Janet Newsom
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 17 Jun 2008 5:47 pm |
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4th Annual Gathering of Resonateurs
Website address is: www.resonateur.com
You are cordially invited to join us at the 4th annual Gathering of
Resonateurs 'ResoGat 2008' at the Holiday Inn Express in Wilkesboro NC to be
held July 9 through the 12th (checking out and heading for home on Sunday
the 13th). Get your reservations in by June 27 at the Holiday Inn Express
336.838.1800 to get the block room rate of $85 per night. Be sure to
reference the Dobro Festival event.
So who are the Resonateurs and what exactly is the Gathering of Resonateurs,
or ResoGat for short? Well, the quick answer is, we're a loosely knit group
of individuals who are drawn together out a love or fascination for the
dobro, or resonator guitar. Invented and developed in the late 1920's and
early 30's, the five Dopyera brothers presented America and the world with a
totally unique instrument centered around a mechanical resonating sound or
amplification system. The brothers tossed around the question of what to
call this new class of stringed instruments and finally coined the term
'Dobro' which was a combination of the words DOpyera and BROthers.
Following WWII, electrified instruments appeared and interest in the Dobro
subsided somewhat until bluegrass music appeared. Josh (Buck) Graves
converted the Earl Scruggs style of banjo picking to the dobro and the rest
is history as notable players (Mike Auldridge, Jerry Douglas, Rob Ickes...)
made the instrument ...a bunch of 'cone heads ''main stream' . Knowing the
contribution his father had made to the world of music, John Dopyera and his
wife Margaret threw out an open invite for anyone with a strong interest in
the dobro / resonator guitar...luthier, collector, musician, connoisseur, or
?...to join them at their home in Pennsylvania for a week long 'Gathering in
the Woods' during the Fourth of July week of 2000. From this beginning it
has grown every year up to, and including, the recent Annual Gathering of
Resonateurs held at Wilkesboro, NC. Following the 2004 Gathering, John and
Margaret made the hard decision to sell their Pennsylvania wooded retreat
and a committee was formed to see if the Gathering could successfully
transfer and find a new 'home.' The communities of Wilkesboro/N. Wilkesboro
rolled out a 'red carpet' invite to our group which still left us with the
unanswered question..."would people be willing to relocate to a new location
some 600 miles from John and Margaret's home?" The pleasant answer was a
resounding 'yes'...with over 100 attendees from 20 states and Canada.
So we are proceeding with plans for the 2008 Annual Gathering. It's
important to note that we've intentionally maintained an informal
unstructured style to the event...with the only rule being that there are no
rules. All levels of players are encouraged to attend, whether an early-on
beginner or a full up professional. The main 'requirement' to attend is a
desire to become involved with other devotees of the resonator guitar. Most
of the Gathering time is spent in totally unstructured "fun", jamming,
looking at the exhibiters' wares, sharing ideas. Here is a description of
the activities that occur at the Gathering for the pickers and non pickers
alike. Among these are : Informal Workshops, Jam sessions, Bingo, Live Radio
Show, Jam Sessions, Community Concert, Jam Sessions, Dinner & Awards,
special guest Speedy Krise, Amazing Reso-player Johnny Bellar, Ehibiter
Room, door prizes, raffles, group pictures, and let's not forget .. Jam
Sessions !!
The activities schedule will be posted on the big board in the main lobby of
the hotel. We suggest that it be checked often as some schedules may change
during the event. The typical tentative schedule is:
Arrive on Wednesday and jam all day with friends and Johnny Bellar
Special Guest Speedy Krise arrives on Thursday, more jamming, bingo
Friday morning you can play on the Hometown Opry live radio show WKBC
Friday afternoon everyone will get together for the group picture
Friday evening we will put on a concert for the community and a presentation
to honor Speedy Krise
Saturday will include jamming, bingo, and a group dinner in the evening with
door prizes and special awards
In addition to the planned activities the local area has many interesting
attractions, historic sites, shopping and dining opportunities. Those
attending for the first time will find the people of this area to be very
friendly and hospitable. For those of us returning, this is like a
homecoming to visit old friends. The atmosphere of the Gathering has always
been very relaxed and informal. The only rule being - there are no rules.
Feel free to join in the jam sessions or just sit and listen if you prefer.
Enjoy the bingo or other activities as you wish.
We want to say a special thank you to this year's sponsors. The majority of
them have never attended the gathering but didn't hesitate to help us out
when asked. Please show your gratitude to them and let them know how much
you appreciate their contribution. They are listed on the website's 2008
Sponsors page. To date, we have received over $3,000 worth of items donated
from the reso community including a 2008 Reso Gathering custom strap made by
Bobby Poff. All these items will be used for door prizes or raffles.
If you are in the market for a custom made resonator guitar, you will find
an excellent selection from some of the finest luthiers in the world. The
sponsors exhibiting at the 2008 Gathering of Resonateurs at this time are:
Jim Adams
Hobart Beavers
Dick Deneve
Tut Taylor
Hopefully you can plan on joining us at this 2008 Annual Gathering of
Resonateurs. If so, please contact Pammy Davis so she can make names tags
for your party. Please include your address and phone numbers. Don't forget
the June 27 deadline for reserving a room. If you would like to pre-order a
Tee-Shirt in your size, contact Pammy with the quantity and sizes desired by
Thursday, June 19 for the pre-order. You do not have to purchase the
Tee-Shirt if you do not like it but if you do, you will be assured of
getting your size. Now hurry up and prepare yourself for a great time with
good friends old and new! There is nothing else like the Gathering so enjoy
every minute of it and plan to come back next year.
Sincerely,
Your 2008 Gathering Of Resonateurs Planning Committee
Pammy Davis, Chair (pammydavis@triad.rr.com or 336.202.1536)
Doug Couts, Don Doggett, Carlene Economy, Larry Maltz, Jim Nagle, Jan
Newsom, Bill Payne, Olivia Wittman |
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