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John Purser ; Bonnie Rideout & Scottish Music

We were blessed with a pair of wonderful guests today and the breakfast table fairly buzzed with wit , gaelic and music. Our family history of musical roots steeped
in the Scotch-Irish traditions goes back to Whitetop Mountain Virginia. This landmark was once owned by my Grandfather; John Blakemore; who also started one of the earliest folk festivals in America. That was the Whitetop Mountain Folk Festival and began in 1931. Eleanor Roosevelt visited there as did thousands of music makers.
John accompanied a legend in Scottish Fiddle Bonnie Rideout and it was a pleasure to meet them.

Here is a short bio on John Purser from the BBC.
“2007 marks a second bite at the Scotland’s Music apple for John. The first series aired on Radio Scotland in 1992 to wide acclaim, and his accompanying book earned him the 1993 McVitie’s Scottish Writer of the Year Award. He is currently writing a new, extended edition based on the research that informs his second Scotland’s Music series.

John has been creating award-winning radio since the seventies – as in Scotland’s Music, usually as writer, researcher and presenter. As well as for Radio Scotland, he has made programmes for Radio 3 and Radio 2, and his radio work has been aired as far afield as Ireland, New Zealand and even Iceland.

John Purser with Highland CowRadio is only one of John’s many passions. He is a composer, a poet and playwright, and a musicologist of some renown. He lectured on classical music for Glasgow University Extra-Mural Department, and has travelled the world lecturing and broadcasting on Scottish music. He also finds the time to raise Highland cattle on a croft near Elgol in Skye, with the help of his wife, Bar, and the occasional mucking in of extremely well-fed and watered guests.

John has recently been studying Gaelic at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Skye, and in 2006 he was appointed as a Research Fellow and Gaelic Music Course Director. He is one of the team of researchers undertaking the five-year research project, “Window to the West – towards a redefinition of the visual within Gaelic Scotland”, funded by the AHRC.”
We will talk about Bonnie Rideout and her wonderful accomplishments in the next post.

Stephanie wins “The Running of the Brides”

It was wonderful!!!!!!!!!!

We left Roanoke after lunch on Thursday and it took Christina (great friend and bridesmaid) and I 8 hours to get to her family’s home in Queens. We stayed with her cousin, got up for breakfast with her parents (Mary and Dino) at a local diner, and headed into the city. By the time we had finished breakfast, her aunt showed up to inform us that she had seen the initial running on tv, with 200 ladies in line for the doors to open at 8 a.m.

We drove into the city, over the Queensboro bridge, and I started getting a little nervous. One of my other friends’ brothers,Phil, met us outside of Filene’s (photo), and was kind enough to park the car so we could get inside. It took him 45 minutes, and we were anxious to start our search anyway. However, since we arrived closer to 10:30, we walked straight in, and immediately started digging through the 2500 dresses!!!!!

After an hour of looking and trying on 20 dresses, I was getting a little frustrated with the other gals in the store bumping into us and there being no room. Everyone was VERY polite, but each bride had managed to bring an average of 3 people with her, so it was supercrowded. There were brides in all state of dress and undress running around, trying on and tossing aside things that didn’t fit……at one point, I saw a $5000 gown on the floor! The Filene’s store employees were great to try to get into the stacks of dresses and rescue and rehang them, so it worked out ok.

We actually left to get a bottle of water and regroup. Phil came back and he and I and Christina each took a section of the store, went to look for the sizes and specifications I had called out. Phil found my second place winner (photo), but it was too big and the seamstress advised against it. (There are seamstresses and drycleaners to help you see if a dress will work or not.) We kept on trying, and Christina actually found THE ONE! It is a beautiful Davinci gown, and I saved over $1200!!! It is not what I thought I was looking for, it is even better……I can’t wait for Rick to get to see me in it!

I could not have done the whole search without my team! It was smart to have a man along to just carry our gowns, since you pick out what you want to try, then find a corner of the store to try them on in. Christina kept handing me these beautiful gowns to try on…….AMAZING variety and selection, but it was a challenge to find them. Phil asked the store manager what the system was, and she said that they literally drive the truck up to the door at midnight before the event, and just unload the dresses onto the racks that they have cleaned out from the previous day and the regular store merchandise. You might be looking at a size 2 one minute and a size 26 the next, and they are NEVER near each other! That’s why the initial dash at 8:00 am is such a madhouse……ladies just grab the most they can and then trade, with signs and friends helping negotiate! I was glad to miss that part, but I did have my pink whistle so I could alert Christina and Phil when I was ready to try on. We tried to get a couple of pictures of the actual event, but it was difficult….I’ve attached a couple for the fun of it, but they are not great…..sorry for the blur!

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/local_news/manhattan/filenes-running-of-the-brides-20110218-KC

I hope you guys are doing great, and can’t wait to see you again soon!!!!!!

Our future bride Stephanie Bird will be in “The running of the Brides”

Rockwood Manor Bed & Breakfast will have one of our Bride’s in Filene’s Basement World Famous Bridal Event

Brides-to-be come to the Running of the Brides® to find their dream dress at a bargain price. Whether you camp out overnight to be one of the first through the doors, or arrive later in the day for a less chaotic experience, by day’s end virtually every bride who comes here leaves with the wedding gown of her dreams (that she snagged for an unbelievable price) and a treasure trove of memories.
We would like to wish Steph good luck and happy hunting
from all of us here at Rockwood Manor.

http://www.filenesbasement.com/running-of-the-brides/

A closer walk with Patsy Cline

A closer walk with Patsy Cline
A CLOSER WALK WITH PATSY CLINE is sanctioned by the Patsy Cline Estate and is licensed exclusively through Marquis Entertainment. Wholly owned by Lutvick Productions.

PROFILES

Katie Deal (Patsy Cline)
Katie Deal is delighted to return to the Springer for her second national tour of A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline. A native of Gainesville, GA, Katie is proud to represent the State Theatre of Georgia with this historical and heartwarming show. Country music runs through her veins so portraying Patsy is always an honor. Katie has been lucky enough to perform nationally and internationally, as this legendary singer.
Now she is coming to the New River Valley and Pulaski Theatre for a Tuesday Feburary 1st Show at 7pm. Tickets are 18 advance and 22 at the door.Contact the Theater at WWW.PulaskiTheatre.org . For more on Katie and her upcoming shows, visit www.katiedeal.com. Now, come on in and enjoy the show, Hoss!

Elvis and Valentine’s Day

World famous Elvis tribute artist Ryan Pelton is coming to Pulaski Theater, Pulaski, Virginia on Monday, Feburary 14th, 2011, for one show only.

Spend an evening reminiscing with the music of “The King” as Pelton traces all eras of the music that defined the career of one of the best known and most revered entertainers of all time.

Ryan Pelton is an award-winning, internationally known tribute artist who has entertained tens of thousands with his performances. Pelton is unique in that he traces the music of Elvis through all of its growth and reinvention. From the early beginnings of the 1950’s to the movie years to the ’68 Comeback and the Las Vegas years. Pelton truly does it all. He also has the distinction of being one of the few tribute artists that has worked with many of the same artists that the “King” himself did.

Elvis Comes to Pulsaki for Valentine's Day

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