September 3, 2012

Greetings all,

 

Some random thoughts while reflecting on the Labor Day holiday. Created to honor the nation’s daily wage-earners and laborers who actually make the nation and economy function, I will offer a bit of a twist to better suit ATOS and its volunteers.

 

Organ, after organ, after organ…all across the country…exist today because of a lot of hard labor by a lot of volunteers. Instruments of all shapes, sizes, and manufacturers can be enjoyed by chapter members and ATOS members and the general public because of the incredible number of volunteer man-hours extended to projects aimed at getting a theatre organ to play again. (And “woman-hours,” too!)

 

Examples? Dozens and dozens and dozens. Where? New Jersey and New York; Indiana and St. Louis; California, Seattle, Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee and all points in between. Not to mention our friends in Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and around the world who might not celebrate Labor Day as we do, but benefit from the volunteer laborers nonetheless.

 

Thank you all who give of your time and talents. Congratulations on your accomplishments in making these great pipe organs play again. Please help find new volunteers who will step in to help keep the organs playing. And every once in a while, be sure to sit back and “smell the roses,” or at least listen to them grow!

 

The new issue of the journal is out, and I would like to point out several items. New Chairman Bob Dilworth and new Board member Larry Fenner have good messages to you all. The convention coverage is outstanding, and kudos to everyone on the journal team for stellar work in a VERY short time span. And AROUND THE CIRCUIT is updated, and some of the “ills” that were making updating difficult have been cured in our work on the new website operation, and that is exciting. Thanks to Micah Bisson who is now happy to have your submissions about concerts, silent film presentations, or simply organs that are heard on a regular basis, listed so we all know where and when we can enjoy theatre pipe organs heard live all AROUND THE CIRCUIT!

 

One other item. It is hard to believe that Jack Moelmann’s Radio City Music Hall Spectacular was four years ago, summer of 2008. Jack has offered more stories in the journal about that unbelievable concert. Gads, time does fly!!

 

I will be on the road in the Midwest next week, writing to you from Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin as I have a chance to meet with chapter officials there. A reminder, the ROUND TABLE initially planned for Wilmington later this month is postponed.

Also, our two-hour Theatre Organ Radio program will be pushed back one week due to the availability of our producer, and some difficult travel schedules. So tune in NEXT Sunday for that.

 

And humorous words seen on a T-shirt at an airport: “I DON’T NEED GOOGLE – MY WIFE KNOWS EVERYTHING!” Better than some stuff I’ve seen on T-shirts lately!

 

Keep smiling!!