Our October Concert
In October we had a local players concert featuring our own players. To open the evenings 
entertainment we had a group of players on the stage, these were Patrick Halpin, John Lennox, Harvey Seager and John Robinson. The four players gave us entertainment with renditions of Home On The Range, Grandfathers clock, Happy Wanderer, Daisy, Lassie From Lancashire, Walking My Baby Back Home, Bridges of Paris and, to finish, they played Under Paris Skies. Our next player was Rebecca who started with Home On The Range, then continued with My Wild Irish Rose, Moon River and finally she played Waltz D’ Amelie. John Robinson then returned to the stage to play solo. John played Gypsy Rover, This Old House, Money Can’t Buy Me Love, My Tambourine Man and Wimoweh. It was now time for David Rigby to take his place on the stage playing Spinning Wheel, Beautiful Dreamer, Let Me call You Sweetheart, On Top Of Old Smoky, The good Old Summertime, Irish Eyes, Daisy and Highland Cathedral. It was now time for the first break of the evening. After the break we started the second section of the night with Colin Ensor playing There I’ve Said It Again, Alberta Alberta, Ashokan Farewell, Pigalle, and Magnolia Wind. Colin then invited me on to the stage to join him, we played The Greatest Mistake Of My life, I won’t Forget You and Sweetheart Of All My Dreams. Colin then left the stage while I played Triste Sourire. To end the night, Sara Daly played Rose Of Tralee, Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m gone, The Midnight Waltz and The Broken Pledge. David Batty
Chester Accordion Club
Chester Accordion Club’s next meeting is on Tuesday 28th November at The Groves Club, Chester Road (A5032), Whitby, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Telephone Barry Graham on 01978 760065.
Wyre Club
The next meeting of the Wyre Club is on Wednesday 22nd November 2017 at The North Euston Hotel on the Esplanade at Fleetwood, FY7 6BN. Further details tel. 01253 883681.
Wirral Accordion Club
This club is on every Tuesday at The Place In The Park, 109 Liscard Road, Wallasey CH44 9AE. The night starts at 7pm.
Jacob Join Christmas Party Next Month
As usual next month (December) will be our Christmas Party, please practice your party pieces for December. Remember, at the December night members can play their accordion, but we also ask people to bring along their other skills if they like. In the past we have had bagpipes, keyboards, guitars, monologues, midi kits etc. If you can play a trumpet, juggle, play a clarinet or have something else you would like to perform then December is the meeting to do it. December will also be when we have a Jacobs Join so please plan to bring not only yourself, but also some food such as a few sandwiches, meat pies, sausage rolls or things on sticks to add to our Jacobs Join. December is our informal let your hair down night (for those that still have some). December is also the last meeting before 2018! It seems strange that we are talking about the end of the year already, but its not far away.
Wanted
We have been contacted by a lady who is looking for a 48 Bass Accordion for her elderly mother. If you have one for sale or know of someone that has one for sale, please contact Anne on 07522 104361. Her mother is only looking for a light 48 bass accordion, anything heavier would be too heavy for her.
This Wednesday
This Wednesday is our 20 year anniversary night, we have a local players concert. This is your chance to show us what you can play, we love to hear people on stage, hear what they have learnt, and see their progress over the months or years. For players it’s a good experience to play to a supportive audience. The doors open on Wednesday night at 7.30pm for a prompt 8pm start. Please bring along your friends and anyone who might be interested in attending. If you see someone you don’t know then please say hello and make them welcome to the club. If you see someone in the street you don’t know, please bring them along to the club!
See you there…
David Batty
20 Years This month
This month the club has been running for 20 years! I started the club in November 1997. The club started above The Highfield on Croston Road, was at The Mill on Croston Road for a few months, before settling in our current home of The Priory Club. Over the years we have entertained at charity events, had an accordion club quiz team on the radio. I have played on Radio Lancashire to promote the club, we have been filmed by BBC Webwise (the presenter was Kate Humble) and by a BBC2 arts programme, where I had to play on a freezing Blackpool seafront in winter. Below you will find a few photos of random faces from the club to jog a few memories…
See you on Wednesday for our 20th year anniversary
Blackpool Teaching Festival
Organised by John Romero this festival will have more teaching sessions for example a Jazz Workshop lead by Harry Hussey, there will also be a Scottish Workshop. There are still two Orchestra Groups a day for those that enjoy playing in orchestras. The dates for this festival are: 9th—12th March 2018 at The Carousel Hotel. The cost of attending the festival and staying the in the hotel is £225 per person. At last years festival there were day tickets available, I imagine there will also be day tickets at this festival. For more information and to book contact John Romero 01606 270148 or email info@carillonstudios.com
Membership
We are starting to collect Membership fees for 2018, this is to remain at the same price it has always been which is £5 per year. I keep prices down to make the club affordable while still helping towards our expenses. You can pay your membership on the door in December or January. The proceeds go towards the guest artists, stamps for postage and also an Internet service to send out the newsletters to those who choose to receive the newsletter by email (those who get the newsletter by email get working links they can click on rather than have to type in). If you are paying by cheque please make your cheque payable to “David Batty”.
Time to brush up on your Christmas tunes
Its almost Christmas! Time to start playing Christmas tunes so they are ready for December, you never know where you might end up playing them. To get you into the Christmas spirit here is a list of the top 50 Christmas tunes with a little write up on each tune www.timeout.com/london/music/the-50-best-christmas-songs
If you are short of some Sheet music for Christmas tunes Sheila Lee has created some sheet music, with varying levels of difficulty. The tunes available range from the traditional Silent Night, Jingle Bells and Oh Christmas Tree to Rockin Around the Christmas tree, Grandma Got Run Over By Reindeer, I saw mommy kissing santa claus there are more available on the following link…
https://shelialee.wordpress.com/christmas-music/
Fred Dibnahs House
The Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre is set to close down at the end of this month (November) after which all of Fred’s Tools, Machinery etc will be auctioned off in March 2018 after which the house will then be put on the market. If you have always planned on visiting some day, you must plan a visit before it closes at the end of November.
After Fred’s death in 2004 the house stood empty and was targeted by thieves and vandals who stole a lot of metal and vandalised the property, in 2008 the current owner Leon Powsney bought the property after it failed to sell at auction. Leon has then spent years bringing the house and garden back into use and restored it to how it would have been when Fred was living and working there. There is a chance that there may be a person with a good amount of money and time to buy the business and carry on running it as a heritage centre, Leon hopes there will be someone somewhere that will step forward to buy the place but he has searched for a buyer for a few years now with no luck. Hopefully Fred’s place will not be dismantled. Tours take place every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturdays at 2pm entry is £12. Group bookings of ten or more can take place on any day morning or afternoon when booked in advanced. If you intend to visit you need to book a place over the telephone on 01204 531303 or 07976 812596. It is also possible to stay over night in the house again this needs to be booked in advanced.
This week we had a fantastic two and a half hour tour of the house and yard, we were lucky to also have Alf as a tour guide (see photo).
www.freddibnahheritagecentre.com
Knutsford Accordion Day
On Sunday 13th May 2018 at Marthall Village Hall in Knutsford a day has been organised where Karen Street and Karen Tweed will be leading/teaching an Orchestra Day. The idea is that you learn pieces of music in the morning which will be Sing a long and band arrangements (which will be provided in advance) in the morning and perform in a concert in the afternoon, the sing a long music will be accompanied by the singing of the non-players who will in the morning have enjoyed a ramble or if the weather is not great an indoor activity. Tickets at the moment are priced at £12 for players and £3 for Audience/Chorus. Surplus funds will go the Alzheimer’s Society, there will also be a collection bucket there on the day. If you are interested in attending please register your interest with Simon Kensdale email:s.kensdale@talktalk.net
Cheetam’s School of Music Recital in Preston
Chetham’s students perform regularly across Greater Manchester and further afield. The concerts range from solo recitals, chamber music or a full Symphony Orchestra. On Friday 1st December at St George the Martyr Church just off Lune Street There will be a performance from students. Light refreshments are served from 11am until the start of recital at 12:30pm. Tickets cost £7 contact Preston Minster for more information 01772 901 313
Radio Garden
On the internet you can visit a very nice website for listening to radio stations from around the country (or the world). Visit the website at http://radio.garden and you will see a spinning globe of the world. You can drag the globe round to listen to radio stations from your chosen country. Each radio station shows up as a green dot, just centre the green dot in the middle of the screen and you hear the radio station playing. You can zoom in and out with the scroll wheel on a mouse. This website is great for listening to styles of music. Your preference might be to listen to Zydeco music from central America, country from the states, or simply to discover music from around the world. As I type this I am listening to nice accordion music on radio.garden/live/immokalee-fl/wafz/