President's Corner

	Darby Brandli, CBA President
	MONTHLY MESSAGE May 2009

Father’s Day Festival Newsflash: Bring the Family
Expect to see more activities than ever for families at the 34th Annual Father’s Day Festival (FDF) this year. I have written before that we have combined all our various programs for our young under an umbrella program aptly named the Youth Program. Betsy Riger is the Youth Program coordinator and I am the Board of Director (BOD) liaison. We are working feverishly to both expand the numbers of families attending the FDF and to improve our family-friendly activities. You can expect to see Frank Solivan’s Kids on Bluegrass (KOB) back under their awnings at their new enlarged area next to the water ditch and the KOB are scheduled for two performances on the main stage again. It is always a delight to see who shows up and wows us with their serious commitment to performance. Sharon and Steve Elliott will be setting up camp for the Darrell Johnston Kids Instrument Lending Library and are always happy to accept new instruments to lend instruments to CBA member families. Remember that Scott Tichenor or MandolinCafe fame put together a donation strategy for the library and we received some wonderful mandolins in December/January. Angela Weaver is busily planning yet another vibrant Children’s Program to be held during various hours of the festival itself and is recruiting volunteers to help put this together.

We know that many of our CBA music teachers are bringing new families this year for the first time to introduce them to our community and to our music. The Grass Valley area is a wonderful place for a family vacation with recreational options a short drive away.

We are inviting bicycles onto the Fairgrounds this year to improve access to various areas of the campground and RV sections and expect to see many more people (children included) on bicycles. Children must wear helmets in accordance with California State Law and we know that everyone will be careful around pedestrians. Bicycles will NOT be allowed in the main Fairground area near the stages and concession area however.

Our Teen Ambassador Paige Anderson has wowed us with her ability to plan and organize a new event to be kicked off this year….a Teen Hangout! Yep, finally we are going to have a Teens-Only space, a meeting and gathering spot for teens that will be both musical and social. We have dedicated a space inside the Fairgrounds (close to the horseshoe pit) for Teens Only. Your teens will be able to find it both on the map of the area and by the banner designed by our CBA designer Steve Johnson. Paige’s plan is to open the Teen Hangout on Friday and Saturday from the lunch break through the dinner break both days. Paige and her sister Aimee Anderson are getting a lot of help from “not quite teens” Ella Naiman and Yoseff Tucker (of the Dalton Mountain Gang) and “once a CBA teen” Luke Abbott of Playing By Ear fame. The schedule of events Paige has developed is quite impressive for this first time event. Activities include jam workshops, instrument workshops, just plain hang out and meet and greet time, meet some of the main stage bands time and of course jamming for those who pick. A full schedule of events will soon be posted on our festival website www.fathersdayfestival.com and will be included in our program. Paige is not only a very talented musician but is an organizing dynamo and we are all very excited about the Teen Hangout.

Remember that this year children 0 to 15 years old get in free when accompanied by a paying adult. Bring a new family to introduce to our event and help guarantee that the music has a fan base in the future!

Posted: 5/20/2009