Kelseyville >> Musicians of all ages with all sorts of instruments will descend upon the barn at the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum for the round robin style Fiddlers’ Jam this Sunday.
The event runs from noon through 2 p.m. Visitors can have a picnic and check out the latest museum acquisitions and displays. It is a free, family-friendly event that runs from noon to 2 p.m. Guests may bring their own wine sip it from Ely Stage Stop wine glasses that are available for purchase.
Don Coffin contacted Greg Dills, Ely stage stop director, in 2013 looking for a place for the California Old Time Fiddlers’ Association’s District 10 to play. District 10 serves Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties. Coffin attended a docent meeting and when asked if his group would be interested in meeting at the stage stop to jam sometime, he gave an enthusiastic positive response. A decision was made on the spot and the dialogue moved to firming up a plan. The porch and/or barn were offered, the first Sunday of the month was chosen and the rest is history.
The mission of District 10 of the California Old time Fiddlers’ Association, cited on the website http://carneyscorner.com/csotfa.html, is “to promote an interest in the old time American fiddle styles and to create more opportunities for interested parties to learn about the lineage of fiddle music in America, to promote activities related to old time fiddling (jams and concerts, and contests), to foster a sense of community in this shared musical treasure, and to preserve a truly American art form.”
Donations made during the jam benefit both the Ely stage stop to fund the construction of the blacksmith complex, and the Old Time Fiddlers Association District 10 to partially fund its scholarship programs.
There will be the regular monthly raffle near the end of the jam and more chances to purchase raffle tickets for the “Barns, Birds and Quilts” raffle that will celebrate a winner later in the year. Those items will be on display during the jam. Remaining tickets to Ely’s June 13 Picnic on the Porch fundraiser can also be purchased during the day.
Home to the Lake County Historical Society, the stage stop is located at 9921 Soda Bay Road in Kelseyville. Current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday. Fiddlers’ Jams occur the first Sunday of every month from noon until 2 p.m. Living History events featuring local historians are held on the fourth Saturday of every month, again, from noon to 2 p.m.
Visit www.elystagestop.org or www.lakecountyhistory.org, check out the stage stop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elystagestop, or call the museum at (707) 533-9990.
