July 12-13, 2024
We are excited to return for our 8th Dutchland Dulcimer Gathering!
This year, we are hosting a mini Gathering on July 12-13, with two fine instructors, Bill Collins and Butch Ross. We have been eager to bring back an in-person Gathering, but there were obstacles to creating a full program. Costs for rental of an appropriate space have skyrocketed, the number of available volunteers has fallen, and other logistical concerns all combined made us decide to host a mini Gathering instead, which we hope will be fun for everyone and still keep our costs reasonable.
Instructor bios, the workshop schedule, workshop descriptions and the registration form are available to view/download now.
There will be a total of 15 workshops available — 6 on Friday afternoon and evening, and 9 on Saturday morning and afternoon. All but one are dulcimer workshops, and the majority are for intermediate players and above. The last Saturday workshop is for beginning ukulele players — so if you know someone who would enjoy that, please spread the word. And please note that, if the ukulele workshop is the only one someone will take, the registration fee for the Gathering will be waived.
This year will find us at a new venue, Salem United Church of Christ, at 2312 Marietta Ave., in Lancaster, PA. The church has its own parking lot, so there will be plenty of free parking available.
Dinner on Friday evening will be on your own, and an optional Saturday lunch is included on the registration form. Of course, you may bring in your own meals if you prefer.
A bit about Dutchland Dulcimers…. we’re a group of folks in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The area is known best for being the home of the Amish in Pennsylvania. However, Lancaster is so much more… a hub for music… art… gourmet dining… education… and more.
Bing Futch challenged us to form a club…so we did. Two years later, with only three months to plan, we held our first gathering (or perhaps pulled it off would be the more appropriate term)… and after 6 more…. here we are. We moved from a small church…. to taking over a school…. to using a wonderful church setting…. and next the wonders of zoom technology, which allowed people around the world to join us in 2020 and 2021, during the pandemic. But we are delighted to return in person this year!
These gatherings have been a wonderful way to share the love of this instrument, meet some amazing players and business owners.… and hopefully provide a place of some solace during turbulent times.
So….looking ahead…
We are still meeting on the first Saturday of every month, and looking to the future…. be sure to keep track of us on Facebook. And enjoy our return this July with the Mini Dutchland Dulcimer Gathering.
Jeffrey Hamilton, chief wrangler of Dutchland Dulcimers