Yep, and I'll have my fiddle all set and we can have 4 of us playing! :)
Jules

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Click, Benjamin A
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 6:03 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Report from Hannibal

That's it.  John, your comment finally broke this camel's back.  I knew I should have ditched my wife's family reunion in New York and come to Hannibal with my piano strapped on my back--unless Kerley's Bar has some house ivories.  All these comments make me fondly recall my first Elmira conference two summers ago.  I'll be in Hannibal in 2015!  Thanks all for sharing.

Best,

Ben


On 8/17/11 5:07 PM, "John Bird" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> The sometimes amiable John B. was expecting a guitar player and singer 
> wh=
o
> lives only two hours away from Hannibal to show up, but sadly, that 
> did n=
ot
> happen. I got to play twin mandolins with Larry Howe, which was a treat.
> Larry and I are now regulars at Kerley's Bar, and I intend to show up 
>on  another Wednesday night for the all-you-can-eat fried catfish.
>=20
> I echo all the good reports of the inaugural conference. Hal Bush was 
>not  the only no-show among the usual suspects--anyone who was put off 
>by the  prospect of a sweltering Hannibal August would have been 
>treated to perfe=
ct
> weather and air-conditioned dorm rooms. I met some old friends and 
> made m=
any
> new ones, heard fine papers, saw the trailer for the upcoming 
> documentary=
 on
> Hal Holbrook, and enjoyed the performance of "A True Story," as well 
> as keynotes from Barbara Snedecor and Robert Hirst. Henry Sweets, 
> truly an amiable person if there ever was one, put on a great 
> conference, along wi=
th
> Cindy Lovell and the museum staff.  Kent Rasmussen covered the 
> highlights well, but I just want to say, as a first-time visitor to 
> Hannibal, that anyone with even a passing interest in Mark Twain MUST 
> go there. The tour=
 of
> the cave blew my mind and changed the way I will read both Tom Sawyer 
> and Huckleberry Finn.  Thanks again to Henry and Cindy for a great 
> conference=
,
> and I hope to make my way there in 2015--and I hope a bunch more folks 
> wi=
ll
> be there too!
>=20
> John Bird
>=20
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Harold 
>Bush
> Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 11:47 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Report from Hannibal
>=20
> And I heard this from one of my students, Debra Cochran (who sketched  
>Emmeline as "Goth"), who by the way felt very welcomed, encouraged and  
>respected by all the participants (not a surprise at all in that genial
> company):
>=20
> the amiable John Bird toted along his mandolin, ready to reprise the  
>Americana of yesteryear.  sorry to miss that spectacle, my only 
>question =
is
> did Joe Csicsila also bring a guitar?  that would be a fun prospect, 
> sitt=
ing
> along the banks of the mighty river and playing "Old Folks at Home" or  
>"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" with John and Joe, and with other brave folk  
>(like perhaps Sharon McCoy) singing back-up.  maybe next time....
>=20
>=20
>=20