Summer's End

Wow-it's the end of summer already and it feels so strange to have celebrated the last of the Bluemont in Ashland summer concerts. What a wonderful, happy evening with The Daryl Davis Band!

The music was just as I had hoped-energetic, light-hearted, and two amazing long sets! Thank you, thank you to Daryl and his band. I danced so much that I had to sit down in the grass a few times just to catch my breath-by the end of night, my legs were rubbery and my dress felt as though I had just jumped out of the shower fully clothed! Kids were dancing, two brave gentleman sang their way through 'Leroy Brown' and everyone seemed to have an enjoyable night.

Thank you SO much to all of our volunteers-Lily and Hannah Dunning took some time during intermission to give flowers to the volunteers that have given their time and talents to making this summer such a big success. We couldn't do it without you! We certainly missed Jen Chambers, my faithful co-chair and look forward to more concerts next summer!

While there are no more concert happenings to write about, I'll be writing periodically over the next couple of months to update our fundraising news-at this point, we're about $5,000 towards our $11,000 goal. I'm hopeful that more donations will be coming in as everyone around Ashland and other similar communities receive fundraising letters-we'd really appreciate your support!

We'd sure miss Bluemont next summer...thanks everyone!

The Last Bluemont in Ashland concert for this summer...

I'm writing with mixed emotions as this Sunday is our last Bluemont in Ashland concert for the summer. It seems to go by so quickly-I can hardly believe that our summer of music is almost at its end. However, I can't think of a better way to end the series than with our friend, Daryl Davis and his band-get ready for some great tunes and bring your dancing shoes!

Boogie-woogie, blues, funk and rock-can you possibly pick a favorite? Well, no worries-you'll get to hear a little of everything this weekend-the Daryl Davis band brings it all and brings it all with energy enough for our whole town to enjoy! Not to mention that he's a super nice guy and did you know, he's even played with Little Richard?

Get out your gold lame and your attitude and come on over-we'll be waiting for you! Watch out too because you never know who you might meet! If you'd like to get a little hint of Daryl Davis, visit his website at www.daryldavis.com-check out those photos! Oh boy!

Another Lovely Evening on the Lawn

The Lindsay Family gave Ashland a look a what happens when musical talent runs in the family! It was wonderful to watch and listen as they played the french horn, drums, tuba, trumpet, piano and a coronet (I think!) with ease and truly a love for what they do. Wow-what musicians! The kids have mastered their instruments and to think that they are so young-I wonder what the future has in store for them?!

Thanks to everyone who shared in this magical night. While it was hot and humid as usual, the crowd seemed to enjoy the evening, the sweet treats from Henry Clay Elementary PTA and the sno-cones from the Knights of Columbus.

It's hard to believe that it was our fourth concert already with only one more to go. I often think of our Bluemont summer like a wedding-so much time is spent preparing and getting excited and then, it seems all too quickly, it's over. Well, almost...

Hope to see you this Sunday!

Our volunteers are the BEST!

What a day today! At 11:00 this morning, 1,300 fundraising letters sat on my dining room table, waiting to be signed, folded, stuffed into matching envelopes, stamped, sealed and mailed and at 9:00 tonight-done! Can you believe it?! Our volunteers really are the best!

Starting with coffee and a blueberry scone and in my PJs the fun began with Jen, Julia, Lee, Susan and Faith and rolled easily into the afternoon when Micheline and Jeremy joined the fun as Lee, Julia, Jen and Susan went to prepare for their exciting trip! Another knock on the door and Carolyn and Jerry came in to help with Susan later returning for more excitement as the day continued with coffee being replaced with iced tea and cranberry. Not long after, Jeremy and I found ourselves alone, signing and stamping but determined to forge ahead! Paige soon joined in and we were pleasantly surprised to find Faith and Jerry returning and Christiane coming along as well. On the homestretch, wine replaced tea and before we knew it, we were finished. I wish I could describe the wonderful conversation flow from travel to art to fundraising to movies to the environment to concerts....it was wonderful!

Thank you everyone for giving your time and sharing your thoughts and helping to make this letter signing day one to remember.

This Sunday the 16th-The Lindsay Family and we'll miss you Jen!

I can't believe this Sunday will be our 4th Bluemont in Ashland concert! Yikes, that means there's only one left after this week! Well, I won't think about that too much right now-I'll just get super excited to hear some great jazz by The Lindsay Family instead!

This family of five includes a 14 year-old trumpet and piano virtuoso, a "trombone and bass-wailing" 12 year-old and a "tuba toting drummer" 9 year old with their dad on trumpet and guitar and their mom on french horn and piano. Wow! They also sing and love every minute of it, according to the reviews.

So everyone, gather your family, your friends and all the kids you can find and come check out the Lindsay Family this week. I'm sure it will be a magical night!

There will be someone missing though and things won't be quite the same-Jen, the wonderful other half of this Bluemont in Ashland team, will be cruising the waters of Alaska! We'll miss you Jen, more than can be said in this post. Send lots of postcards and we'll take lots of pictures! ox

L'Angelus-what fun!

Our third Bluemont in Ashland concert with L'Angelus was so much fun! Ashland was quite a busy place today-the last of our Children's Theatre Camp production of Peter Pan was enjoyed by all, then a mad dash to clean up and get to the cast party, followed by driving back from the country to get ready for some of the best cajun music around!

Boy, it was hot though! We were a little worried that the temperature might have kept people home, basking in the cool indoors but to our delight, many dedicated Bluemont fans braved the heat and mosquitos to join us! Not only did they come, but many spent the evening dancing up front, with friends, children and family members. Fun, yes indeed!

If you were there, hopefully, you bought a CD or two to share with your friends. I did and I can't wait to listen to it tomorrow-it may be in my frosty cool kitchen though perhaps while looking for a wonderful cajun recipe to go along with it!
Check out the photo memories of L'Angelus

Hope to see you next Sunday for The Lindsay Family!

Sweet Treats!

Do you have a sweet tooth or does listening to great music on the lawn make you wish for some yummy snacks? Well, no worries! Did you know that at every Bluemont in Ashland concert, there will be a wonderful community group with a large table of all kind of treats to satisfy your cravings? We've been so excited to have PTA groups from John M. Gandy Elementary School and Henry Clay Elementary School, Mothers of Preschoolers, Knights of Columbus and the Ashland/Hanover Citizens for Responsible Growth ( just to name a few!) provide brownies, cookies, popcorn, sno-cones, popsicles, cupcakes and many other kinds of terrific snacks and desserts. All proceeds benefit the community group that's there-a super way to help local organizations earn a little extra!

This week, The Hanover Arts and Activities Center will have a table. I know there are lots of wonderful bakers and cooks in Ashland so come on over and buy as many delights as you can carry-you may even want to take some home for Monday's lunch!

See you there!

More Businesses Support Us!

Many thanks to Postnet for joining the Bluemont-In-Ashland - business friends club! We are so thankful to everyone that supports us in reaching our goal of 11K this summer. Our business friends are featured in our program insert and announced at each remaining Bluemont concert. Thanks for all of your help and if you know of a business friend that would like to join the club - call 804-304-5588! Many thanks!

Just a few more days until our third concert!

With the middle of the week coming tomorrow, there are only a few days following until our 3rd concert of the summer. Time-hmmmm, does it speed up in the summer even though the days are longer? Well, at least we have a great band to look forward to this Sunday!

Louisiana Zydeco musicians, L'Angelus will be bringing "the spirit of their Cajun and Irish roots with heart, wit, flair and confidence through some of the sweetest harmonies and most electrifying sounds you'll ever hear!" These three siblings in their 20's have been traveling the continent for the past 12 years, playing festivals and concerts and sharing their love of music with everyone they meet.

You can learn more about L'Angelus by visiting their website www.angelusband.com or search for their video on www.youtube.com.

We can't wait to dance on the lawn in our bare feet-can you?

Our Second Concert and What a Great TIme!

I hope, as you are reading this, that you had the chance to enjoy Last Train Home last night! They were terrific-I wished they had played all night long-two hours just wasn't long enough. Nope, not at all.

Once again, we were all worried about the weather (August is just like that I suppose) but with a final opinion from our good friend Lily Rose (running another Bluemont in Leesburg), we decided to stay outside (our favorite choice of course!) and we were rewarded with sunny weather. No one seemed to notice the high humidity as everyone enjoyed the music, danced, wandered around and chatted with friends and neighbors. The crowd was very large and there were lots of children in attendance who ran about with glow sticks and big smiles. Just lovely.

Thank you to all who helped our Sunflower Thermometer rise to about $4,900. We're almost 1/2 way to our goal and also a big thanks to those who contributed door prizes. For pictures and more details about that, visit our website. You'll find the link on this blog, somewhere on the right side column. See you next week for some New Orleans Cajun Zydeco from L'Angelus!

Check out the photo memories of Last Train Home