Augusta Memories

I am home after an incredible week at Augusta, in Elkins WV. So many memories!

The stories! The video below is of my storytelling students telling the classic story, "No News." They adapted it to be a three-person story (it's usually a tale told by 2 tellers in tandem), and added some of their own comments to make the story uniquely theirs.

The people:

Listening and singing along at the Doowop evening! This was all kinds of fun. How do we remember songs we learned so many years ago?

Telling tales at the Augusta Festival! We had a nice audience for our early morning set. My students had the opportunity to tell the story they'd worked on all week on a festival stage.

Ellen Gozion explains the process of making crankies to me. The crankie in the
photo was made by the daughter of one of my storytelling students.

The music: On the last day, all of the musicians from all of the classes got together to play one last tune together; they had chosen "Over the Waterfall" at the beginning of the week to be their "camp tune" and everyone, from beginners to the pros, played together.

The place: Halliehurst, one of the two mansions on campus, on a full moon night, with the porch full of musicians. The nights echoed with music, and the laughter and pounding feet at the dance pavilion.

Some people just need to have things spelled out for them!

Below, Alan Jabbour, a renowned mountain fiddler, scholar and collector of old-time music, joins in a jam. Alan was always around playing music with everyone who wanted to join in, and was so approachable. The instructors were all the same way--approachable, friendly and helpful. I loved being part of such a great group of teachers.

Larry Staats, one of my class, on stage at the Augusta Festival on Saturday.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Sing!

One of the many things I love about Augusta is the singing. It is everywhere--from gospel and spirituals to ballads, doowop, Bulgarian songs, old-time and everything around and in between.

This week Augusta is offering 3 different groups of classes--old-time, American Vernacular dance, and vocal week. My storytelling class is part of old-time week so we're surrounded by singers and musicians and dancers. Last night was one of incredible singing, as the vocal week students offered their student showcase. We were treated to a wide range of styles by the gifted students and I left feeling uplifted and peaceful, with a smile on my face.

Then people began gathering in a round, beautiful stairwell that has great acoustics. The songs were all "doowop" songs, mostly from the era of my childhood and teenage years. How is it that we can remember the words to songs we haven't heard in years? Goin' to the Chapel, My Boyfriend's Back, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, The Book of Love, and so many more resounded from the walls of the stairwell as the vocal week students did their beautiful harmonies and the rest of us sang along. Have a listen:

You know, almost everyone enjoys singing, and singing in a group is even more fun. I have heard so many people say that they can't sing, and yet really we all can sing--it's just an extension of talking, laughing, shouting, isn't it? Singing just requires doing it, and then doing it over and over until you get it right.

Think I'll go find someone to sing with.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Come Tell Stories with Me August 3-8 at Augusta!

Once upon a time in the mountains, a family gathered by the fire and shared stories carried from one generation to another, perhaps even tales that crossed the ocean with their ancestors. Be part of the tradition of “passing it down” this week as we explore the Appalachian folklore, superstitions, and culture that weave together to create stories and a storytelling tradition that continues to be a lively part of life in the mountains we call home.

The class will be highly interactive with storytelling and lecture interspersed with class discussion. 

The Icehouse,  a unique pub on campus and site of much music.

We will view videos and listen to recordings of a variety of Appalachian region storytellers, take a nature walk to see native plants and learn about their uses and lore, 

Messages written by Civil War soldiers on the walls of the former
hospital are scattered throughout the building

take a field trip to historic Beverly to visit the house that was once used as a Civil War hospital and tour the Beverly museum. Students will be expected to work on one story per day for performance in class; this is not expected to be polished work but rather a beginning to putting flesh on a story’s bones. Class members will be expected to offer coaching and feedback as requested to help each other to a better understanding of their stories and to improve performance.

Cloggers competing during Old-Time Week.

The Appalachian region is a fascinating place. Expect to have fun, laugh much, talk much and listen, listen, listen as we immerse ourselves in the legends and lore of the mountains!

Hallihurst, one of two mansions on the Davis & Elkins College campus.

For more information about this week-long class and registration forms, visit the Augusta Heritage Old-Time Week page.

See you there!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Augusta: Festival Day and Concert Memories

Saving and savoring today:

Soft rain in the morning, cool on my skin. A squirrel in the treetops outside my window.

Bright tents filled with arts and crafts, the smell of barbecued chicken and the sound of music and dancing feet as I entered the Augusta Festival. The rain was gone, the sun was out and the festival was in full swing.

Talking to a young mother who lost her husband suddenly last year; it never gets better, she said, looking at her two little boys. Her heart in her eyes.

Storytelling in the children's activity tent. There was lots there for the kids to do--dried flower arrangements, making drums, glitter painting, face painting, making bracelets, and me, telling tales. We had fun with participation stories, surrounded by those making crafts but still listening to the stories.

Listening to the fine music of Gerry Milnes and Dave Bing, two of the state's best old-time musicians, who collect tunes from elderly musicians and also do extensive research on the music they play. Listening to them discuss their songs is like a crash course in West Virginia music history.

I also heard Michael and Carrie Kline, with their songs of the working man, songs of home and songs of hope, as I waited my turn onstage.

Meeting a lady who introduced herself as a Two Lane Livin' reader. It pleases me so much when people tell me that they read and enjoy my column.

Storytelling on the main stage as the sun continued to shine. I sang Railroad Boy and told one of my favorite stories, the one about the headless woman of Briar Creek. A good, appreciative crowd.

Dinner with friends in the cafeteria, Boston Creme Pie for dessert, which always reminds me of the one my oldest son once made from scratch for me as apology for talking back to me the day before.

Anticipation waiting for the evening concert to start, the end of the festival and the end of 5 weeks of the Augusta Heritage workshops. Talking to two men in front of me, I learned a lot about edible mushrooms. One was a vet who had been in Vietnam in 1961-1963. We talked of wine-making, gardens, mushroom hunting, edible wild foods. Then the show started.

Music, music and more music as some of Augusta's best musicians took the stage playing old-time music--and flatfoot dancers joining them onstage; what excitement they bring! Then the Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers took the stage with astounding harmonies. After singing My Girl, the lead singer told the audience that if they had their significant other with them, to give him or her a kiss--and the Marine vet turned around and asked for a kiss. He got one too, :) At intermission he went out to his truck and brought in a Bradley mushroom for me, one they'd just gathered, so I could identify them myself. I used to know them but it's been 30 years since I hunted them.

And finally, Dr. Ralph Stanley and his Clinch Mountain Boys! Dr. Stanley is 86 but sang so beautifully. He needed reminding of lyrics here and there but his grandson Nathan (pictured to his right above) who now leads the band fed him lines as needed, and it didn't bother the audience one bit. This is Dr. Stanley's last tour, and it was a privilege to see him and hear him sing. His voice is haunting, memorable. No concert photos were allowed but you can see how the autograph table was mobbed afterwards.

Riding back to the dorms in the little golf cart shuttle through the soft night air, the music still ringing in my ears. We picked up a young woman looking for the dance pavilion along the way, and she told me she was from Turkey, had spent a year in Vienna, Austria, and there met her husband, who was from West Virginia, so now she lives here. Life twists and turns along the journey, endlessly fascinating.

Tomorrow I'll be homeward bound. I hate to see this week end, but I will be glad to see home again, filled with memories of music, faces and stories.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Augusta, Day 2

No pics of this week's activities yet, but they'll be coming. My camera has been in one place, the card somewhere else. I have finally reunited them!

It is not easy to describe the experience of being here. Musicians and singers are everywhere. Today I sat in on a session of singing old hymns, unaccompanied. The sound of many voices rising in harmony is like honey to the ears, and the chapel here at Augusta is the perfect place for both its ambience and its acoustics.

My class met for the second day. We're a small and varied lot, but that just makes it more interesting and more challenging at the same time as I strive to meet their needs, from the scholarship student who has never told a story to the museum docent to the experienced teller. We give and take, sharing ideas, experiences, and stories. Always stories. I arrived with a lesson plan and a schedule for the week, but it is constantly adapted to what my students need instead of what I think might benefit them. There is room for it all in the end.

Yesterday we talked about stories in general, what makes a story, the characteristics of Appalachian culture and its impact on the storytelling in the region. We explored some tall tales and discussed the structure of these kinds of stories. The Road Scholars (formerly Elderhostel) students came in the afternoon for stories; I told and talked about stories and one of my students told a tale.

I went to an evening ballad-singing concert with Brian Peters. Brian is from England and treated us to some excellent Child Ballads interspersed with his witty commentary that often had us laughing out loud. It was interesting to hear different versions of ballads I also sing. Following Brian were the crankies! Such simple fun. I was late to bed but it was well worth a little lost sleep.

Today we worked a bit on a story one of the students wanted feedback on, then moved on to ghost stories. I have each of them a story to learn--not perfectly, but the "bones" of the tale. They each told their story in rough form, then we discussed each telling. After lunch they came back and re-told the stories. The changes they had made as they let the story "sit" in their subconscience during lunch were remarkable and showed that they had a good grip on the story's structure. The Road Scholars arrived and I discussed ghost stories and why we tell them before launching into a ballad and then a few stories.

My students were up next. I was so pleased with the way they rose to the challenge; one of them retold a short funny tale I'd told earlier without a bit of rehearsal--he just added it to the story he'd practiced. They all got good applause and appreciations from the audience. We finished with more discussion and a few of the Road Scholars told short stories. Then they left and we reviewed each student's telling and our day was done.

There is much to do this evening: a concert, music jams, singing, probably dancing. The hills around Davis & Elkins College will be ringing with the joy of old-time music and dance, and everyone will go to bed tired, happy, and filled with music, song, and good conversation. And that's exactly why people come here from all over the country for this special week in the mountains.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.