Granite Skyes
Volume 18 No.1 September, 2005


NOTES FROM THE MUSIC DIRECTOR-
-Sylvia Miskoe

Here we are, starting a new season.  I hope everyone had a good summer
and played lots of music.  If you have a special story to tell, send it
to me and I'll direct it to the newsletter editor.  My special story was
a week in St Andrews, Scotland at the Scottish Country Dance Society
summer school.  They have recently begun holding courses for musicians. 
But more of that later.
 I've picked up new music, mined some books, listened to CD's. We'll
start with Caroline's Polka.  It's written by George Meikle who was one
of the teachers at St Andrews.  George is an accordionist with the
Lothian SCD Band and has done arranging and recording for the RSCDS. 
Spending a week with him was enlightening and inspiring.  The three jigs
are all by Eric Allan.  He is a fiddler from the Inverness area and
involved with the Highland Music Trust which has a lot of good tune
books.  He writes great tunes and George Meikle put the 3 jigs into a
dance arrangement which I heard at one of the evening dances.  I was
sitting out that dance and suddenly the tunes came out calling 'Listen
to me!'  Here are four waltzes that I learned at St Andrews.  The Scots
make sets of, usually, four waltzes and play each one twice.  I don't
know anything about The Road and Miles to Dundee but the other three are
familiar.  My Luv's Like a Red Red Rose is by Robert Burns.  Scots Wha
Hae Wi' Wallace Bled is sung at all sorts of Scottish Gatherings.  It
even appears in Berlioz' "Rob Roy".  It's already in our repertoire but
here it is in 3/4 tempo.  The Four Marys is a Child Ballad and sometimes
known as The Ballad of Mary Hamilton.  It's a beautiful tune with
tragic, gory, words.


FLOWER OF THE FOREST
SRSNH has lost a great friend -
Calvin Leeland Gardner, pioneer in computer science and SRSNH
aide-de-camp, died June 13, 2005 at age 73 in Amherst, N.H., after a
short illness.
Cal was born in Fall River, Mass., on Oct. 8, 1931, a son of the late
Calvin L. and Marion M. (Cole) Gardner. He grew up in Swansea, Mass.,
and moved to Amherst, N.H., in 1976, where he resided until his death.
He attended high school in Fall River, and later studied at MIT, where
he specialized in mathematics and logic, leading to a career in computer
science, where he was among the pioneers in what was a very new field.
He retired in the early 1990s and was able to spend more time on his
other interests, such as stamp collecting and reading. He was also a
passionate devotee of Scottish Highlands music and was an active
participant in the Strathspey and Reel Society.
Throughout his life, Cal loved books, and was often found at the Amherst
library. He was an avid reader on a variety of topics covering nearly
all the sciences as well as the origins of language, and was
particularly fond of American and local history. He is remembered by
those who knew him as an intellectual with personal convictions held
strongly and thoughtfully.
Family members include a sister, Alice Gardner Walsh of Marshfield,
Mass.; two daughters and a son-in-law, Lisa and Richard Guimond of
Milford, and Carlene Gardner of Quebec, Canada; a son, John Robbins of
Barnstead; seven grandchildren; nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were private. Burial will be in Mount Hope Cemetery,
Swansea, Mass., at a later date.
Donations in Cal's memory may be made to the American Heart Association,
2 Wall St., Manchester, NH 03101, or the Strathspey and Reel Society,
102 Little Pond Road, Concord, NH 03301.

GAMES 2005
-Sylvia Miskoe
 The Games are upon us again.  Because they fall on the last weekend of
the month we are having our regular session one week early, September
18th.
I have a program and the sets all made up.  If you did not pick up your
set, you can get it at the session on the 18th.  If that doesn't work I
will mail it to you.  We will have a practice at my house on Tuesday the
20th, 7:30 to 9:30 PM.  Our play times at the Games are
Saturday in the Concert Tent, 10 AM-10:50AM. 
Sunday in the Ceilidh Hall 9:30 AM-10:20AM.
Sunday in the Concert Tent 1:15 PM-2:05PM.
Please come 15 minutes before we are scheduled to play.  Be ready and
tuned so we don't lose any time from our music.  Alisdair Fraser is
playing with us Sunday at 1:15.  Be prepared to be cool and flexible.
Tickets are again carefully watched.  The Games gives us only a certain
number and SRS purchases the overage.  If you have a ticket from another
part of the Games, or can only play one day, please let me know. 
GALA 2005
-Sylvia Miskoe
 The Gala 2005 is in the planning stages.  I plan to have the program
finished and sets made up in time for our September session.  Then we
will spend some time reading through the sets at the October session. 
We will also have regular music for the October session.  I'm taking
sign-ups now.  Our guest artist is Muriel Johnstone, a fantastic pianist
who is known throughout the Scottish Country Dance world as arranger,
band leader and teacher.  Boston Highland will be dancing.  Muriel will
accompany them for one of their dances and Lezlie Webster for another. 
Once again I'd like to have all our 'kids' playing together for one of
the sets.  Kids, be thinking about what you'd like to play.  Here is the
schedule for rehearsals:

October 30th - regular session and a read through of the Gala after the
refreshment break
November 5th, Saturday - practice at the Music Theater, 1-5 PM
November 12th, Saturday - tech rehearsal at the Audi 11 AM to 3:30 PM
November 20th, Sunday - practice at the Music Theater 1-5 PM
November 26th, Saturday - Dress Rehearsal at Lakeshore Farm 1-5 PM
MANDATORY
November 27th, Sunday - Gala at the Audi, come at 9:30 AM  We will do a
compete run-through of the program beginning 10 AM.

THE SRS TOUR IN SCOTLAND 2006!
-Marianne Taylor
The only things that are absolutely certain about our tour at this point
are the
following:
We will fly out of Logan Airport in
Boston on June 6 (late afternoon, early evening) and return on June 17
(early evening).
The cost will be worked out in the next couple of months.  A deposit of
$500. ("earnest money") will be due by November 26.  All but $25. of
this is returnable until March 25, 2006.
The balance of the fee will be
due by March 26, 2006, in order to hold your place.
Our itinerary will include playing
in concerts and jam sessions,  plus lots of time for sight-seeing.
If you haven't yet signed up, please do so right away!  More information
will appear with each month's Granite Skyes.

HELP WANTED!!!
-Ellen Bassett
There are two very important jobs that need volunteers, and quick. 

The newsletter needs an editor.  I came out of retirement to do this
month's issue, but I can't take the newsletter on again in the coming
months.  The newsletter takes about 2-4 hours to do each month, and very
little writing is actually required - articles are sent, usually by
email, to the editor, who edits them (hence the job title), pastes them
into the newsletter format, updates recurring information, perhaps makes
a few phone calls to fill in details, makes it look pretty, and sends it
to the mailing coordinator.  The only prerequisites for the job are a
basic grasp of word processing, email, and a few hours a month.  The
newsletter is the primary way that the Society keeps its members
informed and engaged, and the editor makes it possible.  If you're
interested, tell Sylvia Miskoe or Marianne Taylor, and prepare to
receive a flood of gratitude from the entire membership.  I enjoyed my
time as newsletter editor - you will too.

The sessions need a refreshment coordinator.  Cal Gardner did this for
years, and tea was never served until Cal had heard enough music!  There
will probably never be anyone quite like Cal, but we do need someone to
take charge of making tea, setting out the pot luck refreshments, and
making sure it all gets cleaned up afterwards - it doesn't mean you have
to do it all yourself, because there are plenty of willing hands at
every session - they just need to be asked by someone who knows what
needs to be done.  The biggest reward of the job is that you have an
orchestra play for you while you putter in the kitchen - now really, how
often does THAT happen in your daily life??.  If you're interested, tell
Sylvia Miskoe or Marianne Taylor.

LAST CALL FOR FRESH VEGGIES
-Brian Mokler
The Sanbornton Farmers' Market closes its 2005 season on Friday,
September 30 and we have been asked to play, just as we did when the
season opened in June.  As usual, we'll play (3 to 6 PM) with breaks for
shopping and refreshments and then adjourn to Calef Farm for a potluck
supper.  If you're interested, call Brian Mokler at 286-8211 or e-mail
mokler3 at aol.com

MINUTES OF THE SRSNH BOARD MEETING
Minutes for the last board meeting were not available for this
newsletter.
Next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the NH
School of Scottish Arts in Manchester, and the following meeting is
tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, October 11.  Meetings are open to all
members.  Please contact the secretary if you need directions.  Members
wishing a complete copy of the Minutes should contact the Secretary at
ceppich at comcast.net

SRSNH OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, COMMITTEES, & VOLUNTEERS
Music Director:  Sylvia Miskoe (May 2006)
Board of Directors:
Marianne Taylor, President (May 2006)
Don Young, Vice President  (May 2006
Bob Reed, Treasurer  (Term expires May 2005)
Connie Eppich, Secretary (Term expires May 2007)
Len Buswell, Member at Large (May 2006)
2 members-at-large still to be appointed
Scholarship Committee:  Susan Willoughby, Chair & Elli Abelson, Bob Reed
Memberships, Email Newsletters: Barbara McOwen Webmaster: Terry Traub
Mailings; Denise and Jim Robinson
Back Music:  Susan Christie Woodward
Newsletter Editor: This could be you!
Photographer: Evelyn Roberts
T-shirts: Bruce Cobb
Refreshments: This could be you!

CALENDAR
Because your interim newsletter editor was asleep at the switch, the
calendar did not make it into this month's newsletter.  However, you can
get all the information anyone could ever want about Celtic music events
in the Northeastern US by subscribing to Celtic Beat Magazine - $7.50
per year for 6 issues.
HTTP://WWW.MV.COM/IPUSERS/CELTICBEAT/
CELTIC BEAT
4 GREENLAY ST
NASHUA NH 03063

 SESSIONS, JAMS, DANCES

2nd Sundays - English dancing, 6:30-9:30 pm., Presidential Oaks, 
Pleasant Street, Concord, N.H. $6, or $5 for ECDSNH members. Judith
Ackerson 603-934-2543, or jnoska at cyberportal.net;
http://people.star.net/blw/dance/english.html 
3rd Sundays - Gaelic Club, 3-7 pm., Canadian American Club,
Watertown,Mass. Peggy Morrison, 978-858-3792.
Mondays - Contra dance, 8 - 10:30, callers & musicians welcome to take a
turn.  Nelson, N.H. Town Hall, $3 827-3732.
Tuesdays - Irish/Celtic Sessions at The Barley House Restaurant and
Tavern, 132 North Main Street, Concord, NH 7:00 to 10:00 pm. 
603-229-0083.
Wednesdays - Canadian Jam Session: We play a mixture of French and
English Canadian fiddle tunes as well New England tunes and other tunes
we feel like playing. $2 donation requested to cover the rent. Second
Wednesdays from 7:30 - 10:30 at the Durham, NH Unitarian Universalist
Fellowship (corner of Madbury Rd. and Woodman Ave.).  For
information/directions: Peter Yarensky, 603-664-2513 or
peter.yarensky at unh.edu.
Wednesdays - Fiddle on Wednesday - open jams - alternate between
Ashland, NH (Booster's Club) and the Gordon-Nash Library, New Hampton (
7 PM )
1st Wednesdays - First Wednesday of each month at Foodee's, Milford Oval
at 7:00 p.m. - Trad. acoustic "seissun".  For more info. call 673-8497
or e-mail strumma at aol.com.
1st, 2nd and 3rd Wednesdays-Scottish Country dance, 7-9 pm, Church of
the Good Shepherd, 214 Main St., Nashua, NH.  $3.00  More info: Loren
Wright 603-891-2331, nashuaSCD at comcast.net, or
http://homepage.mac.com/lonwright/NashuaSCD
4th and 5th Wednesdays-Scottish Country dance, 7-9 pm, Chandler Library,
257 Main St., Nashua, NH.Free More info: Loren Wright 603-891-2331,
nashuaSCD at comcast.net, or
http://homepage.mac.com/lonwright/NashuaSCD
Wednesday "Slow Jam" - Concord Community Music School - 7:30 - 9 PM
voluntary donation; info: 226 1966 or cordway at ccmusicschool.org
Thursdays:  Acoustic Open Mic  7:30 PM  - Green Martini - 8 Pleasant
Street Extension, Concord, NH  (host:  Duane D'Agnese
1st Thursday of every month: Dover, NH City Hall - Contra/square  Dance
with the Peter Yarensky & Sarah Mason calling and teaching, music by the
Lamprey River Band. Beginners welcome; all dances taught. Guest
musicians and callers welcome. 8:00 - 10:40, $7; students $5. For
information/directions: Peter Yarensky, 603-664-2513 or
peter.yarensky at unh.edu.
Upcoming dates February 3.
2nd and 4th Thursdays - Beginner jam, 7-9 pm, Fiddler's Loft (see
Monday's info), free.
Fridays - Press Room, Portsmouth, NH - Irish Music sessions (open) -
4:30 PM or so to when the music upstairs starts (9 PM)
Fridays - Seacoast Scottish Country Dance class, Greenland Parish Hall
on Rte 151, Greenland, N.H., 7:30-9:30 pm,  through end of June, Laurie
Stevens 603-773-9795.
1st Fridays: Contra dance, Windham, N.H. Town Hall, =BD mi. W of exit
3,I-93; Neil Harvey 603-890-8907.
2nd Fridays: Contra dance, Kittery, Me. Grange Hall (now called the Left
Banke), 8 pm - various bands. $6.
3rd Fridays - Square and Contra Dances. Roaring Jelly, Lexington, Mass.
Susan Elberger, Caller, and Debby Knight,
Music Director. To dance or join band, call 781-944-3544,
www.toc.lcs.mit.edu/~slonim/rjelly.html.
4th Fridays - Contra dance, 8-11 pm, Town Hall, Milford, NH Open band.
Frank Woodward  603-487-2480
1st Saturdays - Contra dance 8-11pm, Town Hall Petrborough, N.H.  For
more information: (phone): (603) 525-3883, (603) 525-4432; Email:
fiddleheads at adelphia.net
Saturday afternoon - play fiddle with John Campbell at his home in
Maynard, MA. For specifics, John 978-897-7031.
Saturday Afternoons, Arlington Comm. Traditional Music Sessions,  All
sessions are on Saturday afternoons from 3:00 to 6:30 pm at the Fox
Library, corner of Mass Ave and Cleveland St in East Arlington, MA. 
Admission is $1 per person.  Call 781-643-3603 for further information
and upcoming dates.
Second Saturdays  Dance - Gilmanton, NH Town Hall (Academy Building)
(intersection Rtes 107 & 14) - 8 - 11pm.  info:  (603) 267-7227; Sept.
11 - Music:  Bill Perry, Patrick Horning,
Dave Medritz; Caller:  Byron Ricker;  Oct. 9 Old New England, Caller: 
Don Primrose; November 13, Randy Miller & Friends, Caller: Sue Hunt;
Dec. 11 - Two Fiddles, Caller:  Dudley Laufman
2nd Saturdays - Contra dance, 8-11pm, Francestown, NH Town Hall.  Frank
Woodward.  For more information, call  603-487-2480 or
NHdancecaller at aol.com
Third Saturdays - Dance - East Concord, NH Community Center 8PM   info: 
dwh at nhvt.net
4th Saturdays - Contra dance, Kingston, NH, 8:30 pm - various bands. $7,
603-750-7506.
Saturday Jam Session - Acoustic Outfitters - Stratham, NH   (778-9711
www.aomusicshop.com) from October to May 1st and 3rd Saturdays. 2-5PM

A REMINDER: Deadline for October articles is October 1, 2005.  No
calendar dates before October 15 will be included.

Granite Skyes is published monthly (10 issues) between September and
June by the Strathspey & Reel Society of New Hampshire. Subscription
$8/yr ($18 overseas). Individual domestic memberships cost $20/yr;
please inquire about other rates. Granite Skyes is in need of an editor!
All items welcome, depending on space available; e-mail by the 1st of
the month for inclusion in the mid-month mailing to smiskoe at aol.com in
text only format. Email subscription is free; send request  to
bmcowen at comcast.net The SRSNH Web Page is maintained by Terry Traub,
http://www.srsnh.org