Fiddlers ReStrung’s Holiday Hometown in Support of Toys for Tots Sunday December 5, 2010 2 pm For the past three years, Fiddlers ReStrung has provided a great kickoff to the Saline Fire Department’s Toys for Tot’s campaign drive. After collecting 150 toys in 2007 and 1000 in 2008, ReStrung helped the Saline Fire Department collect over 1300 toys in 2009. In 2010, expectations are high for this year’s Fiddlers ReStrung’s Holiday Hometown Concert in Support of Toys for Tots. In another year when the local economy continues to struggle and more families need help, the ability to make a difference with a toy makes this concert all the more powerful. Fiddlers ReStrung, a group that has dedicated many performances to community service during these past few years, this concert provides a most fitting way to ring in the holiday season. This year’s Holiday Hometown Concert is scheduled for Sunday, December 5, 2010 at 2:00 pm in the Ellen Ewing Performing Arts Center of Saline High School, 1300 Campus Parkway, Saline. Tickets are $10 for adults, and only $5 for students and seniors. Reserved tickets are limited. To purchase an advance ticket, call (734) 944-2283. After Nov. 10th, tickets can also be purchased in-person at Saline Community Education Office, 7265 Saline Ann Arbor Road, Saline, MI 48176. The concert takes place on the Sunday after Saline’s traditional annual holiday parade along Michigan Avenue.
This year’s Holiday Hometown Concert is scheduled for Sunday, December 5, 2010 at 2:00 pm in the Ellen Ewing Performing Arts Center of Saline High School, 1300 Campus Parkway, Saline. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Reserved tickets are limited. To purchase an advance ticket, call (734) 944-2283. After Nov. 10th, tickets can also be purchased in-person at Saline Community Education Office at 7265 Saline Ann Arbor Road, Saline, MI 48176. The concert takes place on the Sunday after Saline’s traditional annual holiday parade along Michigan Avenue.
This concert is also the first Hometown Concert for new Artistic Director Allison Cregg, who has been leading the group since this summer. She recently earned her Masters in Violin Performance at the University of Michigan. As a student there, she studied with Aaron Berofsky and performed with the University Symphony Orchestra, where she served as a Principle Violin. Allison has been working with the ReStrung members on new songs, many of which will debut at the Hometown Concert.
The concert will also serve as a CD Release Party for ReStrung’s fourth CD since 2005. The new CD, entitled “Heroes,” is a journey of repertoire that has served as a source of inspiration for the ensemble in recent years. According to former Artist Director Josh Herter, who with Corinna Smith led the group in this recording session, the CD is “dedicated to a dynamic range of musical heroes where no track exists without its own musical quip, fond memory, or epic tale.” Included in this CD is Angeline the Baker, Gator Strut, Jefferson, Dyslexic/Tennessee Set, Waterbound, and others. Of note is the John Hartford tune Tall Buildings, that quickly became a fan favorite ever since the group learned it on tour in 2007. The CD will be available for purchase at the Hometown Concert and will cost $15.
Also at the concert will be a collage of local community talent. Opening performances include the Saline Area School’s 6th Grade and Middle School Fiddle Clubs, both directed by Fiddlers ReStrung Artistic Director Allison Cregg. Also performing on stage will be select members of the Saline High School Choir and Saline High School Band, all of whom have graciously offered to donate their time and talent to this special event.
The Saline Fire Dept. has hosted a toy collection to benefit children identified through Saline Social Services for many years. It was eight years ago that Saline firefighter and U.S. Marine Corps Reservist Kurt Schneider initiated the fire department’s alliance with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves’ Toys for Tots program. Shortly thereafter, Fire Chief Craig Hoeft invited the Fiddlers ReStrung to perform at the fire station on the first day of the toy collection campaign. This concert has grown from that initial collaboration and is becoming an annual tradition in Saline. “Because of the relationship between two great organizations the less fortunate families of Saline will have an opportunity for a better Christmas," Hoeft said about this event.
The Toys for Tots initiative began in 1947 when the wife of Major Bill Hendricks, USMCR, handcrafted a Raggedy Ann doll and asked her husband to deliver the doll to an organization that would give it to a needy child at Christmas. Finding that no such agency existed, Major Hendricks took it upon himself, along with a group of Marine Reservists, to form one. In the first year alone, they collected and distributed over 5,000 toys to needy children. The following year, Toys for Tots became a nationwide campaign. A Marine Reservist on weekends, Major Hendricks was in civilian life the Director of Public Relations for Warner Brothers Studio. As such, he was able to convince a vast array of celebrities to support the program. Walt Disney designed the Toys for Tots logo in 1948, which is still used today. The primary goal has remained the same since its inception: deliver a shiny, new toy at Christmas to America’s needy children as a message of hope.
In the spirit of the Toys for Tots campaign, Fiddlers ReStrung encourages everyone attending the concert to bring a new, unwrapped toy to contribute to the drive. Marines from Selfridge Air Force Base will be on hand to accept your donation. Donations can also be dropped off at the fire station any day after the concert date up until Saturday December 18th.
Fiddlers ReStrung is a 21-piece string ensemble featured at over 80 performances annually, Fiddlers ReStrung proudly displays a diverse arrangement of styles. American Bluegrass, Celtic fiddle, popular folk, Appalachian Step-dancing, Progressive Acoustic, and more are all brought forward with a crisp, enterprising flair. They engage the audience with energy and witty charm, advocating a message of spontaneous enthusiasm born of a genuine live performance. Among the performances given this year were numerous ones to benefit communities across the region, including retirement homes, community fund raisers for causes including autism and cancer, and a very popular summer reading program for libraries in 2009 and 2010 that saw ReStrung perform at over 30 libraries across Michigan over these past two years.
ReStrung consists of students at Saline High School, all of whom share in producing a unique ensemble truly their own. Working alongside leadership, students craft their own arrangements and help make organizational decisions. This collaborative ownership grants ReStrung an authentic creative edge that is clearly visible from the striking energy they portray on stage. Students are chosen based not only on musical talent, but personal maturity as well. They balance a demanding performance schedule while maintaining high standards in other school activities, sports, and academics. The organization is officially sponsored and supported by Saline Area Schools. Download a poster for the event designed by one of our own cellists, Adriane.
For Additional Information Regarding this Event, Please Contact:
Rebecca Groeb-Driskill
Cultural Arts Specialist, Saline Area Schools
(734) 429-8000 ext. 2338
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