John Dilbeck Musings

I want to thank my friend, Jerry Chautin, for alerting me to an article in the New York Times, A Basket Case in North Carolina, written by David Rakoff, and published on May 20, 2007.

In this article, the author talks about taking a week-long class at the John C Campbell Folk School, in Brasstown, NC.

Originally, like most men, he wanted to experience the thrill of blacksmithing, of smiting hot steel and shaping it into new forms with fire, hammer, and anvil, but (for reasons he details in the article) he changed to taking a basket weaving class.

As a true lover of the Folk School and all that goes on there, I felt the resonance of reading what I know to be true about the Folk School experience, not just what happens when taking a class and learning a new skill, or improving your ability to create pieces of art in your chosen craft.

Mr. Rakoff talks about the unexpected moments of silence and “getting into the zone” that artists strive for while transforming the vision in our minds into the item in our hands.

This is one of the best articles I’ve read about the Folk School, and I recommend it to you. I don’t know how long the New York Times keeps these articles archived, so maybe you should read A Basket Case in North Carolina, now.

(For more information about the John C. Campbell Folk School, its classes, crafts, and events, call 828-837-2775 or 1-800-FOLK-SCH (800-365-5724) or visit www.folkschool.org.)

(From the Folk School Website:)

The new Blacksmith studio fundraising campaign has begun!

Timber framers from all over will gather at the Folk School for an old fashioned barn raising!

The John C. Campbell Folk School is proud to announce plans for an annex to the historic Blacksmith Shop, originally dedicated to Francis Whittaker in recognition of his two decades of teaching and demonstrating at the school.

Whittaker, known as the “Dean of American Blacksmiths,” devoted his life to keeping the art of blacksmithing alive in this country and the existing studio stands as his symbolic legacy. But, while Blacksmithing has long been the most popular of some 50 programs the Folk School offers, the shop has suffered decades of wear and its space is no longer adequate for the size and diversity of classes such a premier program should offer.

The solution is to renovate the Whittaker Studio and to build an annex with the help of the Timber Framers Guild, which has offered to assemble close to 80 timber framers to do a traditional barn-raising in June 2008.

Fundraising for the project kicked off with a $1000 gift from longtime instructor Lou Mueller. Clay Spencer, nationally known blacksmith and fixture at the school also donated $1000. Not to be outdone, Don Neuenschwander, a long time student and friend of the Folk School from Indiana, donated $5000. Julie Clark, Folk School blacksmith instructor, donated $10,000!

While the full architectural plans have not been finalized, the project cost is estimated at an ambitious $500,000. With the strength and spirit of the Blacksmithing community, we are confident the goal can be met. Ours is a community that is resourceful, creative and, like the Folk School, dedicated to the spread of knowledge and education about blacksmithing.

Please contact Susi Hall, Development Manager, at susi@folkschool.org or at 828-837-2775 ext. 118 to contribute or to discuss making a gift and Paul Garrett, Resident Artist for Blacksmithing, at pdg86@hotmail.com or 828-835-8441 with ideas to assist with the project.

Learn more about the new Blacksmithing annex on the Folk School’s website.

I watched Sing Behind The Plow last evening and enjoyed it greatly.

It is an outstanding production and anyone who loves the Folk School and what people have been doing there for decades should get a copy of this DVD.

Hopefully, it will be rebroadcast on UNC-TV and other public stations in the future.

It was nice to see old friends and familiar places and to learn more about the early history of the school.

The John C. Campbell Folk School is one of my favorite places on the planet and attending classes there has the definite possibility of changing your life for the better.

Instead of competing for ranking and grades, students at the Folk School are welcomed into a friendly, supportive atmosphere of learning, trying new things, and helping each other. This supportive environment continues from Morning Song, through the classes, family style meals in the dining hall, and on into the evenings spent talking, dancing, and enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery.

If you immerse yourself in what is available, you may well be a different person at the end of the week.

I highly recommend the Folk School and the Sing Behind The Plow documentary to you.

Sing Behind The Plow will be available for purchase on DVD from the Folk School’s Craft Shop.

Every month, TuneFlow challenges artists around the world to write and record new, original songs based on one of four new titles we’ve chosen.

You review and rate the songs. The songs with the best average ratings at the end of the month win. It’s “battle of the bands” Internet style!

(Come see my Tuneflow lens on Squidoo. It’s pretty basic now, but I’ll add more over time.)

What is TuneFlow?

TuneFlow’s Mission:

1. To change the rules, to put the ARTIST FIRST.

2. Provide a fun place to discover new music and new artists.

Top 5 Reasons For Artists To Join TuneFlow:

• Get a FREE Website to promote your band and music!
• Sell your music on TuneFlow FREE (with no restrictive contracts)!
• Compete in the FREE TuneFlow Tournament each month and expose your music to hundreds of new fans, get FREE reviews, and receive major recognition!
• Get FREE global airplay for your music on TuneFlow Radio!
• Advertise your live gigs…FREE!

Over 1,600 songs and 600 artists, with more joining every month.

Members:

Rate songs and earn free MP3 downloads.

Browse songs in the following categories:

• Alternative
• Blues
• Country
• Dance/Techno
• Folk
• Hip Hop/Rap
• Humor
• Jazz
• Metal
• Pop
• R&B/Soul
• Rock
• Spiritual
• World

And, when you find songs you like, you can purchase and download them.

New artists and songs are being added all the time; come see what’s new today!

I’ve been promoting Nice Offers coupons for some time, but over the lack week or two I’ve kicked it up another notch or two.

In order to help spread the word about Nice Offers coupons, I’ve created a couple of new blogs for Murphy NC and Western North Carolina. I’ve updated and improved my Syndicate Your Ad blog and I’ll be posting to it regularly, especially about coupons created by merchants I refer to the program.

The Nice Offers system is different from all the other coupon systems I know of and it may be confusing to some people.

This morning, I created a new department for Nice Offers Coupons Marketing Tips on my John Dilbeck And Friends blog.

I’ll be posting opinions, advice, and marketing tips about Nice Offers coupons to that department.

The first advice is simple: create a coupon.

Act on your dream!

JD

Mountain Brew Coffee House (Murphy, NC 28906) has a nice offers coupon for new and loyal returning customers for their specialty drinks. The offer will expire on December 31, 2007.

Buy One Specialty Drink and Get One 50 Percent Off. Click the link to get the details and to have the coupon emailed to you.

You can redeem this nice offer at Mountain Brew Coffee House, located in the Hickory Oaks Plaza at 1370 US Hwy 64 West in Murphy, NC 28906. Their phone number is 828-835-9848.

Over 4000 merchants in over 100 countries are offering Nice Offers to reward new and returning customers. If you are a merchant, you can advertise for free and pay only for results. You set the terms of the coupons you offer.

Merchants get more business and only pay for advertising that works; customers save money by patronizing their favorite businesses.

If you live in, or travel through, Murphy, NC, and want an outstanding specialty drink in a relaxed atmosphere, redeem your Buy One Specialty Drink and Get One 50 Percent Off coupon at Mountain Brew Coffee House.

“Funding Secrets to Start, Expand, or Buy a Business,” a free workshop, will be presented on 5/21/07 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM in the Patterson Building at the Tri-County Community College’s main campus in Murphy.

The instructor is volunteer SCORE business counselor Jerry Chautin. He has over 30-years business lending and commercial real estate financing experience. You can e-mail him for details at JKChautin@aol.com.

Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Please call Cecelia Crawford at 828-835-4318 to reserve your place.