The Reed
Newsletter

In June, Club members gather for our Annual Players Picnic at Van Saun Park, off Forest Ave in Paramus, NJ, rain or shine. All club members able to go, along with their significant others, meet for a big barbecue and music fest. The audio system is set up and any individual or groups of mouth organ musicians take over the Open Mike to play for the friends of the GSHC and passersby from the public at large. Between sets, our party eats barbecued food, salads and deserts. The Club provides hot dogs, hamburgers and the fixin's and, judging from years past everyone brings something too, and since the affair takes place under a covered pavilion, the weather does not matter to us! Generally when we do our harmonica serenading it is for an audience of people enjoying a day in the sun. Still, once or twice the listeners have been mostly ducks. They quacked along with the rest of us under cover and seemed to have a good time in the wet. Whatever the weather, it is a fun time and one of the benefits of membership. Club members are notified of the Picnic details in the Reed Newsletter and sign up at the monthly business meetings preceeding the big day.

October brings the Annual Garden State Harmonica Club Festival, multiple days of music and dining, all fully open to the public. Once you go, you will forever after remember it as a FEASTival. The affair is truly a feast of music and culinary treats. Every day of the Festival includes Sing and Play Along sessions, open microphone opportunities (a sort of Harmonica Karaoke), jam and blues sessions, seminars on playing techniques, and how-to repairs, and music, music and more music. Each day builds up to the Grand Finale and Banquet Saturday night.

Entertainers come from all over to share their harmonica expertise. Just of few of the world class names who recently played at Festivals are The Society Boys, Sandy German, The Harmonica Hotshots (Al and Judy Smith), Carlos Colina, Charles Spranklin, Tom Stryker, Charles Daddy T Toker, The Harmonitones, Enrico Granafei, Carolbeth True, Randy Weinstein, Dan Bauch, Jason Rosenblatt, Leo Jordan, Dennis Gruenling, Jia-Yi He, The Garden State Harmonica Club Ensemble, Harpers Bizarre and so many others, the playbill changes from year to year. It is often marked with surprise cameo appearances. The music is live, planned and spontaneous and enjoyed by all.

The Festival Committee realizes that not every one can attend an event that provides several full days of pleasure and has come up with an ala cart day-by-day menu and an all-inclusive package for those with the time to do it all. For full details on this year's dates, location, daily program and rates contact the Garden State Harmonica Club by stopping at a meeting, writing or e-mailing us in the Contact Us section.

If you like harmonica music, you will be glad you came. For most of us aficionados, the Festival is a not-to-be-missed annual celebration.

Who's Who in the Cast?