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Fiddlers ReStrung to Tour the Great Lakes on “Lighthouses 2014 Tour”
June 28 to July 10
Saline, June 23, 2014. Fiddlers ReStrung will be “all aboard the bus” complete with
gear, musical instruments and tons of exuberance, taking their high-energy
entertainment on their annual summer tour starting Saturday, June 28. This year’s
tour is billed as “Lighthouses 2014” and will take the group throughout Michigan’s
Lower and Upper Peninsulas, and along Lake Michigan through Wisconsin, Illinois
and Indiana. The group will return on July 10 upon completing ten performances.
In the spirit of engaging with and supporting the communities which welcome them,
the students have chosen to kick off this year’s tour with a fundraiser. On June 28,
at Friske Farm Market near Traverse City, Fiddlers ReStrung will encourage the
audience to contribute to Cherryland Humane Society. A donation box will be
prominently displayed, and the Friske family is supporting ReStrung’s endeavor by
advertising the Humane Society’s needs and the students’ enthusiasm in helping
the animals in Cherryland’s care. Mike Cherry, Executive Director of the Humane
Society, says, “The Cherryland Humane Society is tremendously grateful for the
fundraising effort by Fiddlers ReStrung and the much needed funds that it will
provide for the work of the CHS on behalf of homeless pets.”
Jimmy Whitman, Fiddlers ReStrung’s Artistic Director, notes the students love tours
as “one cannot replicate the group bonding resulting from bus trips over twelve
days. We look forward to the sold out shows and playing for both audiences who
have seen the group before and those who don’t know much about us.” This tour
combines the key elements of the Fiddlers ReStrung culture: sharing the group’s
talents via dynamic performances, strengthening their knowledge of fiddling with
selective workshops and tours, and developing camaraderie with engaging activities.
Highlights of this year’s tour include performances such as: a Fourth of July parade
in DeTour, Michigan; Kilkenny’s Irish Pub in Traverse City; and lakefront gigs in
Cheboyan, Manistique and Grand Marais, Michigan and Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
The trip also provides educational activities for the student musicians, such as tours
of the Museum of Ojibwa Culture in St. Ignace, De Tour Passage Historical Museum
in De Tour Village, and the Quincy Mine Tour in Hancock, Michigan. The “downtime”
breaks include excursions to the Sleeping Bear Dunes, fireworks in Munising,
lighthouse tours, a pontoon boat ride to see Pictured Rocks, and a fireboat ride in
Chicago.
Nelda Murphy, tour director and parent of a mandolin player in Fiddlers ReStrung,
says, “There is nothing better than bringing our music to our friends in the Midwest!
The Great Lakes area is the home of many musicians and our musical roots are
right here. When we began reaching out to schedule performances, people were
thrilled to host us.” Indeed, Melanie Eno of the Cheboygan Public Library, where
Fiddlers ReStrung will play on July 2, wrote, "We have hosted you before and were
thrilled to get the call to tell us you were coming back. We will definitely fill the
house. People in Northern Michigan love your energy and performances!"
Fiddlers ReStrung is a string ensemble comprising over 20 students of Saline High
School and featured at over 60 performances a year. The organization is officially
sponsored and supported by Saline Area Schools and Saline Community Education.
Students are chosen based not only on musical talent, but personal maturity as
well as balancing a demanding performance schedule while maintaining high
standards in other school activities, sports, and academics.
For additional information on Fiddlers ReStrung, please contact Rebecca Groeb-
Driskill, Cultural Arts Specialist, Saline Area Schools at (734) 429-8020
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