On Saturday September 4 Catskills Folk Connection sponsored an outdoor concert by the Tremperskill Boys, held under a tent at Dirty Girl Farm in Andes, NY, About forty people attended, sitting in socially distanced chairs, to hear the band present a lively afternoon/evening of Catskills tunes and Irish and Scottish favorites. John Jacobson offered songs: some were his original compositions, and some were well-known popular songs.
The Tremperskill Boys usually play for Catskills Folk Connection square dances but Covid restrictions prevent us from offering dances right now. Like singing together, square dancing is one of ways most liable to spread coronavirus germs. So until we can dance again together, we will be offering concerts as long as possible and on-line special presentations later in the fall-winter when concerts may become less do-able.
The Tremperskill Boys have been playing together for over a decade, at first backing up Hilt Kelly and the Sidekicks at Catskills Folk Connection dances. At the same time the Tremperskill Boys developed a solid reputation playing for social occasions and concerts. They have perpetuated the square dance tradition by playing and calling square dances on a regular basis (pre-Covid), ensuring that existing and future generations of Catskills residents - once the virus completely retreats - will be able to enjoy this age-old pastime.
Today's Tremperskill Boys consist of John Jacobson, founder, fiddler and caller; Dane Scudder, fiddler and caller, and occasional banjo player; Chris Carey on banjo, Sheila Addison with guitar, and Amy Lieberman plays bass. Catskills Folk Connection's folklorist, Ginny Scheer, often sits in as flutist at square dances and gets to play with the band for other occasions.
Dirty Girl Farm, run by Cyndi Wright and her husband, Lester Bourke, is first and foremost a goat dairy farm, but the couple goes way beyond mere milk production. They specialize in on-farm creation of goat dairy products like yogurt and cheese, available with other products in their all-refrigerated farm store, and they run a farm stand featuring local foods.
Visit Dirty Girl Farm's Facebook page where Cyndi posts beautiful photos of local foods, both from her farm and from nearby producers. Dirty Girl Farm, 114 Delaware Ave., Andes NY 13731, is the best place around to dip into and then connect with the western Catskills farm-to-table network.
Watch this blog for announcements of future Catskills Folk Connection events and presentations. We are planning an outdoor concert in October in Stamford for Roxbury Arts Group, and possibly a dance in November, Covid-willing. Other possibilities include more on-line speakers about local and regional music and dance traditions, and other kinds of gatherings in-person and on-line. Stay tuned!
Catskills Folk Connection is sponsored by the Roxbury Arts Group and is funded in part by the NYS Council on the Arts Folk Art Program; by Gov. Hochul and the NYS Legislature; by Action and Vision grants from Humanities NY; and by the O'Connor Foundation.
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