Author: jaf

The Stoney Point String Band and guest player was asked to play on a beautiful afternoon at the Heritage Farm and Village Museum in Huntington, WV.   We gathered at what I would call an outdoor interactive museum that is similar to Williamsburg in Virginia.   The farm is made up of multiple structures with re-enactors depicting…

Our uncle from Phoenix, Arizona made a special trip to West Virginia as did brother David from South Carolina. Weekend was spent listening to family stories, visiting sites in Huntington, and playing music with members of the Stony Point String Band (Edna, Larr, Tim, Gary, and Dennis). We held a jam session that Sunday and…

The Federal Office of Personal Management (OPM) promotes an annual charity fund raiser known as the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). This allows Federal employees and their organizations to donate to specific charities or to the general CFC fund. For this event, the US Census Bureau Center for Economic Studies (CES) held a bake where Edna…

We were invited to play with our good friends Dennis and Gary for a barn dance that was held at the Madie Carroll Home. For this event, and any time we play with them, the band is known as “The Stony Point String Band.”The home is a historical landmark in Huntington, WV and information about…

The Appalachian String Band Festival, that is held annually at Camp Washington-Carver in Clifftop, West Virginia, is becoming an intricate part of our lives much like Thanksgiving. It’s the event where the big family of Old Time and other musicians gather to rekindle friendships, make new friends, share in the music we enjoy, and dance…

We had an excellent opportunity to gather together and have a jam session in preparation for attending this year’s Appalachian String Band Festival, A.K.A. “Clifftop.” We were joined by friends and family; Dennis and Taylor (fiddle), Sid (banjo), Gary (guitar), and Jim and Pat (lap dulcimer). Just an excellent group to review songs and learn…

The Vandalia Gathering returned to its traditional format over the Memorial Day weekend. All of the events returned and so did the crowds and it could not have been any better as the weather was just perfect with blue skies, nice spring time temperatures, and lots of music to be heard.  The gathering was held…

We got together soon after the successful FOTA jam session as John owed his wife a trip to West Virginia to visit with friends. And a trip home ALWAYS requires some music time!!! We continue to add new instruments. Tim and Larry are doing so well with their new Mandolin and Guitar respectively while John…

A FOTA jam was held at the Farmington Village Community Center in Pasadena, MD the evening of March 22, 2014.  John, who recently has begun to attend FOTA jam sessions, volunteered to host this event. There was an excellent turn out of players as we enjoyed the break in the weather, enjoyed some good food,…

Over this weekend our family laid to rest our mother who, with our father, introduced each of us to the joys of music. She was a classically trained singer and played the piano. Her encouragement was to listen and enjoy music no matter if it was old time, country, rock, classical, jazz, pop, or Broadway….