Wasn't that a time!
    As if providing the bass line to John's mandolin pickin' and Hal's
guitar strumming, I'd like to resoundingly "third" their  recognition of
the mighty work done by Barb, the Center and Elmira College. But if the
voice falters a bit, it's only because I haven't yet been able to find
the proper words to put this incredible experience into anything
resembling perspective. All I know for certain sure this Monday morning
is that we all went through a magical stretch of days. Even the weather
knew to cooperate, the rain holding off until after the last of us got
tossed from the Corn Pone Pub Saturday night.
    I knew it would be a wonderful conference when the first Twainiac I
encountered was Tom Tenney (all honor to his name). I've told the tale
until it has gone stale, but Tom was the one who dragged me into the
Mark Twain Circle, and it was glorious to see him holding court in front
of the library.
    When a friend asked me Sunday night how everything went, all I could
mutter back was, "If it had gone any better, I would have thought it was
a setup." Every panel I attended turned a spotlight on Mark Twain in a
new and intriguing way -- and every corner turned on campus was a
friendship renewed.
    Time and again, an event was everything you expected it to be and
more. Example: We knew the keynote address by Russell Banks would be
special, but, before we got there, we were treated to an all-world
introduction by Ann Ryan, whose remarks were cleverly constructed,
beautifully written and splendidly delivered.  Another example: Kevin
McDonnell managed to top his printed tour of Stormfield with that
amazing virtual tour. That's just two examples.
     And that last night at Quarry Farm. . . well, it will take me quite
some time to adequately describe the experience of standing on the
study's original site, singing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" with Hal
Holbrook. And beyond description is the hush that fell over that crowd
when Hal started talking about Clara and Nina.
    The hymn was an appropriate choice, since, during the conference's
last panel,  Alan Gribben raised troubling concerns over the future of
the Mark Twain Circle. Let the legacy of this conference be that the
Circle will be unbroken. One of the first things I did after getting
home was to make sure my dues were paid up, and I shamefacedly
discovered that I had put aside my renewal notice in April (sorry, Ann
and Kerry). Let's do what we can to encourage and build up that
membership, so the Circle and the Conference goes on and on and on (as
this one will in our collective memories).
    But I'll return to where I started, with a chorus of huzzahs for
Barb Snedecor, the Center for Mark Twain Studies and Elmira College. The
food, the talk, the weather, the presentations, the camaraderie --
heaven on the half shell.
     Deepest thanks to all,
       Mark