Special Events

SPECIAL EVENTS REPORT FOR JULY 2021

ACOUSTIC GETAWAY

Financial and COVID considerations dictate a different weekend.

Planning for a “Just Us Getaway" begins this week.

Expectations are:

Date: Columbus Weekend, October 8-10.

Place: Stony Point if possible

Program: No paid performers or workshops.

Friday: Open Stage

Saturday Evening: Valentines Day Extravaganza (Sound Man’s Nightmare)

Feature backup bands and pickup bands, plus individuals

Sunday Afternoon: A “Birthday Show” of randomly-matched duos

New administrators at Stony Point may not meet Getaway requirements now and in the future.

We hope they will.

NJ UKE FEST

The artist lineup is quite strong for the size of the audience.

The maximum registration and break even budget is 50.

Thirty-four players have signed up already.

Thanks to Mark Dutton & Kevin Coughlin.

Maybe we’ll go to 60. Maybe not.

TROUBADOUR AT HOME

Disappointments include a small audience for Robinson & Rohe

and an almost-total online failure for Cliff Eberhardt and Louise Mosrie.

The anonymous family donation that was approved when we lowered the price from $25 to $10

should cover the unexpected loss of income.

Summer, COVID hangover, and no built-in audience affects the attendance and finances,

but the mission of providing a safe place to break isolation and to telegraph the Troubadour opening are accomplished.

Todd and I were interviewed for NJ 12 News because of the mission: opening early for people’s COVID safety and mental health.

It was great exposure for the Project.

Yours truly,

Mark

EVENT HOSTING SUBCOMMITTEE

BY JAY WILENKSY

I’m happy to report that June, 2021 was another outstanding month for Event Hosting.

The Stayaway Zoom song circle just keeps rollin’ on. We held a circle each Monday, as we have on every Monday since we began last April. Attendance varied between an optimum 18-20 participants and a bursting-at-the-seams 27-30. Enthusiasm, camaraderie, and the level of the music remains remarkably high. Our featured artists for the month were remarkably high-caliber: Laurie MacAllister, local jazz wizard Matt King, Buddy Mondlock and Karyn Oliver. We have fine artists lined up for three of the four Mondays in July, and one of the best singer/songwriters out there has agreed to feature but not yet chosen a date.

And, our revived July 4 picnic was an unqualified success. A dismal weather forecast turned out to be wrong, and we had a wonderful afternoon of pickin’, snackin’ and schmoozin’ in beautiful Lewis Morris Park. By rough estimate, our total attendance was near the goal of fifty vaccinated people, the song circle was lively, and the spirit couldn’t have been better. It’s worth noting that the policy of requiring proof of vaccination and validating the proof with a visible sticker went off without hitch or an objection. Thanks are due to all of the volunteers who made hosting the picnic a breeze – and that’s pretty much everyone who attended.

Finally, Mark and I are discussing the return of Evenings Of Music. Stay tuned.

Folk on, Project!

Jay Wilensky, Event Hosting sub-chair.