Hootenany

     I recently resurrected an old newspaper "Society" page from 1962 which featured members of a group who got together on Friday nights at different houses to play folk music which was just becoming generally known to the public thanks to the Kingston Trio, the Limelighters, and Bob Dylan.
   The pictures were taken at the home of Pat and Fritz Temple of Warwood and included local kids like Scott Smith, Keith Maillard, myself, Maxanne and David McMillan, Jay Stein, John Bedwenick, Eric Hutchison and of course Kit, Ellen , and Anne Temple. Some were college kids home for the holidays and some were high schoolers. Several played guitar or banjo. Everyone who attended had to bring and teach a "new" folk song to the group. The parents provided the food and usually joined in the fun. This group brought together kids from Warwood, Oglebay, Elm Grove, the Island, Woodsdale, and other parts of town.
  The college guys would bring records they had found at the cities where their colleges were located. This is where I first heard of Joan Baez , Woody Guthrie, and Bob Dylan (whose voice I felt at the time left a lot to be desired).
   I remember these idyllic days well and was amazed to learn that many of the group had become professors or writers or both (like Keith Maillard). The sense of camaraderie and friendship was wonderful and the parents were proud to host these groups. As one father quoted in the article stated, "Well, at least they are not out stealing hubcaps!".
  My love of folk music has continued to this day and I have taught guitar for 35 years. I still love listening to it and talking about it with my expert friend Stuart Rubenstein in California. There was a  nightclub in Los Angeles when I lived there in 1965 called the Troubador that featured the greatest in folk music...Miriam Makeba, Hoyt Axton, and others....I recall seeing Linda Ronstadt there with her group The Stone Ponies.
   At a memorial service for Pat Temple who died at 92 this week, I was re-united with her son Kit and daughter Anne and showed them the article. Pat was a teacher at Warwood High, a notable photographer, a world traveler and bird watcher, and served the community by volunteering her time at the Nature Center (now the Schrader Center).
   It was wonderful to talk about the fun we had at these Hootenanies and how strange it was that it brought together kids from all over town.