Topic: 2008

[NevadaPic]

Weenies,

I've only been to Port Townsend once and that was around 1993 in the spring.  I am trying to plan for the Workshop in 2008.  Some questions:

1) Can I camp on the premises or nearby?  I don't mind camping and I have much experience in doing so.  By camping I mean sleeping on the ground in a tent. 

2) I guess the weather might be decent late-July/early-August.  How decent? 

3) Do I have to worry about nogoodniks if I do camp? 

4) I don't mind having a beer or two in the late afternoon/early evening or even before if there is good reason.  Is this frowned upon or will I be in good company?

5) I may bring my son along and he is 15 years of age.  Will there be any other young folks of that age? 

6) How many guitars should I bring or will just one do?  Just kidding.  I will bring my current favorite whichever one that may be.

7) Will I have a chance to play some?

Thanks.

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[waxwing]

Weenies,

I've only been to Port Townsend once and that was around 1993 in the spring.  I am trying to plan for the Workshop in 2008.  Some questions:

1) Can I camp on the premises or nearby?  I don't mind camping and I have much experience in doing so.  By camping I mean sleeping on the ground in a tent. 

Yep. Totally cool. Many folks do. Register NOW! and you might get a campsite. The camping area is down the hill near the lighthouse by the spit. long arcing beach, etc. Beautiful. Sites might be a little tight and there's not much cover or privacy, I don't think. Others might know better.

2) I guess the weather might be decent late-July/early-August.  How decent? 

It's the middle of the two month dry season. Beautiful 90% of the time. Can get a little cool in the evenings and we occasionally get a light shower, maybe every other year or so. Sometimes a nice mist.

3) Do I have to worry about nogoodniks if I do camp? 

Nope. It's a very well regulated Washington State Park (Fort Worden). I don't think music playing is allowed in the campground after a certain hour, but there are, uh, other places for that. Look around on this board for topics about last years camp, or previous years, to get an idea of what it's like. There are also some great pics in the Weenie Photo Gallery, in the left menu.

4) I don't mind having a beer or two in the late afternoon/early evening or even before if there is good reason.  Is this frowned upon or will I be in good company?

I think you'll fit right in. PT is about celebrating the Blues, at least that has been Phil Wiggins' Artistic direction for the last four years. This is his last year and promises to be a very festive time. Many different folks, with different viewpoints, come to camp, but I would say there is a great tolerance of others.

5) I may bring my son along and he is 15 years of age.  Will there be any other young folks of that age? 

There will be a bunch of kids his age, many who have been since pre-teenhood, and many the children of local attendees and staff. They are some of the best students.

6) How many guitars should I bring or will just one do?  Just kidding.  I will bring my current favorite whichever one that may be.

I bring 4 and a jug and a washboard. and sometimes a mando (and a barbecue -G-). Of course, I drive up. If you are flying there are limits. But seeing other folks' guitars is part of the fun.

7) Will I have a chance to play some?

Any time you want, I'd say, you can just sit down and play. There are almost always jams on the back porch of 204 and by the cafeteria. And most of the night in various rooms around 204. Also in Dorm 225 which is closest to the campground, there is usually no music curfew and late night jamming. Sometimes folks just sit down and trade songs solo. You play one, then I'll play one. Then there's the student concert on Thursday night, with ribs and... afterward.

Basically, if you are into Country Blues, this is kinda the west coast gathering of the tribe. It is a celebration of the music, supportive of those who play it and those who aspire to play it and it all takes place in a very beautiful setting. For many of us here it is the first thing that goes on our calendars every year. It is a great experience.

Okay, now lets hear from someone a little less enthusiastic.-G-

BTW, with Ari Eisinger confirmed on the roster, you should be able to get some great Rev. Davis instruction.

All for now.
John C.

[Janmarie]

About the campsites, here's the link to camping at Fort Worden: http://www.parks.wa.gov/fortworden/camping.aspx
There is an upper campground that I believe doesn't fill as quickly as the beach campsites and is closer to all the music (check out the map on the site).  You can register now online.  Many workshop participants camp here.

Good luck!

Jan

[uncle bud]

Yes, I had always thought of the upper campsite as the "main" campsite, simply because the participants I knew were camped there. But it is definitely closer to the action. A beach site may be nice (may be cool and windy too), but one consideration might be, by day 3 or 4, when you're sleep-deprived, your brain is fried, and you have to get to class (or to bed), how far do you want to have to travel?

[waxwing]

Well, dang, I didn't even know about the woodsy campsite on the hill. Sorry about that NP.

Hope to see you there. Stop by the Weenie House if you want to trade some tunes sometime.

All for now.
John C.

[Slack]

Hope to see you there. Stop by the Weenie House if you want to trade some tunes sometime.

But, isn't that where all the nogoodnicks hang out?

I'll second the "reserve early" for the upper camp site.

[NevadaPic]

Thanks a million to ya'll for the info!  I am excited about it already and it's still deep winter.  I will be driving up from western Nevada, good thing it's close enough to drive.  I have taken on a real dislike to flying in latter years.  It wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't treated like a criminal at the airport.  Such is life in the 21st century.

I will try to reserve campsite ASAP.  Otherwise I have friends on Bainbridge Island that probably wouldn't mind me camping in their yard for a week or so.  They might even put me up in the house if I behave myself.  I would rather be closer to the 'action' though...

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[Temple]

Hi there!  I think you are going to find Bainbridge Island to be much farther than you want to drive every night and morning.  The dorms really aren't so bad and a good way to connect with people if the campsites are full. 

Temple

[NevadaPic]

Thanks Temple for the heads up.  I will make every attempt to stay locally.  I have no feel for the cost of the actual workshop(s) though.  Can someone give me a guesstimate ball-park figure?  I was on the Ft. Worden site for campsite reservations so I know what that will cost. 

Thanks a million!

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[Temple]

It's a little shy of $500 and may be more than that with the meal plan. I think registration usually opens sometime in March.  Check www.centrum.org for more information.

Temple

[waxwing]

According to Kevin it looks like they're going to open registration within the week.

I thought tuition was a little less than that. And bear in mind that that includes admission to any of the clubs downtown on Friday and Saturday nights as well as admission to the larger festival venue on Saturday. As I recall, the whole package , tuition/festival, room, and meals, was around $800- 850. I can't remember the breakdown. May have gone up a bit, but it is definitely one of the least expensive camps around, primarily because Centrum is a successfully run non-profit. (hear, hear!)

I don't know whether you are planning to cook your own meals, but I would recommend against it. It will really take a chunk out of your day to prepare your meals and by the middle of the week, when sleep deprivation starts kicking in, you will be very happy to sit down and relax to a warm meal without any effort on your part. The food service has really developed in the last few years and folks seem to be pretty happy with the menu. They also have economy plans like, maybe breakfast and dinners but no lunches, or something. Of course, you can pay by the meal when you don't feel like cooking, but the plans are far more reasonable, and very reasonable they are.

All for now.
John C.

[NevadaPic]

Thanks everyone for the info!  It makes planning easier.  I didn't realize what one was entitled to in the tuition.  Sounds like a good deal to me.  I like the idea of not having to cook everyday that's for sure.  I will keep my eyes on the Centrum site.

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[rjtwangs]

Is there anyone here that lives in Port Townsend? Are there any CB players that live there?
I've been thinking I might relocate there. Any thoughts, any input would be useful. Thanks...

RJ

[waxwing]

There are several good players in town, who usually come to events under one guise or another (participants, staff, vendor, faculty, or just plain crashers, but friends of the family-G-)

PT is primarily a tourist town, both in the transient and permanent (i.e.  fairly well off retirees) sense. It is a quaint little Victorian port in a rainshadow on the north eastern corner of the Olympic peninsula with the sun coming up over the Cascade mountains across Puget sound. Like much of the peninsula, the economy is pretty depressed, so it's kind of an artsy, hippie town (good food co-op-G-). Centrum, with it's almost year-round workshops, is a major employer. So is the mill, who's fumes can blanket the southern part of town on many days. It's actually a nice place to live if you have the right frame of mind, but a hard place to make a living, unless you telecommute. There's a wooden boatbuilding school that has a festival every year. And there is sort of a thriving nightlife providing some employment for musicians from the area (i.e. Greater Seattle, which is not too far away) and touring pros (especially through Centrum putting on things like the Country Blues Festival, which employs even more artists than the Workshop). All the plusses and minuses of a tourist town in a beautiful but depressed area, high culture, low income. I've never lived there but have gotten to know it through being up for camp and extending my time there now and then. And I've gotten to know some of the local folks well. They are really fine people in my book.

All for now.
John C.

[rjtwangs]

Thanks for your input John I really appreciate it. I mostly work from my home office on the computer. All I really need is a high speed internet connection and I'm good to go. I like the idea of a small town in a beautiful location that has a lot of guitar players. So I guess it's something to think about.

RJ

[Len-SoCal]

Hi All

I just noticed that the faculty for 2008 has been announced. What are the chances of those rosters expanding?

I ask because the great Henry Gray has taught at PT before and he's not listed for this year. Is it possible he still might be there?

Thanks

Len

[rjtwangs]

ok ok, I registered today for this summer, 2008, I am psyched!!! I guess I should have posted here, I was told that folks from Weenie Campbell rent a house, is it possible for me to get involved? I would really like to be with a group of WEENIES!!!! If so please contact me...

Rick

[NevadaPic]

I am booked also.  Looking forward to meeting you all and thanks everyone for the advice and counsel you have provided.  As rjtwangs exclaimed "I am psyched!!!"

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[lindy]

I just went to the Centrum site to make a payment and came across this good news-bad news announcement:

---------------------

Staff Changes at the Blues Week

It is with great regret we report that Louisiana Red will not be able to come to Port Townsend this summer. We will surely miss him.

On the other hand, with tremendous pleasure we announce a new guest - the Reverend John Wilkins, the son of pre-WW2 recording artist Reverend Robert Wilkins. Hear some of his music and some interview segments (from a Scott Baretta radio show) here:

http://www.radiofreeamsterdam.com/highway-61-blues-01/

We have some additional very exciting staff additions, which we'll announce next week.

------------------

Wow, the son of Robert Wilkins!

Lindy

[Pan]

I just went to the Centrum site to make a payment and came across this good news-bad news announcement:

---------------------

Staff Changes at the Blues Week

It is with great regret we report that Louisiana Red will not be able to come to Port Townsend this summer. We will surely miss him.

On the other hand, with tremendous pleasure we announce a new guest - the Reverend John Wilkins, the son of pre-WW2 recording artist Reverend Robert Wilkins. Hear some of his music and some interview segments (from a Scott Baretta radio show) here:

http://www.radiofreeamsterdam.com/highway-61-blues-01/

We have some additional very exciting staff additions, which we'll announce next week.

------------------

Wow, the son of Robert Wilkins!

Lindy

Lindy,

I'm very sorry to hear that Louisiana Red can't make it.

Thanks for this Rev. Wilkins radio link, I think it was absolutely wonderful. Shouldn't it be posted to the main forum section as well, so that no one will miss it? The thread title "2008" will miss many of the likes of me, who unfortunately can't be at PT.

Pan

[uncle bud]

Here's hoping Red is OK and that this is a scheduling conflict.

I look forward to meeting Rev. John Wilkins. That makes two preachers coming to PT. Better work on some prewar gospel, weenies.