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BRC Events

Sunrise at the BRC

February 11, 2023

Located in the basement of our home, the BRC workshop faces east across one of the three lakes in our neighborhood. The shoreline behind our house is frequented by deer, foxes, raccoons, and the occasional rambling coyote. Grandkids catch hefty catfish from our dock in the summertime. This winter, sunrises have been a frequent spectacle of meteorology.  By November, wide temperature swings brought freeze-thaw cycles to our lake while intermittently crystalizing its icy monochrome surface.  It is said that Mark Twain advised, “If you don’t like the weather in Missouri, wait five minutes.”

In early December, sunrises were streaked with feathery red-orange hues that mirrored themselves on the waters and frequently predicted impending snow flurries.

Later in December, the Heartland was visited by angry crimson skies (below) heralding the arrival of an historic bomb-cyclone storm that pummeled the landscape and all who lived here.

When the colossal storm finally abated, a gold-striped horizon and windswept morning sky (below) emerged at sunup to reveal that about 600 Canada geese had been driven south by the storm and taken refuge on our frozen neighborhood lakes.

Home owners began to shoot bottle rockets at the noisy  flock to hasten its departure, but to no avail whatsoever. Only the arrival of a hungry coyote stealthily prowling the shorelines was sufficiently alarming to alert the geese to a menacing predator, and the giant flock of birds promptly took wing and fled en masse to faraway environs. As dawn unfolds daily, we are not infrequently treated to a “Giverny in the Sky” alluding to Monet`s serial paintings of his pond in France visited by the BRC wife and her sister a few years ago.

From the BRC: Have a sunny and Happy Valentine`s Day.

Art Shows

Gone Fishin`

January 28, 2023

Every January, the local community art league embarks into the new calendar year with its annual Food Show. The theme of the 2023 juried exhibit is  “Nibble.” This yearly contest is highlighted by an evening fund raiser each February entitled “Let Them Eat Art” where local restauranteurs and brewpub owners compete for awards by concocting tasty treats and beverages based on the themes of the artworks on display in the gallery. For this culinary art show, the BRC craftsman designed the Gone Fishin` banjo. The peg head boldly displays a leaping “lunker” ready to battle any sporting angler. Meanwhile, a peaceful fisherman carefully reels in a fish that nibbled at some bait and fell prey to the hook within it.

The lower fretboard illustrates hungry fish in various stages of eagerly breaching the water`s surface in search of a snack while swimming among hidden barbed hooks clothed in bait. At the fifth fret space, an angler contentedly lands a catch.

In the upper neck, busy fish glide to and fro looking for a meal in waters coursed by attractive lures and thinly disguised hooks.

At the gala January opening reception, exhibit hall guests closely study the features of the Gone Fishin` banjo.

Next month at the Let Them Eat Art fund raiser, gallery visitors will vote on the best food and beverage offerings, and the winners will be ceremoniously announced at the end of the evening.

From the BRC: Have a Happy Groundhog Day.

BRC Activities, Jamming

Thanks & A Maxim

January 14, 2023

Not too long ago, the Gainor & Friends jammers surpassed the $29K milestone in donations to the local Children`s Hospital since the band’s inception in 1995. With our tenure at the Broadway Brewery since 2009, the generous patrons at the family-friendly brewpub have accounted for three-fourths of those monies with their faithful tipping at our weekly Sunday afternoon gigs.

The G&F band had its very first performance years ago at the inaugural autumn Pumpkin Festival in the farming village of Hartsburg situated near the Missouri River. Harmony singer Tara is seen below (seated right) in an archival photo taken at the central Missouri agricultural festival during our initial sunny outdoor gig there.

Twenty-seven years later, Tara is seen below (far right front row) still providing harmony vocals with the G&F band recently on a Sunday afternoon at the Broadway Brewery. She performed for a dozen years with the G&F Singers on the pediatric ward of the Children`s Hospital and also on the psychiatric ward of the University Hospital during the Holiday Season. She is a 2013 inductee into the BRC Hall of Fame.

Being blessed with gifted singers and musicians, another one of the G&F band`s mirthful Latin mottos has been, “E bandito rehearsus unim dispersus ad infinitum.” This maxim roughly translates, “The band that rehearses together disperses forever.” We are thankful to all the performers who have generously shared their time and talents with us over these many years.

From the BRC: Keep on pickin’ and singing.

 

BRC Activities

Be It Resolved, Yet Again

December 31, 2022

One of the Latin mottos of the Gainor & Friends jam band is, “Negatori musika populatum diminuendi versus bandito.” Roughly translated, this dictum mandates, ” Play no music if the audience is smaller than the band.”  Over the years, we have not infrequently been remiss in adherence to this lofty injunction. On some occasions, the jammers have performed before less than a handful of listeners who responded to our music with a silent wave of gratitude.  Greek philosopher Plato (428-348 BC) advised, “Music is the best medicine for the soul.”  Centuries later, John Logan (1744-1788) intoned, ” Music is the best medicine for the mind.”

During the recent Holiday season as pictured above, the G&F jammers readied themselves for the New Year with unflagging resolve to continue rejoicing, mind and soul, in the fun and fellowship of Bluegrass music. We are ever thankful to the folks in our audiences and their generous tip donations to the Children`s Hospital.

From the BRC: All good wishes to our BRC readers in the New Year. 

BRC Activities, Cell Perches & HVO, Jamming

A Jam Endures

December 17, 2022

About 40 years ago, a weekly jam session was inaugurated on Thursday evenings in the basement of local hardware store that was owned by an avid Bluegrass guitar/mandolin picker. Attendance at this soon popular year round musical get-together was by invitation only, and the included participants showed-up faithfully regardless of rain, ice, sleet, or snow. The musicians came from different walks of life and embraced diverse sociopolitical agendas,  but the respectful climate of the jam was friendly interaction and tolerant camaraderie. Because of the shared love of Bluegrass music, the meeting succeeded as a mini societal model of mutual acceptance. In the below photo, the gracious jam host Windell is standing (second row) far left. It was not unknown for Mitch Jayne, the bass player for the Dillards, to stop-by on occasion and enjoy the fun and music.

As many years past-by, and some members aged-out, relocated to another state, or passed away. The jam session endured for decades until host Windell sadly passed away earlier this year. Two of the jam regulars, however (blue shirts far left front row), have continued the rich  tradition of this special Thursday night picking session by convening it on an alternating week schedule between their two nearby homes. Participation is still by invitation only, and the jam session has survived the covid pandemic. To celebrate the continued success of the cheerful climate orginally cultivated by store owner Windell, the BRC founder (holding banjo) crafted the “Fiddlin` Bill Cell Perch” for his teammate Bill (blue plaid shirt) as a thank-you gesture signifying their successful partnership in sustaining this enduring jam tradition.

The sturdy red oak smartphone holder bears treble clef signatures, stars, fiddles, and guitars. The heavenly star-swooshes represent musicians who have passed away with the years, and the small mother of pearl stars represent the current active members. On the top of the center post is a slight larger star that represents a nonagenarian original jam session senior member (green vest front row center group photo) who still plays music with us regularly.

The underside of the cell perch is a signature location for a BRC inlay. A hand saw and claw hammer signify that the original site of the jam session was the basement of Windell`s hardware store.

Fiddlin` Bill received his cell perch at the weekly jam session with much gratitude and has stationed the desktop implement in his home recording studio as seen above. We are privileged to continue this weekly jam legacy.

Combining musicians from all three local jam sessions,  a recent festive Seasonal gig at the local brewpub was filled with Holiday sing-alongs enjoyed by the audience and performers alike. As usual, all tip money was donated to the nearby Children`s Hospital.

From the BRC: Happy Holidays to all BRC readers from all of us.