June 2020 "A Storytender's Journey" Taking a Moment

 Welcome
2020 is certainly turning out to be a year we'll never forget. We are living in a confluence of crises, any one of which would guarantee us a mention in the history books a century from now. But all of them happening at once makes this a watershed moment. Like the rest of my country, I've been horrified at recent events, and am keenly attuned to the fact that too often Americans experience drastically different outcomes simply based on the color of their skin. I am listening and learning, and what few thoughts I've shared these past few days you will find on the Blog.

And of course, I must keep moving forward and trying to do some good in this hurting world. So there will be music this month, and a workshop and concert for Family History Day June 14th as well. The Mountville Folk Festival will be happening online June 20th, even as plans are still evolving. I'll present a Special Music Service, "Beyond These Walls, Beyond These Broken Hearts" at several Unitarian churches via Zoom this summer. And I'll be sharing some more family history tips and tricks, including a special D-Day edition tomorrow at 11am on researching our 20th century veteran ancestors.

I remain as ever cautiously optimistic for the long haul, because we are made of sturdy stuff and we Americans emerge from our crisis cocoons better for the metamorphosis. But this time is not easy to live through. And it certainly is not easy to figure out the role of music and creativity, and how to balance the work necessary to somehow try to maintain a livelihood with the fog of an all-encompassing upheaval and discord. In other news, I'm starting to understand existentialism. Whew.

A very special and humble thank you to all of you kindly souls who sent a birthday card to my new teenager, as well as all of you who've bought the book. I hope you enjoy that half as much as we enjoyed your cards. Til our internets cross paths, may you stay well, strong and kind.
 
 
UPCOMING DATES

SAT. 6/6 - TREASURES LIVESTREAMINAR, D-Day edition researching 20th century veteran ancestors, YouTube Live, https://youtu.be/uzIGiFEcIZE 11am EDT FREE

SUN. 6/7 - DANVILLE IN, serving as Guest Musical Speaker, UU Community Church of Hendricks County via Zoom 10am EDT FREE, contact church for link info

MON. 6/8 - MUSICAL MONDAY ON FACEBOOK, 30-minute livestream from the living room, https://facebook.com/AndrewMcKnight.Musician 4pm EDT FREE

SAT. 6/13 - "THE GIFTS IN OUR GENES" WEBINAR, D-Day edition researching 20th century veteran ancestors, YouTube Live, https://youtu.be/4or5rPw0Zxs 11am EDT FREE

SUN. 6/14 - FAMILY HISTORY DAY CONCERT, full 2-set livestream concert 8pm EDT Tix $10 until 6/10, then $15

SAT. 6/20 - MOUNTVILLE FOLK FESTIVAL, the 26th annual Mountville goes virtual with afternoon and evening live performances beginning at 4pm Details TBA soon at https://facebook.com/MountvilleFolkFestival

SUN. 6/28 - MORGANTOWN WV, serving as Guest Musical Speaker, UU Fellowship via Zoom 11am EDT FREE, contact church for link info

MON. 6/29 - MUSICAL MONDAY ON FACEBOOK, same format as 6/8, https://facebook.com/AndrewMcKnight.Musician 4pm EDT FREE

We're grateful for inquiries and help filling open dates with concert, library programs, workshops, and Special Music Services.
 
NEWS TIDBITS
(full stories at the News page)
Family History Day Workshop and Concert. Join Andrew on Saturday June 13th for a special livestreaminar, "The Gifts in Our Genes" about using DNA to discover our family stories. The free hourlong workshop will include examples, tips and music that will inspire and entertain as well as educate.
Then Sunday June 14th at 8pm EDT will be the only pay-per-view concert this month, again live through the website and in primetime on the East Coast. Get your tickets now at the website Tour page - once the show starts, the box office closes and we have no control over it. We are hugely grateful for your support to help keep the bills paid during these challenging times!
 
Goodreads and Amazon Reviews. The national marketing campaign for the Treasures in My Chest book is underway thanks to RMA Publicity. If you have the book and are willing to leave a good review at GoodReads.com or Amazon, the author would hugely appreciate it! Every little bit helps, as does every book and CD sale (and of course you can still get one signed by the author at http://andrewmcknight.net/treasures).
 
Mountville Folk Festival. If you've never been close enough to northwestern Virginia to attend this festival Andrew has been an integral part of over the last 25 years, these strange times bring you a chance to bring a little Mountville magic into your home on Saturday June 20th! There will be live performances, a very special late night campfire session, and some short films from our corner of the world to make a very special virtual experience for you! There will be a small ticket price that will allow you to watch the entire festival, which begins at 4pm EDT. They are still working feverishly sorting out the details, so if you'd like to know more please do two things - 1) follow https://facebook.com/MountvilleFolkFestival and 2) get on the email list with a quick note to mountvillefolkfestival@comcast.net. We hope you can join us for a one-of-a-kind Mountville 2020!
 
A FEW WORDS: Andrew has been sharing some thoughts on the Blog these days, turning his eye towards the historians of the future in the midst a global pandemic, street protests over racial injustice, and more personal milestones too. You might find "The Privilege of Retreat" thought-provoking.
 

Andrew can help you get the most out of your DNA test results, and preserve and share what you've learned - see more about his Ancestories consulting work.
 
 

Leave a comment