| FFMS Newsletter - Fall, 2009 | |
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Note from the President… What a summer! With the coldest July ever
in Flint and a very hot Flint Folk Music Festival back on July 18! I hope that
you were able to attend and enjoy the musical performances of Hannah
Fralick, Jen Sygit, Mustard’s Retreat, Shout Sister Shout and Michael
Smith. I was very disappointed that Lynn Miles had to cancel three days
before the festival due to visa problems, but thrilled that we were able
to bring Michael Smith to Flint on such short notice for the festival
audience to enjoy. As usual, the Kearsley Park summer crew did a great job
and the pavilion sheltered folk music fans on a cold and rainy Saturday. Now we move on to the second half of
the 2009 FFMS schedule that includes seven concerts and four “Community
Sings”. Vice President Ron Woods has booked an
impressive list of performers for the fall concerts featuring John Flynn,
Sally Potter, Roy Book Binder, Rod MacDonald, The Mickeys, Blue Water
Ramblers and Joel Mabus. I hope you can come out and listen to these
wonderful and talented artists. You can discover more about all these folk
artists by visiting www.flintfolkmusic.org
and following the links to their web sites. Festival
Thanks! The FFMS Board thanks all the volunteers
who worked so dependably and diligently during the festival. Whether it
was as bake sale contributor, greeter, CD salesperson or refreshment
salesperson your efforts contributed to a successful festival experience
for audience and artists. The FFMS also thanks the Michigan Council
for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, The Greater Flint Arts Council, the
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and Mott Community College for the
financial support they provided for the festival. “Community Sings” The Community Sings resume at the
Unitarian Universalist Church on the third Mondays of each month at 7:30
p.m.. I encourage you to attend one of these even if you don’t sing.
They are fun events and a great opportunity to socialize with other
folkies while revisiting classic and contemporary folk songs led by FFMS
members. Requests are encouraged so bring your list! Building Fund The FFMS came very close to leasing a
building this summer but problems with some clauses in the lease and a
feeling among Board members that FFMS resources were not sufficient to
support a building caused the Board to reject the lease. The FFMS
continues to explore locations for a permanent home and ways to raise more
funds to support it. If you have any suggestions for a building or
fundraising, the Board welcomes your input. Notes
from the Membership corner: If you’re not yet a member of the Flint
Folk Music Society, well, what are you waiting for? The membership fee is
still only $10 per family. Becoming a member will keep you notified of our
concert series with postcards mailed directly to you for each event and
also give you a 16.5% discount for attendance of our concerts! That’s
what you get. What we get as an organization is more
recognition and weight as we apply for the funding that brings the Flint
Folk Music Festival each summer. When we get these grants, it allows us to
offer the Festival free of charge, and allows us the finances to bring in
the great talent we have had throughout the years. Please consider joining
the Flint Folk Music Society if you are not already a member! Thanks -
Bonnie Pobocik Where
you can find us online… In addition to the official FFMS web site (www.flintfolkmusic.org), the FFMS has established a web presence at both Myspace and Facebook. We get a lot of notoriety in both locations, and it also allows for timely, mass announcements of our upcoming concerts. By all means, if you’re a member of either of those groups, be sure to check us out on Myspace and Facebook. (http://profile.myspace.com/flint.folk |