Our hearts go out to our friends in Asheville and surrounding areas who have had their lives shaken by the latest example of climate change: nature creating hurricanes that stay over an area for a whole day, dumping two feet of rain onto their homes. We are relieved to hear both Allen Watsky and Marc Weber (our two TGS members out there) are doing OK. Our thoughts are with them.

With this next concert, we are putting out our biggest effort for getting the word out. And here’s what we are doing and who is doing it: Peter Abken has designed a nice poster (we are printing 50 of them in color), and David Robertson will put them up throughout the Triangle. Peter is running our WCPE campaign and sending notices to INDY Week. Paul Bonner’s fine newsletter will urge our membership with these nice articles about Marko Topchii, who has to be the winningest first-prize winner in international guitar contests of all time! And thanks to Billy Switzer for sending out timely announcements about this concert and getting out the word to our “big list” of past (sniff, sniff) members in the hopes that they will see how much they have been missing out and come back into the fold.

Also a special reception party for our Marko will entice folks to go to both events. Folks in our reception committee should expect to get marching orders from our special TGS member Jen Albright as to what food to bring to the reception. Paul has been in touch with our local Ukrainian folks to come and support their fellow countryman Marko Topchii!! Spread the word!

I want to take a moment and thank Peter Abken for the tireless work he has been doing for us these past two years! His fine articles, his fine transcriptions (more to come next issue), his promotions of our concerts, and presence on WCPE radio and INDY Week, and much more. I just wanted to get that out there: THANK YOU, PETER!!!!!

Folks, our Gourmet Kingdom lunch/performances are a great way to meet and chat with fellow guitarists and meet fellow teachers as well.  So get your pieces ready to show everybody and mark this date - Saturday, Dec. 7, noon - at our favorite Chinese restaurant: Gourmet Kingdom, located at 301 E Main St. in Carrboro.

Listen, I also want to thank all the folks who sent in their annual dues and also all the folks who are going to send in your annual dues and buy tickets for Marko Topchii now