks, and two members of the current Board.

2017 Eagle Creek Folk Fest!It’s not too soon to put on your calendar.

The dates are Saturday and Sunday, June 10 & 11, 2017.

RESOURCE VOLUNTEER INFORMATIONSometimes folks come to the Society meeting interested in learning a new instrument and needing a little guidance. It does not take much time to do this. It is very helpful to just look at their instrument, help them tune it, maybe show them a chord or two. A point in the right direction goes a long way. Please contact Howard Detamore, our vice president, at howde1948@hotmail.com if you can help with this. And thanks to those who have volunteered!

Dulcimer - Janet Lewman, Sharon Day or Lew MastinGuitar - Dave Wensits and Gary ReiterBanjo - Howard DetamoreMandolin - Dave SlatesUkulele - Mary SandersAutoharp - Dan and Christine ReneauFiddle - John PlattBass - Steve KessingerHarmonica - George HeavilinBowed Psaltery - Jean Vance

Eagle Creek Folk Festival 2016 Pictures are uploaded to Flickr! Check them out!D a v e W e n s i t ’ s F l i c k r P a g e : h t t p s : / /www.flickr.com/photos/29471731@N06/albums/72157670476016776S u s i e K r a e s z i g ’ s F l i c k r P a g e : h t t p s : / /www.flickr.com/photos/susankay49/albums/72157670491871445

Holiday Pitch-in Dinner, Entertainment and Silent AuctionDecember 11, 2016

Auction:All auction items will be considered donations. This will not be a venue to sell items privately. So, clean out your attic, dig around in your garage and shoo those white elephants out of your closets! Your donations do not have to be music related

Please bring Silent Auction donations before 1:45 pm. This allows the auction volunteers to get the auction organized. Please fill out a separate bid sheet for each item you donate. Purchases need to be in cash or by check. Sorry, the Society isn’t set up to accept credit cards. As an incentive, it is noted that the Society is a non-profit organization and your donations will be tax-deductible. If you would like a tax receipt, please see our Treasurer Barry Levitt (or his helper elves) AFTER the auction. An auction-valued receipt will be provided. Minimum bids and raises are 50 cents.

Dinner Info: Be thinking of what type of food you’ll be bringing to share for the Pitch-In Dinner. Kitchen will open to receive food at 1:30 pm. Serving will start at 2:00 pm. Don’t miss the dinner! The kitchen will close at 3:00 pm to allow the kitchen elves time to clean up, put away the food and enjoy the entertainment. The society will provide the meat course.

Schedule:2:00-3:00 pm Dinner and Silent Auction begin. Please watch for an exit strategy from the kitchen after you

get your food. Elves will be pointing the way. The kitchen and Silent Auction will close promptly at 3:00 pm.

3:00-3:15 pm Payments made for Silent Auction purchases and room reorganization. See above. Dining tables will be taken down and chairs put into performance position. Help is greatly appreciated. The sound system will be setup.

3:15–4:30 pm Musical Entertainment/Carol sing-along. An hour of performances by folks who sign up beforehand - one song per person or group, please. Afterwards, all attending are invited to a carol sing-along under the leadership of Mike Raab.

Please consider getting to the church a little early to help set up the tables and chairs.

If you have any questions, please contact Cathy Platt at 317-485-5010 or email: cpplatt@comcast.net.