That harbinger of Spring, Chester's Maplefest, always brings the best out of the PVF. The church is packed, with people standing in the balcony. The smell of pancakes is wafting from the basement. Snow is melting into little mud puddles as the horse drawn wagon creaks by. And throughout this historic town comes the sound of fiddles playing, what else? "Maple Sugar!"
Festival of Trees
The PVF performs at the annual Festival of Trees event at Tower Square in Springfield. This charity event auctions off over one hundred trees beautifully decorated by area business and community organizations. Scrioll down to previous news pages to see past Festival of Trees photos.
Dickens' Days 2008
There's a wonderful event in Westfield, Dickens' Days, where the best of Victorian era Christmas traditions are celebrated. Every year the PVF has been involved in this event, and this year was no exception. These photos were taken at the Westfield Atheneum. (For past years' events check out the PVF picture archives by scrolling through our past events pages.)
Disney 2008
Click here to see pictures from the PVF's exciting Disney World Performance!
Blandford Fiddle Contest
Members of the Pioneer Valley Fiddlers once more took to the stage of the Blandford Fair, one of the oldest and best little fairs in Massachusetts.Our very own Robin Unger tried her hand at emceeing.
Pioneer Valley Fiddlers polka and sing with Joey Dziok at the Adams Fair!
Westfield Arts On Green - August 2, 2008
The very wonderful Gerry and Sue Tracy, owners of the Teapot Gallery, Westfield's own musical mecca, have launched a number of outstanding cultural programs in Westfield. Arts on the Green, a free music program every Saturday evening in downtown Westfield is one of them, and on this evening Westfield got a chance to hear their own hometown fiddle group down on the city green.
Earlier some of the Fiddle Kids participated in the Tots to Teens program.
Fiddling attracts all sorts of fans. Here's one from down under applauding the kids' performance.
And the kids even played our leaders favorite tune: THE IRISH WASHER WOMAN.
The Summit House 2008
Thunder clouds curled behind the Summit House as the winds of the sudden change in weather blew north by northwest. Behind the storm there was a promise of the type of sunset we break every year for during intermission, heralded by a real Irish fiddlers rainbow. At first the first fiddlers who had straggled through the storm were alone. The performance was an hour and a half off, but there were none of the usual early comers. Not that you'd want to sit at a wet picnic table, but we still hoped for our usual crowd. Within time they arrived, as did a special and unexpected guest star, straight from Nashville. Long time Pioneer Valley Fiddler, and every fiddling kids heroine, Colleen Perry couldn't stay away. After all, a Summit House performance isn't the same without Colleen and Chris Keenan there to play Ashokan Farewell.
Warming up before hand. You have to eat before you play,
Stage Right. Stage Left.
Colleen and Chris. The Three Graces, Sam, Nat & Sarah. (Or the 3 Mouseketeers?)
The Sunset Everyone Waits For.
Nat Drags the Bow for a solo. Leland plays Punderson's Graveyard & Wizards Walk.
Ray on Spoons, Kevin on Guitar and Nicci on Base. Who are those cute little people? (The ones on the washboard.)
Turning to face the audience in the wing. And now from this angle.
Looking down from the balcony,
Colleen & dad, Bob Perry play Orange Blossom. Now for something completely different. Sarah does Jazz.
Then there was the sound of applause. (Actually they got a standing ovation and encore too!) See you next year, Summit House.
