Josh Graves very ill

Josh Graves' daughter, Linda, said her dad is in Baptist Hospital critically ill. Please let folks know he is extremely sick and prayers and good thoughts going out for him would be appreciated.

He has had to endure further surgery and may have to have even more surgery. Sorry to relay such sad news but the Graves family needs all of the positive thoughts available for them at this time.

NashCamp Bluegrass Camps, Nashville, Tennessee

Do you think summer camp is just for kids?
Adults who want to learn the art of bluegrass can run over to NashCamp, June 18-23 and June 25-30, 2006. Classes for all levels of players are open to adults and teens (with parental permission). Pickin’ and grinnin’ is taught by some of Music City’s most celebrated instrumentalists and singers, and students will get a chance to show off their licks in concert at the world famous bluegrass showcase club, The Station Inn.

Classes offered: guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, Dobro, bluegrass singing, and bass, all in a comfortable country setting. Campers stay in cozy log cabins, and gourmet meals are catered by Nashville's Mad Platter Restaurant. Hey, how do you get to the Opry? Practice, practice, practice (plus spend a week at NashCamp, of course).

Call 615-952-2267 or write nashcamp @ nashcamp.com
Visit NashCamp to see how other writers have enjoyed this exclusive retreat.

Instructors:

• Ron Stewart, Fletcher Bright - fiddle


• Tim Stafford, Chris Jones - guitar


• Missy Raines - bass


• Bill Evans, Greg Cahill - banjo


• David Harvey, Butch Baldassari, Roland White - mandolin


• Mike Witcher, Tim Scheerhorn - resonator guitar


• Bluegrass Singing - Jim Hurst

Online History of Bluegrass

(Bluegrass for College Credit)

I'd like to let folks know that Shoreline Community College (Seattle, WA) will again be offering a totally online two-credit "History of Bluegrass" (Music 150) class during spring quarter of 2006.

The college is fully accredited -- credits will transfer as Humanities credits. This course is designed for both those who would like an introduction to the world of bluegrass and those that would like to deepen their knowledge of this music. We'll spend ten weeks together - listening to bluegrass, reading about it and discussing what we've learned. We'll be using Neil Rosenberg's "Bluegrass: A History" for our text and listening to Sony's "Can't You Hear Me Callin' - Bluegrass: 80 Years of American Music" (Box set of 4 discs) and Rounder's "Handpicked: 25 Years of Bluegrass on Rounder Records.

Registration begins on March 15th and class starts the week of Monday, April 3rd. Costs: Tuition runs around $140.00. Book and CDs will cost around $70.00 (new, although you can probably find them used as well) and there is a college technology fee of $31.00 for online classes. If you live outside of Washington State, contact Chris Melton (cmelton@shoreline.edu) for information about a tuition reduction. For more information about the class contact:

Paul Elliott at dtmboys @ hotmail.com or Tom Moran at: tmoran @ shoreline.edu (206) 546-4774.

Visit http://shoreline.edu/ for more info

Coming to Kendallville before the festival?
What is there to do? How about a first run movie? The Strand Theater on Main St., Kendallville, IN 46755 has inexpensive afternoon shows for just $3. Kids are always $3. Pop is $2.50 with refills $.25.

There is also a drive-in theater located just south of Kendallville. Packup the car and enjoy something that is disapearing from the American scene. Auburn Garrett Drive-In. 1014 SR 8 Garrett, IN 46738.

From the web site of the theater:
Welcome to Cinema Associates.com, the online home for the Auburn-Garrett Drive-In Theatre, the Silver Screen Cinema, and The Historic Strand Theatre!Cinema Associates is an independent theatre circuit comprised of three (3) theatres located in Northeast Indiana featuring First Run movies. All three of our theatres hold bar for the lowest first-run movie prices in the state, meaning that we have the hottest and the newest features availalbe locally, and at a far more reasonable cost.Please feel free to look around our site, and check out our current features.For any questions, please contact Cinema Associates at (260)357-3345 at any time. Thanks!

NIBGA Interviewed!
Just finished an interview with Jody Vance, a free lance writer for the Avilla Nooz to be published in early April. The Avilla Nooz has a summer issue that is distributed free in the area. Look for it in your lake stores and read about our club and the Kendallville 2006 festivals.