# General Mandolin Topics > Jams, Workshops, Camps, Places To Meet Others >  Grey Fox anyone?

## Dick Wade

Grey Fox anyone? Who is going to be there? My Brother Tom and myself will be there with the Beard Guitar booth, under the same tent as D'Adarrio, and Caruso Music from New London Ct.. The guys from Caruso Music are great and Don Dawson from D'Adarrio is  known to anyone who has come to the Meet and Greets at Grey Fox. Whether we have and official Meet and Greet, which I'll will be happy to help with, or just sit down and play at our camp site is ok with me.We hope to get fine tuned and do a little jamming. Drop me a line. I will be on the road for the next month, but I will have my computer with me. Stay in touch. Dick Wade

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## Adam Sweet

I'll be there with some of my students.  My friend Match Atkinson will be there also.

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## Jonathan James

Going for the first time this year and can't wait!  Wonderful line up.

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## Randi Gormley

We have one-day tickets for Saturday; it's kind of become a tradition. We spend the week in East Durham doing Catskills Irish Arts Week and then go bluegrass for a breather on the one day.

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## Jim Gallaher

I'm a first-timer, too. Planning to pick with fellow Virginian and Grey Fox veteran Bob Sykes (fiddle).

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## Dan Johnson

oh yeah. I'll be there.

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## Fred G

oh yeah, and I am planning on organizing another meet and greet. I think this will be the 5th year for the M & G. Maybe we will do it on Saturday this year so Randi can come...

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## J Mangio

I'll pass thanks...It's a crap shoot; the weather seems to be too hot or too wet. The last time I went, my wife and I 
had our feet in a cooler full of ice, lucky we had an awning on our camper van or we would have been roasted. Have fun.

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## Fred G

> I'll pass thanks...It's a crap shoot; the weather seems to be too hot or too wet. The last time I went, my wife and I 
> had our feet in a cooler full of ice, lucky we had an awning on our camper van or we would have been roasted. Have fun.


You live in Florida and you thought it was too hot at Greyfox??? hahaha

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## mandopaul

It does get hot, especially if there is no place to cool off.  Is there any water (streams or rivers) nearby?  I am thinking about going, but I don't have a camper, just a tent, and with no shade I don't know how my instruments will hold up.

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## J Mangio

I'm a snowbird...6 in FL and 6 in MA.

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## Fred G

> It does get hot, especially if there is no place to cool off.  Is there any water (streams or rivers) nearby?  I am thinking about going, but I don't have a camper, just a tent, and with no shade I don't know how my instruments will hold up.


Myself and lot's of others tent with fine instruments with no issues. I use a old ez up canopy to cover my car and store my instruments in there with the windows cracked. With the glass covered the car doesn't get nearly as hot. There is a stream nearby, you are not supposed to go in but a lot of folks do. There is a discount for a nearby water park, but I do miss the quarry at the old place.

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## Dick Wade

I agree with Fred. I have been to Grey Fox with a truck load of fine instruments and never had any issues except finger prints from folks trying them. It does get hot at Grey Fox at times, but it is still worth the trip. As I write this it's about 100 degrees in the shade in Fort Collins Colorado and it was hotter in Denver yesterday, but I am not sorry to be here. I  have my mandolin and guitar with me, with a Planet Waves humidipack in both cases. I use and ez up canopy at festivals and, like Fred, it works for me. As soon as Thile and Daves, or Hot Rise start playing I'll forget the weather anyway, hot, rainy, or cold. I am looking forward to a great time with friends and music. Hope to see you all there.

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## Randi Gormley

I was at a concert last night featuring Noam Pikelny and friends, and their opening band was String Finger (local guys, I was sitting next to the lead mando/fiddle player's sister who I know from an alternate universe) and both bands said they were going to be at Grey Fox and they asked who in the audience was going. Probably a dozen hands went up. There was a joke about which weekend it was, but that got straightened out pretty quickly. I was surprised, on listening to the gossip around me during the break between bands, to find that a good half of us seemed to be musicians of one stripe or another. There was a lot of excitement about the upcoming festival.
Anyway, String Finger is playing Thursday in one of the side stages, I believe, and they're worth dropping by to listen to. They looked about 15 years old to me, but Sally assures me her brother (Dan Tressler) is actually 35 or so. They put on a good show. NFI since I won't be there on Thursday.

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## JAFO

This year Grey Fox will generously make the slow jam tent available for on-line forum groups to meetup and they will be putting the days and times on the printed schedule. There is no obligation or 'catch', just another service for the great patrons at Grey Fox. All internet type folks are welcome and it is not for any particular forum group. The schedule will be coming out today and my understanding is that they have added another day. I had originally requested just one day and time, but the management thought it was a neat idea and have expanded it to 3 days now, I think. We tired to pick times that would not conflict with workshops or main stage music, but the schedule is so tight, especially this year with the additional bands at the former Master's stage, that a conflict is inevitable. I hope some folks here can take advantage of this offer. If you like it, please let the Festival know so they can continue it. I'll post more when it comes out. Hope to see you there.
Tom

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## joni24

Has there been any more thought on when the Mandolin Cafe meet & greet will be held at Greyfox?  13 more days until the gates open!

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## JAFO

OK, the Official schedule is out and here is the link: http://www.greyfoxbluegrass.com/ws/pages/schedule.php You will note that there has been Meet-up time allocated at the Slow Jam tent from noon to 2pm on Thursday and 10:00 to 11:30am on Friday. and Saturday. This is very generous of the Grey Fox team. I haven't seen much talk up about this on any of the forums, but I hope some folks will come on out and we'll have a nice time.

You will note that the terms "Hangout" is used in the schedule, please be assured this is open to all internet forum users as a place to meet-up and enjoy each other. I also understand that is traditional for the Mando Cafe to have a meet & Greet and this is in no way intended to interfere with that, just another option. Hope to see you all there. Please spread the word.

Tom

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## Fred G

> OK, the Official schedule is out and here is the link: http://www.greyfoxbluegrass.com/ws/pages/schedule.php You will note that there has been Meet-up time allocated at the Slow Jam tent from noon to 2pm on Thursday and 10:00 to 11:30am on Friday. and Saturday. This is very generous of the Grey Fox team. I haven't seen much talk up about this on any of the forums, but I hope some folks will come on out and we'll have a nice time.
> 
> You will note that the terms "Hangout" is used in the schedule, please be assured this is open to all internet forum users as a place to meet-up and enjoy each other. I also understand that is traditional for the Mando Cafe to have a meet & Greet and this is in no way intended to interfere with that, just another option. Hope to see you all there. Please spread the word.
> 
> Tom


Hey Tom, 
Yeah I just noticed it on the schedule this morning. Last year they let us have lunch time at the kids academy tent. I neglected to hit them up early enough this year but maybe next we can get one of the days for our meet and greet. Thanks for the invite!
Fred

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## JAFO

> Hey Tom, 
> Yeah I just noticed it on the schedule this morning. Last year they let us have lunch time at the kids academy tent. I neglected to hit them up early enough this year but maybe next we can get one of the days for our meet and greet. Thanks for the invite!
> Fred


 Fred, just to be clear, this includes EVERYBODY for ALL the internet forums. The use of the word "Hangout" was an oversight and my fault entirely. Mary was working on the final schedule in the wee hours and in my sleepy state when I gave her the 'words' I screwed it up. So, there is a place for everybody here. The significant part is that it will be on the printed schedule for those who may only be occasional users of the forums and find out when they read the schedule. The schedule has barely been up for 24 hours and I had 2 folks come up to me at a gig last night and discuss it. I will really miss the "Master's series" they used to have, but I will enjoy all the extra bands that are using those time slots.
 Hope to see you there.

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## joni24

I'd vote to include the Mandolin Cafe meet & greet as part of the online forums that are meeting on Thursday from noon-2pm in the Slow Jam tent.  Just set up a table in a corner of the tent for MC, and people will come!  Besides, it might be nice to see what other online forums there are in this wonderful world of music.

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## Fred G

Tom, I got that it was for all internet forums. Two reasons I will probably have our meet up separately is that ours is more a mando tasting where we all pass around our instruments and let others play them and secondly we have been "sponsored" by our friends at D'Addario for the last 4 years and again this year. We have had some pretty stellar mandos there in past years that folks where willing to share. 

That being said it would be great if you and joni24 come by (whenever I figure out where and when) and join us, it has been fun the last few years.
Fred

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## JAFO

OK, I get it now and this is great. I hope that I can make it. I am just a beginner on the Mando with about a year on the banjo so any opportunity to learn new stuff is a treasure to me. I am glad you guys are having something, if this other 'thing' works, and folks actually show up, perhaps for next year we could make so that everyone gets what they need but get it on the schedule so that folks know about it. Mary was wonderful about adding it on the schedule and I only presented it as a suggestion. Grey Fox, as you know is very open to suggestions and that is how they improve things from year to year. I work as a volunteer with the medical group and I love my job. So much so that I work almost twice the amount of time they require. You may frequently see me 'on patrol' walking all over the grounds from campsites to back stage. My 'mission' is to make sure everyone is safe, healthy and having a good time by advising them to drink water or identifying hazards that might cause someone harm. But honestly, I am walking around meeting people, chatting, catching music wherever it might be and just having a blast! 
 I look forward to meeting many new friends AGAIN this year. Since I started playing, this event has taken on a lot of new meaning for me. I just left Bill Keith's house about an hour ago and we are both like little kids making plans for this year.
 10 days!
Tom

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## Justus True Waldron

Does anyone know yet when the MC meetup/mando tasting will be? I've never gone before but I should be there from Thursday night through Saturday and always like to share my mando/try others. If I somehow miss that, my luthier Marty Macica will be there with a booth and has asked me to help him out manning it, so stop by and say hi! I think he'll have 6 or so of his hand made mandolins there, ranging between $3-10k dollars, the most mandolins and widest price range I ever remember him having at a festival. I haven't even played the three newest ones yet, I'm looking forward to it! Hope to see everybody there picking and hearing some great music.

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## joni24

Hey Justus, glad you're able to go, it's a great festival!  Do you know where you'll be camping yet?  We generally set up somewhere in the block at the corner of Monroe & Lilly streets.  Plan to have low key mandolin/fiddle tune jams in the mornings before the main stage revs up... you and all are welcome if you see a jam going on.

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## Carleton Page

Bought my ticket last night! 1st Grey Fox since 2009. It will be great to see everyone! I will be there All of Friday and most of Saturday.

Carleton

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## R. Kane

Have read through this a couple of times, and I must be pretty dense in my old age/retirement, but I still cannot tell if there is a MC meetup, or when. I'll try to get to the Thursday at noon in the SJ tent...subject to someone stopping me in my tracks.

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## Dave Greenspoon

Been a GF devotee for a while; caught the last two at the old place and everyone since.  I'm looking forward to the festival this year; the line up is amazing. Another Cafe M&G will be awesome.  This year will be my first as a volunteer and I hope that I'm not on shift for it!

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## Fred G

Sorry, I did not post back about a time/place. I was waiting to hear something from Greyfox and I never did hear back from Lisa. Since they did not give us an alternate place let's meet at the Slow Jam tent at 10:30 to 11:30 on Saturday, that will give a chance to some of the mando cafe folks that just come in on the weekend to join us. Don Dawson from D'addario will visit with us again this year as well. See ya up there!

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## JAFO

I leave on Tuesday morning, does anyone yet know where and when this meet-up will take place? I am not bringing any interent devices with me, so if you have a place, I would like to make it but maybe you could put a note on teh bulletin board at the info desk?
Thanks,
Tom

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## Dave Greenspoon

Weather report looks great. After some weather on Wednesday, the rest of the fest promises lots of sun with highs in the upper 70's and low 80's with lows from the mid 50's to low 60's. Couldn't ask for a finer Catskills summertime.

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## JAFO

Man I must have been zoning out and missed Fred's post. Packing up tonight, up to the farm tomorrow. Hope to meet a lot of y'all up there. I work with the Med staff and you may see me in my lime green shirt walking around (because that's what I do). I have a banjo belt buckle and a longish thin mustache.
Safe travels,
Tom

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## Phil Sussman

:Mandosmiley:  Looking forward to the Cafe meet-up Saturday morning. Thanks, Fred, good time slot. It was so humid in NYC yesterday that I put on  EXP 74 coated strings, but according to Dave's weather report I might not need them. OK, ready to go!

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## Randi Gormley

Great! I got up here (east durham) yesterday and it looks like a great second-half of the week, weatherwisde. Don't know if I'll have my strad with me, though, since i'm just a day visitor, but i'll try to be at the tent intime to say hey.

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## Fred G

Great meeting up yersterday, .... great festival again this year... Friday night with Ronnie Mcourey, Grisman and Thile was truly mando hog heaven for me. I will try and post some pictures in the next couple of days, either here or in the social group section and then maybe we can identify ourselves.

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## JAFO

I apologize for not making any of the meet-ups that were posted in the schedule. My obligations at the festival in several capacities kept me tied up more than I expected this year. I didn't even get time to visit with good music friends in the far flung campsites where I knew the good jams were. I did run into many of the forum members all around the farm however and enjoyed those meetings greatly. This particular year was one I will remember until they close the coffin and I could not do justice here to list all the unique experiences I enjoyed, but spending a few minutes of quiet time in a private campsite with the Dawg in the late hours (or was it early morning?) is near the top of the list. Even better than that was making it possible for an up and coming young mando player to meet his hero and shake hands and talk to him for a bit (another accidental but very happy experience, and one that I'm sure the young man will remember for quite a while). David is quite the Gentleman and his lovely wife is also a fine person. How that meeting came to be is one story I wish I could share, but I can't. I also had a little time with Chris Thile and chatted with Michael Daves several times, as well as several other of my favorite people. Suffice to say it was a 'pretty good' week for me. It's pretty cool when you walk up to somebody like Tony Trischka and he remembers your name. I don't think I'll ever get used to that.
360 days and counting!
Tom

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## Fred G

Wow, I think I want to hang with you next year Tom!  :Grin:

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## Jonathan James

Yeah, this was my first Grey Fox but won't be my last. I'd put it right up there with Merlefest (where I've been going for 15+ years).  The crowds were very manageable, the music was stellar, and the people and food was great.  In addition to Ronnie McCoury, Dawg and Thile, I was really impressed with Frank Solivan's playing, Dominick Leslie, Ron T from Dry Branch and of course, Tim O'Brien never disappoints.  The "Deep River Blues" rendition that Bryan Sutton did in tribute to Doc during the Hot Rize set sent goose bumps up my arms.  Amazing!

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## Dave Greenspoon

Kudos to Fred and extra thanks to Wade for the get together on Saturday.  Great folks, wonderful mandolins, and a good time.  Now, I know that most of us were likely watching Dawg, but I was at the Dance Tent for Red Knuckles. Del's fiddler was with them, and when Del came out as White Knuckles, well, we probably outshouted the mainstage.  WOW!!!

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## Dave Greenspoon

White Knuckles joining Red and the Blazers....

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## Randi Gormley

It was a great time -- my husband and I spent more time at the dance tent then up on the main field ('cept for Saturday night) because the acts were incredible, the artists were having as great a time as the audience and the music was outstanding. It was nice to see and meet some of the other mandolinists at the meet-and-greet and hear them play. I am in awe of many of them and a couple let me hold their instruments and pluck out a melody line or two. a great time, indeed!

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## JAFO

> Wow, I think I want to hang with you next year Tom!



Well, I spent a lot more time back stage this year then in the past. I also have improved my abaility to recognize the performers when they are walking around in shorts and flip-flops. That's the best time to chat with them. I believe I spent close to 2 hours with the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys family. I was most impressed by their mandolin player (Uncle Sal) who first picked up a mandolin less than a year ago. Amazing! And the next youngest boy (after Jonny) just started mando lessons recently. What a lovely family indeed.
 I am just a very lucky guy to be in the right place sometimes. I am very sorry I missed Del at the dance tent, the buzz was all over the farm a half hour after it was over. And that saturday night deal at the dance tent, was that off the hook or what? Never thought I would see something like that at Grey Fox, EVER.
 I'm ready to go back, how about you?
Tom

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## Justus True Waldron

First Grey Fox ever for me and it was an amazing time.... I had a lot of fun meeting some fellow cafe'ers in and outside of the meet and greet. I also had a ton of fun helping staff Marty Macica's mando booth - some great things happened there: Darol Angor stopping by for a few, Ron T of Dry Branch Fire squad stopping by several times to play the mandos and show us his Loar... and of course tons of mando jamming! I believe Marty's two new A models are somehow even better than his previous stuff, and it was amazing to be able to sit and play them all day whenever I wanted. Then there were the shows: Really enjoyed Mountain Heart and seeing Del again... and I got to watch the Punch Brothers and the late night Tornado Riders dance set from backstage. Dancing around to your favorite music with your favorite musicians is pretty awesome! Also got to jam for a little bit with Rushad and Brittany Haas one night, which was awesome for the cello player in me. Finally, I ended up as the mando player for the Grillbillie band in their parade float, which was a ton of fun. I might be new at this, but I have to think you haven't really done Grey Fox until you've played standing up in the back of a boat driving around the campground with a wig on! Overall, there are way too many stories to fit on here... it was a great time. I can't wait until next year!

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## Matt Bowe

For the cello players out there -

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## JAFO

Wow Matt, that last photo is a reall keeper. I didn't see you snapping those! What a blast we had, I wish I could have spent more time hanging with you. That Grisman thing on Firday night was surreal.
 See ya Thursday? You should bring a copy of that photo down for Bill, he'd get a kick out of it.
Tom

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## Matt Bowe



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## mandopaul

David Bromberg, I took this 1st row Main Stage....a major highlight for me, he is great, and his band as well.





Some sweet mando picking on this one




a few more....

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## mandopaul

One more quick one...

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