BLUFF COUNTRY GATHERING
Dates for 2026: May 14-17
2025 Staff
Erynn Marshall
and Carl Jones are old-time musicians and inspired tunesmiths, married
both in life and music. Southern song duets and soaring fiddle, guitar, mandolin
and banjo tunes comprise their diverse concert sets. Carl, a respected
songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, played music with Norman and Nancy Blake
as part of the Rising Fawn String Ensemble in the 1980s. Erynn, born in Canada,
has played for over 40 years and learned from visiting 80 to 95 year-old
southern fiddlers and singers. She was both the first woman and the first person
from outside the U.S. to win first place in the prestigious Clifftop fiddle
contest (the Appalachian String Band Festival).
Dittyville - The Musical Home of Erynn
Marshall & Carl Jones
Jimmy Triplett plays fiddle tunes learned from rare field recordings and visits with older musicians throughout West Virginia and Alabama, his current home. His repertoire is rich in Appalachian heritage, evoking the spirit of homemade music from before the advent of commercial recordings. In addition to sharing tunes and their stories, he emphasizes techniques that capture the graceful beauty of old time music. Jimmy apprenticed with master fiddler Melvin Wine and has performed with award-winning old time bands, including the Raincrows, Elkins String Ticklers and the Sky Island String Band. He currently lives in Jacksonville, AL where he is Professor of Biology at Jacksonville State University.
The Forty Drop Few are a trio originally from the Southwest that play popular music of the early 1900s. They perform in various styles from the era as a stringband and are influenced only by the old 78 records that they love so well. Their main influences include black stringband music, New Orleans jazz, classic banjo rags, Southwestern fiddle music, hillbilly harmonies and unique vocals. The trio consists of Ethan (Stone) and Candra (Candle Sue) Francis and Elliott Kennedy , who all currently reside in Portland, OR. The couple, also known as "Stone and Sue" have been playing music together for close to a decade, joined by Kennedy four years ago. The three are inseparable and spend all of their time picking apart old tunes, listening to 78s, throwing shows in Portland, and traveling around the country together.
Charlie
Walden began playing fiddle at age 14 when inspired by players in a
fiddler’s contest at the Boone County Fair in his native Missouri. With the
generous help and encouragement of older master fiddlers he went on to be
recognized as one the best Missouri old-time fiddlers of his day. He has won
dozens of local fiddle contests as well as major championships in Missouri,
Illinois and West Virginia. Charlie has taught fiddle and guitar to dozens of
aspiring players. He has served as an instructor at the Bethel Youth Fiddle
Camp, Festival of Fiddle Tunes (Port Townsend, WA), etc. Recognized as a premier
old-time fiddler, Charlie is also an avid performer of traditional Bluegrass and
other Hillbilly fiddle styles. He plays guitar and mandolin, too.
Patt Plunkett first heard traditional fiddle music as played by her
grandfather Carl. Her appreciation of the old fiddle tunes has made Patt the
most sought after piano accompanist for old-time and Celtic music in the
Midwest. Her piano style projects the high energy necessary for accompanying
dance music. Patt has been dancing, calling and teaching social dancing to
others for many years and is an accomplished clogger and step-dancer. She is
particularly interested in traditional square dancing, especially Western and
Appalachian-type square formations. Patt will be teaching some ukulele
workshops.
Charlie Walden Music –
Fiddler, Author, Teacher & Internet Nano-Celebrity
Molly Tenenbaum has
been playing old-time banjo since she was a teenager, inspired by the musicians
living in and passing through as she was growing up in Los Angeles, by her
travels around the Southeastern U.S., by field recordings, and by revival
artists. She has played for dances and festivals around the Pacific Northwest
with The Queen City Bulldogs and Dram County. An experienced teacher, she has
taught at camps including American Banjo Camp, Augusta Old-Time Week, and The
Festival of American Fiddle Tunes.
She lives in
Seattle where she gardens, writes (including five published volumes of poetry),
draws, plays music, and teaches banjo and has been recently performing with
Karen Celia Heil.
molly tenenbaum – poet, musician,
teacher
Karen Celia Heil
is an intense and soulful fiddler,
known also for her powerful guitar playing and singing in The Bucking Mules with
Joseph Decosimo. Karen fired up her passion for old-time fiddle music by
making pilgrimages to southern fiddlers’ conventions and visiting the
region's master musicians. With her work both in the West and Southern U.S., she
has been privileged to learn and play with many notable tradition bearers. Karen
lives and performs in the San Francisco Bay Area, and hosts the Feral Friday SF
Square Dance and works with the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention and the
California Bluegrass Association as a voice for Old Time music and inclusivity.
Karen Celia Heil,Karen
Celia,Karen Heil,fiddle,old time,San Francisco
Traditional music and dance have had their way with Tony Mates for many years now and show no sign of letting up. As a caller he likes nothing better than to have a frenzy of dancers in front of him and a fine band behind and is known for fun dances, clear delivery and general good humor. When not calling dances he is often parked behind a string bass, a guitar or a fiddle, whiling away the time with various kinds of old time music. He currently plays with The Mortgage Lifters and Peckin' Out Dough. Tony lives in Seattle with his wife Catherine and their dog Roscoe.
Kathy Casper, a wonderful dancer, banjo and guitar player from Soldiers Grove, WI, will be teaching clogging workshops.
About the Bluff Country Gathering
The Bluff Country Gathering is a four-day event presenting traditional American music, dance and singing styles. Workshops, conducted by a staff of nationally acclaimed musicians, singers, dancers and folklorists, are designed to pass along the traditions of old-time music to participants at all levels of experience. If you want to take workshops, you must register for the whole weekend. Cost is $250 and includes workshops, concert, dance. The registration form is at the bottom of this page. A limited number of scholarships are available. Application deadline March 1. Application information is below.
PUBLIC EVENTS: A concert on Friday night features all the staff musicians. The Barn Dance on Saturday night includes live music by staff musicians and caller. No experience or partner required for this dance.
CONCERT: Friday May16 at 8:00 PM at the Lanesboro Community Center. Tickets available at the door only. $15.00
BARN DANCE: Saturday, May 17 at 8:00 PM at the Lanesboro Community Center. Tickets available at the door only. $10.00
REGISTRATION: $250 for all events. If you plan to take workshops, full registration is required. No refunds after May 1. Registration accepted beginning January 6, 2025.
Please fill out the entire registration form. Registrations not accepted until January 6, 2025. PDF Registration Form
Name: __________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________________________________
Phone: __________________________________________________________________________________
Email: __________________________________________________________________________________
Name/address on the roster? Yes _____ No _____ (The roster will be available to all students.)
Any student age 16 or under must be accompanied by a fully registered parent or guardian.
Meals: Please select only one Veggie___ Meat___
If you have food allergies or special needs, you must notify us before May 1st.
Interested in volunteering? Most of our registered students help out doing small jobs at the weekend, like setting up tables and chairs for meals and concerts, helping in the kitchen, sitting at the sales table during the public concert or dance, to name a few. Even the smallest help is greatly appreciated. If you check yes, someone will contact you about matching you to an agreeable task.
Yes, I'd like to help. _____ No, not this time. _____
Make checks payable to Bluff Country Gathering and mail to 18287 Gap Drive, Spring Grove, MN 55974.
Or pay online and be sure to submit your registration information.
Housing is not provided by the Gathering. Lanesboro has many B&Bs, boarding houses, motels and campgrounds in town and nearby. For a listing of these go to www.lanesboro.com or call the tourist office at 800-944-2670.
Thursday Night Potluck dinner starting at 6 pm at the Sons of Norway Hall. Bring a dish to share. Plates/cups/napkins/silverware will be provided. The kitchen will not be available for cooking/ cleaning up/storing leftovers.
Friday and Saturday Lunch will be at 12:00 PM in the Community Center.
Sunday Potluck will be at 9:30 AM in the Community Center.
What else to bring? Recording devices are suggested, since most of the workshops will be taught aurally.
E-mail: bluffcountrygathering@gmail.com
Bluff Country Gathering
18287 Gap Dr.
Spring Grove, MN 55974 (507) 498-5452
The Bluff Country Gathering is a 501(c) non-profit organization. Any donations are tax deductible.
Scholarships
The Bluff Country Gathering strives to offer a limited number of scholarships each year. Scholarships cover admission to all workshops, the Friday night concert, Saturday night dance, Thursday night potluck, Friday and Saturday lunches, and Sunday potluck brunch.
Scholarship applications must be received by 11:59pm CST on March 1, 202
5. The number of scholarships the Gathering can award varies year to year based on the number of requests and funds available. Applicants will be notified whether or not the Gathering is able to award their scholarship by March 30, 2025.Please note: As the Gathering does not provide housing, scholarship recipients will still need to cover their own housing and transportation costs, along with the cost of any meals not listed above.
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS CAN BE FOUND HERE: https://forms.gle/FUHKm1moi15haQvt8
If you would like to request a hard copy of the application, please contact bluffcountrygathering@gmail.
The Bluff Country Gathering will offer a youth program for students ages 10 to 16 who want the opportunity to learn how to play old time music. This program is open to students with some experience on violin/fiddle, guitar, banjo , mandolin or double bass. This will be a good fit for students who play in a school orchestra or students who have been taking some lessons on any of these instruments and can play basic melodies (fiddle, banjo, mandolin) or know the basic chord shapes and note positions (guitar, bass).
Youth track participants will learn what each instrument does in old time music, learn several old time tunes, and share what they've learned in a performance on Saturday night during the Barn Dance.
The program will be taught by AJ Srubas and Rina Rossi of Minneapolis-based Steam Machine.
As teachers, AJ and Rina have taught fiddle, guitar, and dance at camps and traditional music gatherings such as the Ashokan Center, the Augusta Heritage Center, Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, American Fiddle Method camp, Minnesota State Fiddlers Association events, the Swannanoa Gathering, and many more in between. AJ taught one-on-one and ensemble classes to adults and older youth at the Center for Irish Music in St. Paul, Minnesota for many years and continues to teach privately from his home. Rina and AJ are both also 2024-2025 Minnesota Public Radio Class Notes teaching artists.
Classes will take place from Friday evening May 16 through Saturday evening May 17 in Lanesboro, MN. Students will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian who is able to stay in Lanesboro while classes are in session.
The fee of $100 per student includes Friday and Saturday
classes and two tickets to the concert and square dance (one for student and one
for parent/guardian).
There is also the option to add on lunch on Saturday for $30.00 (2 lunches, one
for student and one for parent/guardian). Additional lunches can be added for
$15.00 each.
Deadline for registration is March 21. More information and
registration form can be found at:
https://forms.gle/
2025 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
|
FRIDAY |
9:00-10:15 |
10:30-11:45 |
1:45-2:45 |
3:00-400 |
4:15-5:00 |
|
Sons of Norway Hall |
Southwestern
Fiddle |
Favorite West Virginia
Tunes |
John Ashby Tunes |
Fiddle Showcase CHARLIE, TONY, KAREN, ERYNN, JIMMY, ELLIOT |
OT Song Session
|
|
Community Ctr. Council Chambers |
Guitar-Fiddle Backup |
Guitar-OT Finger-picking |
Uke |
Mandomazing
|
Tips for Better Bowing |
|
Community Ctr. Kitchen Area |
Beg.-Int. Fiddle |
Clawhammer Banjo Beg.-Int. |
Neither Hoedown nor Waltz |
Riley Puckett Guitar Runs |
Lee Hammons Fiddle Tunes |
|
Community Ctr. Gym |
Singing with Banjo |
Fiddle-Beg. |
How to Call Square Dances |
Clogging |
SOUND CHECKS |
|
SATURDAY |
9:00-10:15 |
10:30-11:45 |
1:45-2:45 |
3:00-4:00 |
4:15-5:00 |
|
Sons of Norway Hall |
OT Guitar |
Southern OT Fiddle-Int. |
Fiddle/Banjo Duets |
Happy Hayseeds Tunes |
Dwight Lamb Tune Session |
|
Community Ctr. Council Chambers |
Banjo-3 Finger |
Nile Wilson Fiddle |
Singing with Guitar |
OT Guitar Backup |
Playing better in Tune |
|
Community Ctr. Kitchen Area |
Rare AL Tunes |
OT Banjo |
More MO Tunes |
Uke Accmp. For Fiddle |
Jam |
|
Community Ctr. Gym |
Mandolin |
How to Call 2 |
Clogging |
Melvin Wine Fiddle |
Come Dance Northern
Squares |
FRIDAY AFTER-CONCERT JAM:
KAREN & MOLLY
SATURDAY AFTER-DANCE JAM:
40 DROP FEW