voyager records seattle

50 Years of Northwest Folklife Feature: Vivian Williams

Northwest Folklife celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2021 with a commemorative logo , highlighting the people and the communities who make Northwest Folklife and all of our programs what it is today. This celebratory 50th logo was designed to feature the core of our organization and one that encompasses who we are—and that is YOU, our community.

Featured at the bottom of the ‘5’ is an illustration inspired by Vivian Williams , master fiddler and co-founder of Northwest Folklife. This illustration was inspired by a photo taken by Christopher Nelson of Vivian performing at the Northwest Folklife Festival in 2017.

Phil and Vivian Williams | Photo by Irene Young

Vivian Williams has played the fiddle for 60 years and is well known for her depth of understanding of many styles of fiddle music. She is recognized as a master of Celtic, old-time, and bluegrass-style fiddling. Vivian is also one of the very first folklorists of regional music through her recording company, Voyager Records . Alongside her late husband, Phil Williams, Vivian co-founded the Northwest Folklife Festival in 1971.

Not only is she a champion fiddler in many different contests in the US and Canada, but she is also a composer, publisher, editor, recording artist, workshop teacher, and folk music researcher, consultant, and historian. She is an accomplished bluegrass and old-time dance fiddler, playing regularly for contra dances in the Seattle area. She has a special love of the Pacific Northwest fiddling style and is passionate about keeping the art of fiddling alive and well.

Vivian Williams at the 2017 Northwest Folklife Festival | Photo by Christopher Nelson

In addition to being featured on our special logo, Vivian is also the first culture bearer highlighted in our new Living Legacies Podcast , created in partnership with Jack Straw Cultural Center. Launching in celebration of Northwest Folklife’s 50th anniversary, this podcast celebrates the voices and stories of individuals around the Pacific Northwest through in-depth interviews.

Listen to the first episode to hear Vivian reflect on the origins of Northwest Folklife, its legacy, and how she hopes it grows in 50 years and beyond.

Washington Old Time Fiddlers performing at the Plaza of the States, NW Folklife, 1972.

You can learn more about Vivian here:

"Seattle stands out as thriving center for Old Time Music on the West Coast. Many fine musicians, dancers, & folklorists live in the Emerald City, and our community welcomes you to come join us for a tune!!

Old Time Music is often associated with the music of the Appalachian Mountain Region, recordings of which became popularized by early radio in the 1920's. However, lesser-known regional music styles, influenced by the vast diversity of immigrants and their contact with native peoples, developed across our vast country. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it's documented that celebrations including fiddle music and traditional contra dancing happened near Seattle as early as 1862!

Though this music is old as the hills, it's vibrant energy and rhythmic drive inspires musicians, dancers, & listeners of all ages and walks of life. Many will share my sentiment that this music is best enjoyed via participation, and old time musicians love to share, so come kick up your heels at a square dance, or bring your instrument out to a jam session!"

- Charmaine Slaven

Mailing List

Join the Old-Time Seattle Email List to discuss events and other topics related to this community. Note that the mailing list is not associated with this website; they are maintained by separate parties.

Other Resources

• Seattle Folklore Society
• Voyager Records
• Portland Old Time Music
• Old-time Central
• Old-time Open Jams Map
• Seattle Old-Time Music on Facebook

HERE ARE LINKS to hundreds of essays penned by NWMA director, Pete Blecha, covering many aspects of the history of music-making, broadcasting and audio-recording, visionary technological innovation, & pop culture in the Pacific Northwest. Many essays are organized in various thematic groupings directly below and beneath those, they are arranged again alphabetically by their core topics.

• Northwest musicians, songs & dances .
• Legendary music venues .
• Music via pioneering radio & TV stations.
• Early recording studios & record companies .
• Inventive local guitar-makers .
• Hawaiian steel guitarists of the Northwest
• Local country & folk traditions.
• Hot & cool jazz , R&B , & soul music.
• The saga of “ Louie, Louie .”
• Northwest hip-hop culture & rap music.
• Rockabilly , the “Original Northwest Sound,” & rock ‘n’ roll .

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“alaska-yukon-pacific exposition (1909): music at the fair”, “alaska-yukon-pacific exposition (1909): german day”, “alexys, seattle folk-pop singer, opens big beach boys & yardbirds concert at the coliseum (1966)”, “ernestine anderson: jazz singer”, “otto anderson (1857– 1938): seattle’s early guitar-maker”, “aragon recording studios & the vern mallory orchestra (1944– 1945)”, “audiovox electric guitars”, “ audiovox: the world’s first electric bass guitar is discovered”, “auditorium theater: spokane’s finest stage (1890)”, “mildred bailey & bing crosby: spokane’s jazz royalty”, “the bards’ ‘british invasion’ days (1966)”, “the barons: the northwest’s first hit-making ’50s teen rock ‘n’ roll group”, “kearney barton: the man who engineered the ‘northwest sound'”, “ battle of the bands vol. i,”   cd liner notes (2001), “the beachcombers: aberdeen / hoquiam’s 1st rockers” (1986), “the beatles in seattle (1964)”, “sir thomas beecham: seattle’s feud with the ‘badboy of the baton'”, “overton berry trio starts legendary gig at seattle’s doubletree inn on june 28, 1969”, “overton berry (b. 1936)”, “ richard berry, los angeles r&b singer, brings ‘louie louie’ to seattle on september 21, 1957″, “richard berry (1935– 1997): part i”, “ birdland: seattle’s fabled ’50s r&b hotspot”, “the black hawks: seattle’s legendary roaring ’20s jazz band”, “ blind radio five orchestra: seattle (1925)”, “the boeing band live at boeing field (1931)”, “ joe boles: seattle’s first hit-making audio engineer”, “the bootmen: olympia’s baddest ’60s band” (1984), “ stan boreson: everett’s king of scandinavian humor”, “rarest nw records: the braxton quartet’s ‘white port’ (1950s)”, “patsy britten: seattle’s ‘sweetheart of radio’ (1920s…)”, “patsy britten joins our gang in hollywood (1931-1932)”, “ olof bull plays his fiddle on mount rainier’s summit (1896)”, “ dave bunker files patent application for his unique electric guitar (1957)”, “ dave bunker & his mind-blowingly unique electric guitars (1955– 2013)”, “ john cage (1912– 1992): the seattle years”, “ john cage debuts his ‘prepared piano’ in seattle on april 28, 1940″, “camelot records: seattle’s ‘lost’ label of the 1960s”, “hazel carroll: seattle’s great harpist (1925)”, “ century 21 expo (1962): twist party celebrates seattle world’s fair opening”, “ century 21 expo (1962): music at the fair”, “ century 21 expo (1962): performing arts at the fair”, “ century 21 expo (1962): theme songs & souvenir records”, “ century 21 expo: saturday night dances debut on june 28, 1962″, “ century 21 expo: elvis presley’s arrival in seattle draws throngs on september 5, 1962″, “ century 21 expo (1962) seattle’s september days with elvis presley”, “ray charles cuts his debut record: seattle (1948)”, “the fabulous chancellors: boise’s rocker boys (1961 — 1965)”, “the checkers: yakima’s rockers (1958– 1962)”, “cirque playhouse (seattle, 1950– 1981)”, “nancy claire: the first lady of northwest rock”, “cle elum hosts a ‘knife dance’ (1947)”, “seattle’s columbian trio plays hawaiian music (1920s)”, “seattle’s coon chicken inn dance (1933)”, “ john coppock & his deluxe electric guitars (1934–1958)”, “john coppock & his hawaiian band (1927)”, “john coppock, peshastin’s star guitarist, returns from hollywood for hometown concert in 1927”, “coppock guitars: rarities from the pacific northwest”, “country music in the pacific northwest”, “the counts: ballard’s best r&b band (1958– 1966)”, “crocodile cafe opens on april 30, 1991, as grunge rock scene erupts”, “crocodile cafe: seattle’s grunge rock era icon”, “bing crosby & mildred bailey: spokane’s jazz royalty”, “the daily flash: seattle’s ’60s folk-rock heroes (1965– 1967)”, “jini dellaccio: iconic photographer of northwest musical icons”, “depression era dance at juanita park (1933)”, “dolton: the northwest’s first rock ‘n’ roll record company”, “the dynamics: north seattle’s top ’60s teen-r&b band (1959 — 1968)”, “easy chair: seattle’s ’60s psychedelic sons” (1986), “chance eden: port angeles’ ’60s singing star” (1985), “ben engholm: seattle’s 1920s pioneering radio loudspeaker designer”, “etiquette rules the northwest’s reigning ’60s garage-rock record company”, “evergreen ballroom: olympia’s lost landmark (1931– 2000)”, “fabulous hammers: pikesville cd review” (2009), “the fairmont singers: oregon’s fine folkies (1962)”, “fat jack: bellingham’s 1st hippie folk band (1966-1968)”, “helen louise ferera (1887 — 1919): seattle’s famed hawaiian guitarist”, “50 most influential musicians,” seattle metropolitan magazine, 2008, “four pearls: northwest doo-wop (1957– 1960)”, “the frantics: seattle’s top teenage ’50s band” (1984), “the gallahads: seattle’s ’50s doo-wop kings”, “gay pride: a brief history of queer musicians in the northwest”, “jazzman elmer gill fights seattle’s segregation (1956)”, “great depression dance (1933)”, “seattle’s green lake band (ca. 1912)”, “seattle’s groove record shop (1950s)”, “the dawn of grunge rock (1988)”, “louder than heck: grunge rock’s beginnings,” discoveries magazine, 1990, “bonnie guitar: the northwest’s trail-blazing pop pioneer “, “guitars, guitars, guitars,” feedback magazine, 1999, “this land was his land: woody guthrie’s northwest days,” feedback magazine, 2001, “woody guthrie: his northwest days”, “ivar haglund, the seafood-selling songster (1946)”, “ hanburt electric guitars: rarities from the pacific northwest,” vintage guitar magazine, 2008, “harvey hansen & his hanburt electric guitars (1939–1950)”, “gracie hansen (1922– 1985)”, “hawaiian music & its historic seattle connection”, “hawaiian guitar star, helen louise, lost from seattle-bound steamship (1919)”, “jimi hendrix (1942– 1970)”, “high school usa (seattle / portland) (1959)”, “barney hilliard: seattle’s first teenage r&b sax star”, “hip-hop history: seattle’s ‘underground’ hip-hop scene breaks out with big exhibition hall gig on august 17, 1984”, “hip-hop history: spring rapfest concert ends in mini-riot outside seattle’s paramount theatre on may 16, 1987″, “hip-hop history: nastymix records’ party marks gold record awarded to sir mix-a-lot’s swass album on april 29, 1989″, “hip-hop history: nastymix records hosts fifth anniversary party on november 29, 1990”, “hip-hop history: macklemore & ryan lewis perform gay-rights anthem ‘same love’ at 2014 grammy awards”, “ron holden: seattle’s sweet ’60s teen balladeer”, “sol ho’opi’i (1903-1953): the seattle years of the ‘king of the hawaiian steel guitar'”, “the final concert of “sol ho’opi’i – moore theatre, seattle (september 28, 1953)”, “vladimir horowitz piano recital raided by seattle police (1932)”, “seattle’s tex howard band & the “airplane dance’ (1935)”, “inland empire rock: the sound of eastern washington”, “it’s a beautiful day’s seattle-penned song, “white bird,” hits the billboard charts on october 4, 1969.”, “annie jackson: seattle’s 1800s banjo gal”, “‘jazz intoxication’ bill introduced to washington state legislature (1933)”, “ jerden records: when the seattle music biz got serious”, “ farewell to northwest blues giant, joe johansen” (1997), “ little willie john: his final gigs in seattle (1964)”, “ jolly entertainers: the draper children’s home band (1907– 1927)”, “ quincy jones (b. 1933)”, “ quincy jones (& the lionel hampton orchestra) rocks seattle’s trianon ballroom on august 31, 1951″, “juke box wars: seattle’s music mob (1940s)”, “ kfoa conducts the northwest’s ‘first long-distance remote control’ radio broadcast in 1925″, “the kingsmen: best of, featuring ‘louie, louie ‘” (lp liner notes, 1988), “kjr radio & stamp collecting (1921)”, “ krko: everett’s historic radio station”, “krsc: seattle’s radio & tv pioneers”, “gene krupa rocks seattle’s trianon ballroom (1946)”, “labor song traditions of the northwest”, “led zeppelin rocks seattle’s green lake aqua theatre on may 11, 1969”, “seattle letter carriers’ quartet (1925…)”, “dave lewis: seattle’s 1950s r&b pioneer” (1983), “dave lewis: the father of northwest rock”, “dave lewis (1938 — 1998): a tribute” (1998), “‘sheriff tex’ jim lewis (1909– 1990)”, “linden records: seattle’s ‘lost’ post-war music company”, “little bill and the bluenotes: tacoma’s teen-r&b pioneers (1958-1960)”, “‘louie louie’ makes seattle debut at september 21, 1957 eagles hall dance”, “‘ louie louie’: the saga of a northwest hit song”, “‘louie louie’ through the ages”, “ garage rock anthem “louie louie” turns 50″, “ alfred lueben: seattle’s german music professor”, “the maddy brothers: country / rockabilly cats (1954– 1965)”, “the mastersounds jazz combo records in seattle (1957)”, “big jay mcneely: king of the honkers,” feedback magazine, 1998, “jack mcvea & his door openers (1946– 1948)”, “vic meyers’ ‘shake it…’ seattle’s first record (1923)”, “the moonlight marauders: port angeles’ first rockers” (1985), “phil moore (1917-1987): northwest jazz piano prodigy hits the big-time in hollywood”, “‘morrie’ & alice morrison: northwest music industry pioneers”, “the mount st. helens theme-song eruption of 1980” (1985), “the ‘negro musicians’ union,’ seattle local 493 (1918– 1958)”, “the ‘negro musicians’ union,’ seattle local 493, holds benefit bash in 1951”, “two segregated musicians’ unions, seattle’s afm locals 76 & 493, merge in 1958”, “muzak: the originators of ‘elevator music'”, “muzak co. merges with seattle’s yesco (1986)”, “seattle’s myers’ music shop (1930s– 1984)”, “seattle’s national institute of music & arts [nioma] (1932– 1955)”, “nioma’s “open air musical festival” wows seattle crowd (1933)”, “nirvana places ‘drummer wanted’ classified ad in the rocket magazine (may 1988)”, “nirvana’s live & loud mtv concert rocks seattle’s pier 48 warehouse (1993)”, “nite owl records & everett’s ’50s r&b stars: the shades”, “the ‘black roots’ of the original northwest sound”, “northwest rock: the great eruption of ’59”, “the history of northwest rock: vol. 1”, “the history of northwest rock, vol. 2: the garage years”, “the history of northwest rock, vol. 3: psychedelic seattle”, “northwest rock: the reunion concert of ’72”, “northwest rock: the ‘great nw rock and roll show’ of ’80”, “the northwest’s 1st ‘sampler album’ (1959)”, “louder than heck: the northwest now,” discoveries magazine (1990), “krist novoselic: a biography”, “pat o’day: the godfather of northwest rock”, “ tom ogilvy, seattle’s original ‘record man’ (r.i.p. 2000)”, “buck owens’ pacific northwest days,” feedback magazine, 1998, “ parker’s ballroom”, “pearl jam performs debut gig at seattle’s off ramp cafe on october 22, 1990”, “ elvis presley’s arrival in seattle during the century 21 expo draws throngs on september 5, 1962″, “ elvis presley’s september in seattle during the century 21 expo (1962)”, “ punks rock: seattle’s first diy show (1976)”, “quest for volume: electric guitars and the auditory arms race,” essay, crossroads: the emp collection book (2000), “ rainier beer: seattle’s iconic brewery”, “the ‘rainier waltz’ (1952)”, “the raymarks & bremerton’s rockin’ roots (1960– 1966)”, “ recording studios of the pacific northwest (1940 — 1960s)”, “vintage rhythm & blues of the pacific northwest,” discoveries magazine, 1990, “ buck ritchey: northwest country radio legend (1915– 1973)”, “ jack rivers: seattle’s 1950s country guitar star”, “ rockin’ robin roberts (1940– 1967): tacoma’s legendary rock ‘n’ roller”, “ rockin’ robin roberts, former singer with tacoma rock band, the wailers, dies in an automobile accident on december 22, 1967″, “ rockin’ robin roberts: r.i.p.”, “ seattle songster, earl robinson, & his famous ‘joe hill’ tune”, “the 1950s rockabilly invasion of the northwest”, “rockin’ party: northwest rockabilly” (1990), “seattle jazzers think rock ‘n’ roll is ‘disgusting’ (1959)”, “the rocking chair: seattle’s fabled 1940s nightclub”, “rola: seattle’s 1920s radio loudspeaker company”, “sadie & yam: seattle’s ‘banjoists supreme’ (1925)”, “same love: a brief history of queer musicians in the northwes t”, “mme. schumann-heink, opera diva, quits disastrous seattle concert (1925)”, “seafair records: seattle’s swingin’ ’60s music company”, “ seattle bandstand debuts on king-tv on march 16, 1958″, “ seattle bandstand (1958– 1961)”, “ seattle: the city of music”, “ seattle harmony kings (1920s)”, “seattle repertory theatre debuts with king lear on november 13, 1963”, “the ‘seattle song’ (1952)”, “seattle symphony & maestro mary davenport-engberg”, “seattle symphony & sir thomas beecham”, “seattle symphony & milton katims”, “seattle symphony debuts opera in 1962”, “seattle symphony hires first african american musician, bruce lawrence”, “seattle symphony & gerard schwarz”, “grand opening of seattle’s show box is celebrated on july 24, 1939”, “ the showbox theater: seattle’s musical landmark”, “jeff simmons: from the prophets to zappa’s mothers” (1986), “song-catchers: documenting the music of northwest indians”, “the sonics: tacoma’s ’60s garage-rock teen titans”, “the sonics: the ultimate sonics cd liner notes (1990)”, “the sonics: maintaining my cool (1991)”, “the sonics: live in tacoma 1964 cd liner notes (1997)”, “the sonics reunite at paramount theater in 2008”, “ the spanish castle ballroom”, “ bruce springsteen rocks seattle’s old timers’ cafe with tavern band (1980)”, “ the squirrels: scrapin’ for hits cd liner notes (1996)”, “ patrinell staten’s new soul 45 becomes seattle radio hit in 1969″, “ lola sugia’s “blue tears” 45 (1960)”, “the swags: bellingham’s first rockstars (1958– 1960)”, “tacoma’s musicians benefit ball (1937)”, “tall cool ones: pop hits of the pacific northwest,” discoveries magazine (1990), “harvey thomas (1920-1987): maker of electrifying custom guitars”, “thomas custom guitars: rarities from the pacific northwest,” vintage guitar magazine (2013), “ the seattle daily times features harvey thomas’s eccentric and obscure guitar-making company on september 21, 1969″, “ those redheads from seattle (1953)”, “billy tipton: spokane’s secretive jazzman”, “total experience gospel choir (1973– 2013)”, “tuba man: seattle’s famous street musician, ed mcmichael (1955– 2008)”, “paul tutmarc (1896 — 1972) & his audiovox electric guitars”, “paula tutmarc-johnson (1950– 2013): a northwest songster of note”, “ twist party celebrates seattle world’s fair opening (april 20, 1962)”, “the ubangi club: seattle’s hot nitespot (1936– 1938)”, “the viceroys: seattle rock royalty (1958– 1966)”, “volcanic rock: the mt. st. helens song eruption of 1980” (1985), “ the wailing wailers (1958– 1993)”, “washington hall (1908– 2010)”, “clayton watson: northwest ’50s rockabilly pioneer” (1983), “rarest nw records: rollie webber’s ‘tired of livin” (1959)”, “ian whitcomb: you turn me on,” feedback magazine (1998), “‘white bird’: the saga behind 1969’s seattle-penned hit song”, “gary williams: spokane’s ‘travelin’ blues boy” (1986), “‘wireless telephone’ invention unveiled in seattle in 1909”, “pat wright: seattle’s gospel music star”, “women of northwest rock: the first 50 years (1957– 2007)”, “ cecil young’s be-bop jazz: seattle (1951)”, “neil young’s iconic anthem ‘rockin’ in the free world’ makes its public debut in seattle concert on february 21, 1989”, “ youngstown dance in early seattle neighborhood (1933)”, “yuletide classics: northwest xmas songs (part i, 1942–1985)”.

• The Contents
• The Making of
• Where Are They Now
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Q & A with Ed Stone

golden record

Where are they now.

• frequently asked questions
• Q&A with Ed Stone

The Golden Record

Pioneers 10 and 11, which preceded Voyager, both carried small metal plaques identifying their time and place of origin for the benefit of any other spacefarers that might find them in the distant future. With this example before them, NASA placed a more ambitious message aboard Voyager 1 and 2, a kind of time capsule, intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials. The Voyager message is carried by a phonograph record, a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth.

Welcome to 21st century flight planning with the most modern and easiest to use flight planners.

Voyager SmartPlan Premier and Express are the most modern, easiest to use flight planners on the market at any price.  Powerful features like the true 3D wind-optimized SmartRouter ?, high-performance aircraft modeling, integrated satellite and radar overlays and seamless Internet connectivity get you from planning to flying in record time.

Voyager's SmartPlan is the only flight planner available that recommends a different route each time you plan based on the weather and winds aloft specific to your departure time, destination, and the aircraft you fly.   Only the true 3D wind-optimizing SmartRouter can take you on a different path every time and save you time and fuel costs. 

Missouri Traditional Fiddle & Dance Network

Warren helton, an elder of the missouri fiddle community, dies at 83.

by Howard Marshall, also appearing in Fiddler Magazine

Helton, October 2010. (Photo by Howard Marshall)

Warren Helton, a strong advocate who kept an unusually-rich storehouse of family fiddle traditions alive, and who embraced western swing as a young man, died in Vienna, Missouri, August 28, 2020. He had been in fragile health following a stroke in recent years, and suffered from advancing Alzheimer’s disease. Continue reading →

Carol Beaty Hascall, Fiddler and Luthier, Died November 23, 2019

Most devotees of fiddle music and history know of Carol’s rich family history of fiddle and dance music. In childhood, Carol played guitar in the popular dance band organized by her father, fiddler Andy Beaty. Her father strongly discouraged her from playing the fiddle, but fiddling was Carol’s passion and she prevailed in her desire and became a successful contest competitor and recording artist, performing in a variety of country and bluegrass bands.

Hascall was included in the University of Missouri’s Grammy Finalist documentary recording project, Now That’s a Good Tune: Masters of Missouri Fiddling. The 1989 project was been reissued on CD by Voyager Records in 2008, available at www.voyagerrecordsandbooks.com.

Arkansas 2020 Fiddlers’ Convention Canceled

The 37th Annual Arkansas Fiddlers’ Convention, scheduled for March 26–29, 2020 in Harrison, Arkansas, has been canceled.

Roger Williams, Missouri Bluegrass Fiddler, Dies at 84

Roger Williams plays some tunes on the violin his uncle Clyde Briggs, a soldier in World War Two, brought home from Germany after the war in 1945; Roger acquired the bow while in the Army in 1960. With guitarist Ed McKinney, West Plains, 2013. (Photo by Howard Marshall)

Roger A. Williams, one of the Midwest’s foremost bluegrass fiddlers, died in West Plains, Missouri, December 15, 2019. He was 84. Williams was born in 1935 on the family farm between Cureall and Pottersville in the gently rolling landscape of Howell County in southern Missouri. Roger descended from Scottish, English, Irish, and Cherokee Indian people, and there are many musicians in the clan. Continue reading →

Bethel Youth Fiddle Camp, 2019

Vesta Johnson shows some young fiddlers how to play a dance tune.

The annual youth fiddle camp hosted in Bethel, Missouri, will be held June 9-14 this summer. It’s a great opportunity for young fiddlers to spend the week working with master musicians every day and meeting other young musicians who love to play as much as they do. Read more about the event or register to attend.

Bethel Adult Fiddle Camp, 2019

This event has been postponed and more information will be shared when it has been rescheduled or canceled.

Master Missouri fiddlers Charlie Walden, Angie Lennie, and Mickey Soltys will be teaching workshops all weekend. They represent a broad variety of Missouri styles and a deep trove of traditional tunes and lore.

Come play till your fingers bleed and learn tunes till your brain leaks out your ears! Your friends and family might not understand, but you’ll meet new friends who do at Bethel!

Memorial Scheduled for Missouri Fiddler John White

John will be sorely missed by his family, his musical compatriots, the many young and young-at-heart musicians who learned from him, and of course, his community dance in Hallsville. The Hallsville dance was a labor of love for John for over 15 years (during which he missed only two dances!), and we will continue dancing on the second Saturday of each month at the Hallsville Community Center.

There will be an Open House in John’s honor at Bach-Yager Funeral Home  in Columbia, MO on Friday, August 18 from 5-7 pm.

There will be a Celebration of Life and Jam Session, also at Bach-Yager Funeral Home in Columbia, MO, on Saturday, August 19 from 2-5 pm.

“Fiddler’s Dream” Book-Signing in St. Louis

New book: fiddler’s dream.

The book includes a CD produced by Voyager Records (Seattle, WA) including 30 tunes, ranging from a 1939 radio broadcast featuring Lonnie Robertson to a 2015 home recording of Cecil Goforth. Other fiddlers represented on the CD (many more are discussed in the book) are Howe Teague, Roy Wooliver, Bert Lewis, Billy Moore, Don Russell, Leroy Canaday, Larry Ellis, Luther Caldwell, Emmett Heath, Zed Tennis, Bobby Joe Caldwell, Dale Pauley, Jamie Haage, Lyman Enloe, Delbert Spray, Warren Helton, Roger Williams, John Williams, and Pete McMahan. There are also tunes from Missouri fiddlers who migrated to the West — Ishmael (Ozark Red) Loveall, Earl Willis, Ellis Cowan, Ron Hughey, and Bob Fast.

Book Release Events

• Friday, June 2 , 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, Jefferson City, Downtown Book & Toy​ on High Street (​book signing​ only​​).
• Thursday, July 13 , 2107, 7 pm, Jefferson City, Missouri Valley Regional Library, Art Gallery, program with live fiddle music, with book signing after.
• Saturday, September 23 , mid-day, Gainesville, program with live music at The Historium museum, during Hootin an’ Hollerin Festival. (Featuring fiddler H. K. Silvey)
• Saturday, November 18 , 9:30 am, Columbia, book talk with live music at Boone County Historical Society museum, Nifong Park.
• Saturday, December 2 , 9:30 am, Columbia, Osher Institute, Book Talk with live music. (Featuring fiddler Dale Pauley)
• Monday, December 11 , 7 pm, Columbia, Daniel Boone Regional Library.

You can pick up your copy locally at Downtown Book & Toy in Jefferson City, or order it online from Amazon , Barnes & Noble  or directly from the University of Missouri Press .

Congratulations are due to Howard on a job well done!

Ozark Fiddler Cliff Bryan Dies at Age 89

West Plains, Missouri, Fiddler Cliff Bryan, as pictured on the cover of his recent Voyager Records CD. Photo by Rachel Reynolds

Submitted by Dr. E. D. McKinney, Professor Emeritus Missouri State University, West Plains Campus

“His fingers look like spiders dancing on the strings!” So said Allison (Scheets) Williams, an aspiring young fiddler, when she first closely observed Cliff Bryan’s fiddling about 1999 or 2000.

Cliff Bryan of West Plains, Missouri passed away Sunday, March 12, 2017. He was a renowned fiddler and teacher of fiddle playing, having participated as a teacher of fiddling in the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program first introduced under the direction of Dr. Howard Marshall, who in 1987 was the Director of the Missouri Cultural Heritage Center at the University of Missouri at Columbia. In addition to his role as a master teacher, Cliff received the honor of being recognized for his fiddling by the National Endowment of the Arts Council of the University of Missouri. He was a life-long musician, having played guitar for dances with Seth Crabtree, a fiddler of the West Plains area in the 1940s and 50s, and during those years Cliff began honing his skills as a master fiddler in his own right.

He taught many younger aspiring fiddlers during the past 25 years. Many of them, such as Rachel (Reynolds) Luster, Jessica Collins, Joel Hinds, and others, became exceptional fiddlers under his tutelage. Cliff was a master of the “short bow” style of playing and had a large repertoire of fiddle tunes, both those common to the area, and compositions he picked up from radio and recordings. As long as his health permitted, he was a regular attendee and performer at various folk music and bluegrass festivals and jam sessions in the West Plains area. He particularly enjoyed playing with other fiddlers in a segment called “The Fiddlers’ Frolic,” held each year in June at the Old Time Music Festival in West Plains.

Recordings of Cliff Bryan’s music are relatively rare. One favorite tune of his was “Black-Eyed Susie,” included in the CD accompanying Dr. Howard Marshall’s first volume concerning Missouri fiddlers, Play Me Something Quick and Devilish: Old Time Fiddlers in Missouri (University of Missouri Press, Columbia, 2012). Also, Cliff recorded one CD of 32 fiddle tunes in 2014, entitled “Got A Little Home To Go To.” This CD was produced under the direction of Jim Nelson, and is available from Voyager Records . Also, Cliff can be heard on YouTube, under “Cliff Bryan Fiddle at the Fiddlers’ Frolic.” We can now only wish there had been other CDs of Cliff’s fiddling produced—this would have more completely filled a gap in the Ozark’s musical culture. As Illinois Folklorist Matt Meacham said, he was “a walking encyclopedia of traditional fiddle music around Howell County and the Ozarks.” We shall miss him.

Upcoming Events

Hallsville jam session – june 2024.

Saturday, June 8, 2024 • 4-9 p.m.

Youth Fiddle Camp in Bethel, Mo

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Mother-of-three uses early-morning routine to become a record-breaking runner and inspiration

WREXHAM, Wales (AP) — Helen Ryvar goes through the same routine every night.

She checks the weather forecast, lays out her running clothes, puts her running shoes by the front door, charges her cell phone and flashlight, and sets the alarm for 4 a.m.

By 4.15 a.m., she’s out the door — rain or shine.

“I’m just an ordinary person doing extraordinary things,” says Ryvar, a single mother-of-three who runs her own cleaning business in normal daytime hours and pounds the streets, paths and trails of north Wales at a time when the rest of the world would typically be asleep.

The 43-year-old Ryvar took up running in 2020, just before Britain went into lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic and after being told her ex-husband had died following a mental-health battle.

Four years later, she is a world-record holder for consecutive half-marathons — her day-on-day tally, which features in the Guinness World Records book, has reached 743 this past weekend — and an inspiration to many, all while raising money for her favorite charities.

“The runs have become the easy part — it’s juggling life that has become the daily ongoing task,” she said.

Ryvar classed herself as a “mediocre runner” while at school and was never really into sports. Even now, she doesn’t have all the latest running gear, doesn’t follow any special diet — just three balanced meals a day — and doesn’t really care about her speed when she runs.

It is more, she says, about building a strong mindset and getting to know her body.

“I found doing it every day, you just get used to it,” she said. “Your body and mind just get used to the routine and you turn off that pity-party that you had with yourself and get on with it.

“It is just flicking that switch in your head and say, ‘We’re doing this.’”

Key for Ryvar is:

• running at the same time every day — in her case, before her kids wake up.

• fitting some sort of exercise somewhere into the structure of your daily schedule. Essentially, “not giving yourself a chance to mess up,” as she puts it.

Experts think the same.

“The key is to find some protected time so it is just part of the routine,” said Dr. Michael J. Joyner, an expert on human performance and exercise at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. “This is why many habitual exercisers go first thing in the morning.”

In nearly two years of running a half-marathon each day, Ryvar says she has only had one injury — and that was when she changed running shoes, which triggered an old glute injury.

Otherwise, her advice is fairly simple:

• drink plenty of water.

• have a balanced diet and early nights.

• try out magnesium salt baths. “They are key,” she says. “When I don’t have them, I notice.”

Dr. Joyner said the main risks of an exercise workload such as Ryvar’s are orthopedic aches and pains and more severe things like stress fractures.

“So you have to build light days into your program,” he advises. “Usually, light days are about less total distance, but they can also be about a less intense effort.”

Most important for Ryvar is learning to understand your own body and staying active, even if that means simply walking down the street on a regular basis.

“Keep accountable somehow — you’ll build up confidence in yourself and you’ll want to push more,” she says. “Form a habit. If you’re not comfortable doing it by yourself, join a group. There are loads of Facebook groups, or join a park run. Sign up for a race and commit. When you have a goal, it makes a massive difference.”

Ryvar’s goal is to reach 1,000 consecutive half-marathons, which would be some feat considering the previous record for officially timed half-marathons was 75. She would get to that milestone in Jan. 24, 2025 — a date she has circled on her calendar.

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In the meantime, she is just happy to have that “nice fuzzy feeling inside” whenever she goes running and to be changing people’s lives with the money she raises for Cancer Research UK and a local charity in Wrexham, Nightingale House Hospice.

Her new hobby is also allowing her to see the world, having had trips in recent months to Jordan, Miami, Turkey and Malta — where she was on national television.

“I’m definitely riding a wave and getting a lot of support,” Ryvar says. “It’s something you can’t buy. It’s such a sense of satisfaction.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Washington AG investigating clergy abuse says Seattle Archdiocese won't cooperate

SEATTLE — Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Thursday he’s seeking a court order to force the Seattle Archdiocese to turn over files on priests accused of sexual abuse and make its archbishop answer questions under oath as part of a sweeping probe into how the state’s three Catholic dioceses handled claims of child sex abuse.

Ferguson’s office is looking into “allegations that the Catholic Church has facilitated and attempted to cover up decades of pervasive sexual abuse of children by Church leaders in Washington State,” his office’s petition for a court order states.

Because the Seattle Archdiocese "refuses to cooperate” with civil subpoenas issued by his office last summer and last month , Ferguson went public with his probe Thursday by filing a legal petition in King County Superior Court that seeks an order “to enforce the subpoena,” his office said in a statement.

If obtained, such a court order would legally compel Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne to appear for a deposition and force Washington’s largest Catholic diocese to produce a long list of internal records, including its trove of secret archives on clergy sexual abuse allegations dating back decades.

“Washingtonians deserve a public accounting of how the Catholic Church handles allegations of child sex abuse, and whether charitable dollars were used to cover it up,” Ferguson said at a press conference. “As a Catholic, I am disappointed the Church refuses to cooperate with our investigation.”

The archdiocese issued a statement Thursday disputing some of Ferguson's statements as inaccurate and saying it was blindsided by his petition because its lawyers had been cooperating with his office on "a shared legal analysis" for the investigation.

"Today's press conference was a surprise to us since we welcome this investigation and have been working closely with the Attorney General's team for months now," the statement said.

Ferguson’s office said it’s also prepared to seek court orders against the two other Catholic dioceses in Washington, in Yakima and Spokane, if either or both don’t comply with their latest subpoenas later this month.

With Thursday’s action, Ferguson became the 23rd attorney general to publicly announce an investigation into the Catholic Church in his or her state, his office said. 

Long called for by sexual abuse survivors and advocacy groups, Washington’s investigation is the first outside probe of the Seattle Archdiocese’s handling of clergy abuse, advocates for survivors say. The archdiocese has publicly identified 83 clergy members “as credibly accused” sex offenders, based on its own private evaluations. But for years, it has resisted advocates’ calls and media requests to release its secret files about clergy abuse or allow independent investigators to inspect them.

Ferguson noted other attorneys general investigations have revealed “dramatically greater numbers” of credible sexual abuse cases than what local dioceses have made public. An investigation in Illinois last year revealed more than four times as many substantiated child sex abuse cases than what Catholic dioceses in the state had divulged, he said.

Ferguson’s announcement also marked the first time he has acknowledged the existence of his investigation, which has been active since at least July .

In February, his office declined to confirm or deny the probe after a group of anti-clergy abuse activists held a press conference to contend that he was hiding the investigation from the public.

The announcement from Ferguson, a Democrat who is running for governor, came two days after NBC News pressed his office to disclose copies of the subpoenas that a reporter requested under Washington’s Public Records Act in March. Without confirming whether they existed, the attorney general’s office delayed its disclosure for more than two months by contending it was still searching for records.

Ferguson’s subpoenas, made public for the first time this week and shared with NBC News late Wednesday, clarify the legal underpinning for the probe. The first subpoena cites his office’s authority to “investigate transactions and relationships of trustees and other persons” under Washington’s Charitable Trust Act, which regulates certain tax-exempt corporations and entities that hold charitable assets in trust. 

A civil subpoena has never been used in Washington to investigate a religious organization, according to a legal analysis provided to Ferguson’s office and obtained by NBC News.

Ferguson’s approach is similar to one that New York Attorney General Leticia James used in 2020 to sue the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, based on state civil laws regulating charities. James’ suit led to a landmark settlement in 2022.

Ferguson’s first set of subpoenas to Washington’s Catholic dioceses each include a cover letter dated July 26, signed by him and sent separately to Etienne, Yakima Bishop Joseph Tyson and the Rev. Victor Blazovich , the vicar of finance for Spokane’s bishop.

Ferguson’s letter contends that while Washington’s Charitable Trust Act exempts religious organizations, “the exclusion does not apply in the context of child sexual abuse, a heinous violation with no connection to religion or an entity’s religious status.”

The accompanying subpoenas list demands and instructions for each diocese to produce more than 20 categories of records, including all reports about sexual abuse allegations made against priests and other clergy members, employees and volunteers since Jan. 1, 1940.

The records demanded include those containing allegations against priests and others whom the dioceses already have publicly identified as “credibly accused” sexual abusers, as well as those they have not. The subpoenas also demand the dioceses to turn over communications with the Vatican about sexual abuse claims, and records showing church policies for compensating victims who alleged sexual abuse and accounting for any such payments that have been made.

All three dioceses had initially been given until Aug. 25 to comply with the first subpoenas, the records show.

“The dioceses only responded with information that was already public. They did not fully respond to the subpoena,” Ferguson’s office said in its statement.

Ferguson’s office also released copies of a second set of “amended subpoenas” that were issued last month to the three dioceses. Each includes demands for production of all previously identified records, plus five additional categories of records mostly about finances and accounting.

The Seattle Archdiocese had been given until May 10 to comply with Ferguson’s latest subpoena but notified the office this week that it objects to the subpoena and would not be complying, according to the attorney general’s office.

The deadline for the Yakima and Spokane dioceses to comply with their latest subpoenas is May 22, the records show.

Spokane's diocese said in a statement Thursday that it has nothing more to publicly divulge since a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case in 2004 “clearly revealed how the Diocese of Spokane dealt with all historic cases of sexual abuse.”

A statement from Yakima's diocese separately challenged Ferguson's subpoenas as invalid and unconstitutional, adding "there are already many public resources available for the information being sought."

“We cannot publicize everything in our records, however, to respect the privacy and confidentiality rights of, among others, both victims and falsely accused clergy," the Yakima Diocese's statement added. "And so, we will vigorously assert our First Amendment rights.”

Lewis Kamb is a national FOIA reporter for NBC News, based in Seattle. 

See stunning northern lights photos: The celestial sight dazzled again on Saturday

On Saturday , minutes before midnight, folks parked their cars, whipped out the bug spray and laid out blankets at a dark recreation area off the side of Interstate 75 in South Florida and waited for a glimpse of the northern lights .

While they didn't see much more than dozens of twinkling stars and an alligator lurking in dark, murky waters behind a guard rail, the ongoing solar storm provided a celestial spectacle in other parts of the country where enthusiastic viewers took to social media and elsewhere to share the sights.

As forecasters predict even better viewing on Sunday night, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , here's what people saw Saturday.

Better luck elsewhere

Those in Reno, Nevada, got to see a spectacle of purples and blues as the northern lights danced across the horizon.

Photos from the National Weather Service's Reno office near Truckee Meadows Community College show the full extent of the colorful night sky.

People in Seattle and Mexicali, Mexico, got to take some photos of the northern lights, too

However, folks in joshua tree national park, california, had the same bad luck as people in south florida, will the northern lights be visible sunday night.

According to NOAA, people in most of Canada and Alaska will be able to see the dazzling lights.

NOAA also predicts that the lights will most likely be visible over a large portion of the US. People as far south as Iowa and Nebraska could potentially see the northern lights tonight.

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture.   You can follow her on  X, formerly Twitter ,  Instagram  and  TikTok : @juliamariegz

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West Coast Conference will add Grand Canyon and Seattle beginning with 2025-26 season

FILE - Grand Canyon’s Lok Wur, Gabe McGlothan, and Collin Moore celebrate after defeating Texas-Arlington in an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Western Athletic Conference tournament Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Las Vegas. Grand Canyon University and Seattle University will join the West Coast Conference beginning with the 2025-26 season, giving the league best known nationally for its basketball programs 11 full members for the first time in its history. The conference announced the additions Friday, May 10, 2024, with the two schools set to leave their affiliations with the Western Athletic Conference after the next school year.(AP Photo/Ian Maule, File)

FILE - Seattle University players celebrate after they beat Chicago State in an NCAA college basketball game on March 5, 2022, in Seattle. Grand Canyon University and Seattle University will join the West Coast Conference beginning with the 2025-26 season, giving the league best known nationally for its basketball programs 11 full members for the first time in its history. The conference announced the additions Friday, May 10, 2024, with the two schools set to leave their affiliations with the Western Athletic Conference after the next school year. (Daniel Kim/The Seattle Times via AP, File)

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SEATTLE (AP) — Grand Canyon University and Seattle University will join the West Coast Conference beginning with the 2025-26 season, giving the league best known nationally for its basketball programs 11 full members for the first time in its history.

The conference announced the additions Friday, with the two schools set to leave their affiliations with the Western Athletic Conference after the next school year.

“The WCC Presidents’ Council is deliberate in its effort to position the West Coast Conference as one of the premier NCAA Division I conferences in the nation, and the addition of Grand Canyon University and Seattle University bolsters the membership, enhances the profile of competitive excellence and expands the conference footprint into two major cities in the Western region,” WCC Commissioner Stu Jackson said.

The WCC’s membership is mostly based now in California with San Diego, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara, Pacific, San Francisco and Saint Mary’s. The only two schools outside of the state that are currently full members are Gonzaga and Portland.

Grand Canyon, which is in Phoenix, and Seattle will compete in 14 of the 16 sports offered by the WCC, but most of the attention will be on basketball.

The two schools should bolster the competitiveness in a conference that’s been top-heavy in the past on the men’s side, with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s leading the way. Grand Canyon won its first men’s NCAA Tournament game in school history in March and Seattle’s men won the CBI .

The WCC also had two women’s teams reach the NCAAs last season after Portland won the conference tournament and Gonzaga earned an at-large bid and reached the Sweet 16.

“We are incredibly excited for this next opportunity to join the WCC, which is one of the nation’s premier athletic conferences as well as one of the premier basketball conferences in the country,” Grand Canyon President Brian Mueller said.

For at least the 2025-26 competition year, the league will have 13 schools competing in most sports as Washington State and Oregon State will be in the final year of a two-year agreement to compete as affiliate members. The two Pac-12 schools were left out in the last round of conference realignment and will be affiliate members of the WCC in most non-football sports beginning with the upcoming academic year.

Seattle’s addition to the WCC is a reunion for the school after it competed in the conference from 1971-81 before the school dropped down from NCAA Division I membership. Seattle returned to the Division I level in 2008 and has competed in the WAC since 2012.

“We are excited to return home to the West Coast Conference,” Seattle athletic director Shaney Fink said. “Our student athletes will receive an unparalleled experience, reaping the rewards of competing against talented peers at mission-aligned universities within a tight geographic footprint.”

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