VENDORS: Vendors (music and crafts) will be welcome for free on a first come, first serve deal. Of course, if a vendor does well financially, the festival will accept a donation. Vendors need to provide their own table and supplies. If you want to be a craft or music vendor, contact Margaret by text at 936-222-1892.
HANDICAP INFORMATION: Our 2022 location at the First Baptist Church in Palestine is fully handicap accessible, including an elevator.
JAMS: This festival is jamming oriented – it is not centered around workshops. There will be workshops in the morning but the afternoons are free for jamming. If you just want to listen, the jams are in the different rooms all over the building. You may find one room full of Autoharps, another will be old time fiddlers while another may be a slow mountain dulcimer jam for beginners.
CONCERTS: There are afternoon and evening concerts. Then there is more jamming after the evening concert. Music is in the building from early morning until late at night.
CHAIRS: Chairs are always an issue. If you can, bring your own stool or chair. There are chairs in the building, but they aren’t the best for mountain dulcimer players.
WEATHER: We can go on with the festival no matter the weather conditions. In 2002 there was rain and a tornado nearby.
LODGING: There are plenty of motels in the area. There is also a campground or two. Go to the Palestine Visitor Center web site to see the many places that are available. Lodging discounts are sometimes offered for festival attendees. Go here to find out more information.
FOOD: There are plenty of places to eat within a short drive. Many restaurant options are listed on the Palestine Visitor Center web site.
NOTE TO BEGINNER PLAYERS: If you are a beginner, whether mountain dulcimer or any other instrument, get in a jam session. Get as close as you can to someone playing the type instrument you are playing. Get close enough to see and hear them if possible. Now, there is such a thing as jam etiquette. Don’t get into a situation where you are annoying to other players. But watch, listen and learn. Don’t just sit there and do nothing. Listen to the song. Try to memorize it in part or whole. Study the jam and imagine how you could fit in.
The main thing is do something, and take it upon yourself to get something out of it. This is a wonderful opportunity. This is why Margaret and I go to the trouble to have this festival. We want you to learn. We want you to be happy. We would like to see you in the middle of a jam some day.
Just know this, what I have said is how I started. No one taught me how to play the pickin’ stick. But people did teach me the tunes. They didn’t teach them to me individually – they taught them to me in the jam. In fact, they didn’t even know they were teaching them to me.
In all probability you will not learn to play your particular instrument in one weekend – but this weekend can take you a long way down the road.
This is also an opportunity to meet and visit with folks who are masters at the instruments they play. Make it a point to meet them. If you are a little shy, come get me and I will introduce you to them. There will be a lot of folks at the festival with a lot of needs but I have time for you – I will make time for you. Even if it is 5 minutes – if you are serious (which you must be to have paid what you did to get in) you can learn a lot in 5 minutes.
Don’t miss an opportunity!
