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Wed., Nov, 11, 1981The Country TodayFountain City program to explore music of rural WisconsinFountain City“Fiddler Leonard” of rural Mondovi has been recognized as the ‘‘best American-born fiddler Playing in the Norwegian tradition.” Herman Rusch, former proprietor of the Prairie Moon Museum near Cochrane and now jiving in Arcadia, took first place in last year’s Trempealeau County Fair fiddling contest for old-timers. He is 96.Both men put in brief appearances — either visibly or mu-Eau ClaireA window shade workshop will be held Nov. 20 in Eau Claire.Sponsored by Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council Inc., the “hands-on” workshop will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the L.E. Phillips Memorialsic ally — in a program on traditional music to be presented here Nov. 15 by the Buffalo County Historical Society.“A Kingdom of Fiddlers,” a 45-minute audiovisual program featuring the sights and sounds of homemade music in rural Wisconsin, will be presented at 7 p.m. at the Fountain City Auditorium. The program is free and open to all area residents and will follow a short business meeting of the Buffalo County Historical Society.insulating Roman shade for a window in their homes. Participants are asked to bring the measurements for a small window, enough tightly woven drapery material to cover the window, needle and thread, tape measure, scissors and sewing machine (optional). All other materials will beThe presentation by documentary photographer Lewis Koch and folklorist Phil Martin is the result of more than a year and a half of research in which they traveled across the state to interview nearly 100 elder musicians. In the program, music and oral history combine with color photography and historical images to paint a picture of Wisconsin’s old-time fiddlers.Through the musicians’ memories, the program reaches back into the time period just prior toThe insulating Roman shade is a quilted curtain with vapor barrier that seals over windows to keep out drafts and hold in heat. Curtain rings and sash cord provide a simple raising and lowering device.The workshop is free; interestedthe Depression, when neighbors gathered often to dance to the fiddlers’ music in farmhouse parlors and kitchens. It also explores the ethnic roots of this music, especially that of the Norwegian immigrants, many of whom settled in Buffalo County and brought with them their dances, wedding traditions and special instruments like the eight-stringed Hardanger fiddle.Producers Martin and Koch, themselves both musicians, will be at the Nov. 15 program here to introduce their documentary and to answer questions. They also will provide live music on the fiddle and autoharp.Senior citizens especially are encouraged to attend the program and share their reminiscences.The presentation is made possible in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Committee.Agency sets window shade seminar in Eau Claire
Newspaper Details
Country Today
Eau Claire, Wisconsin, US
Wed, Nov 11, 1981
Page 25
Full Page
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WI, USA 16 Dec 2023
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