Date: March 25th 2008

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Shepherdstown Music & Dance & the Upper Potomac Dulcimer Fest
invite you to join them for our English Music Weekend evening activities
happening this Friday and Saturday, March 28-29
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=== Events in brief (see detailed information below) ===

Friday Night, March 28
8PM ... Pub Sing with John Roberts
9PM ... English Dance
10PM ... Jams

Saturday Night, March 29
8PM ... Showcase Concert at the Harpers Ferry Jr High
Folksongs & Dance Melodies of Merry England
Tickets $15 adults, $ 12 seniors, $10 SMAD members, $8 children and students. Tickets are available at O'Hurley's General Store or at the door.
Info: http://smad.us/ , (304) 263-2531 or updf@earthlink.net.
Jamming at the hotel following the concert

=== Details ===

Friday Night, March 28 Cliffside Inn Activities
All are welcome. A donation basket for our guest to contribute donations defray some of the costs of putting on the evening activities will be on the merchandise table in the hotel reception room. The hotel will set up a cash bar with some good microbrews and wines.
You are welcome to bring a potluck snack... cookies, pretzels, fruit, etc... like we do at our dances if you'd like...but you are not allowed to bring in beverages according to our hotel contract.

8PM Pub Sing with John Roberts
Although the hotel's pub isn't finished yet... we will hold our Pub Sing in the Poolside Reception Room. Bring your favorite English Pub songs, or sing along on the choruses to add to the flavor of the evening.
Other activities may include a gurning contest or other peculiarly English customs. Come with an open mind and a sense of humor!

9PM English Country Dance with Anna Rain calling and an Open Band with Peter Barnes, Mary Lea and Paul Oorts directing. Experienced musicians are welcome to join in the band and play with these great musicians!

Bring some dancing shoes... (not sneakers!), since our dance will take place at the hotel ballroom, which has one of those floors that are made up of pieces laid down on carpet. If our dance is large, it may spread off the "dance" floor, so shoes that don't stick to the carpet are more comfortable to dance in.
Anna Rain will call dances ranging from those that are easy enough for the inexperienced along with a few special choices for those who love this kind of dance. Jenny Coxon, from Yorkshire, will probably call a few of the dances that are popular at English ceilis... these are robust barn dances, so dress lightly, cause they'll warm you up!

10PM Jam Sessions
Karen Ashbrook and Jody Marshall will lead jam sessions with a variety of tunes in the Morgan and Berkeley Rooms at the Hotel. Some will have a distinctly English flavor.. and Jenny will probably help lead some of those! See the Upper Potomac Web pages for info www.home.earthlink.net/~updf/springfest, or www.dulcimerfest.org for some lists of popular tunes.

Saturday Night Showcase Concert at the Harpers Ferry Jr High:
Folksongs & Dance Melodies of Merry England
Saturday, March 29 at 8PM

This concert travels back across the water for it’s inspiration to songs and melodies that have been around for centuries, describing the life of the working man, celebrating the seasons and providing entertainment for an evening of dance for peasants and royalty alike. Opening with a set of songs by folksinger extraordinaire John Roberts, accompanying himself on banjo and concertina, we’ll hear timeless songs of the season, of the working man, of the sea and of the pub. Jenny Coxon has for many years been one of the leading players of the hammered dulcimer in England, playing a vast traditional and eclectic repertoire in folk bands, at morris dance gatherings and in dance bands for English ceilidhs. Peter Barnes and Mary Lea play flute and fiddle in the English dance band Bare Necessities, whose lush sound and intricate orchestrations of this beautiful repertoire has inspired dancers across the country and abroad for over 25 years. Joined by multi-instrumentali
st Paul Oorts on mandolin, guitar, accordion and more, this new Peter, Paul and Mary trio is sure to have you dancing in your seat and in the aisles.

Co-sponsored by Upper Potomac Spring Music Weekend and Shepherdstown Music & Dance. At Harpers Ferry Jr. High School. Tickets $15 adults, $ 12 seniors, $10 SMAD members, $8 children and students. Tickets are available at O'Hurley's General Store or at the door.
Info: www.smad.us , (304) 263-2531 or updf@earthlink.net.

There will be jamming at the hotel for those will will to follow the concert.