ARSC, National Parks and More (Conference and Greenwood)–May 17-18
The ARSC Conference Although I was rather tired when I finally reached my hotel room, I had already missed ARSC sessions on Thursday and that Friday morning. So, instead of answering the call of the hotel bed, I showered and changed clothes then attended the afternoon sessions. ARSC, or the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, is an interesting mix of professionals and amateurs covering the fields of sound production, preservation, research, etc. I have maintained my membership beyond my retirement because my research interests have a direct correlation with the organization, and there are colleagues whose interests tie directly with mine. I got a very pleasant surprise when, looking through the printed program to decide what to attend, I saw that the publisher of my second book had taken out an ad featuring the book. Thanks!! This year, my proposed presentation, “Porgy and Bess at 90,” had been selected for…
ARSC, National Parks and More (Gettin’ There)–May 14-16
A head’s up from the very beginning: This trip was very different than I had mentioned in my April 20, 2025, post. But then, that’s not at all unusual in my journeys. I tend to have a basic plan with lots of variables that I can consider as the trip occurs. My departure on Wednesday, May 14, was much later than planned because I wanted to make a sausage delivery as I left town and used that as an excuse to get a few extra hours of recovery sleep and trip prep after my recent return from my class reunion just two days earlier. Anyway, on my first gas and food stop near the Maryland-Pennsylvania-West Virginia borders, I saw my first McDonald’s advertisement for their offering of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I had read an announcement about the arrangement a year ago, but I wasn’t ready to actually see the doughnuts…
April and May Travel Update
I’m hoping for a very active travel summer in 2025. This has been made easier by an award I recently received. The Music Library Association (MLA) bestowed its 2025 Vincent H. Duckles Award–given for the best book-length bibliography or other research tool in music–for my second book, Recorded Solo Concert Spirituals, 1916-2022. With their monetary award, I was able to fully prep the Silver Bullet for distance travel, pay for registration and hotel for the upcoming Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and have funds left to register for next year’s MLA conference. The fun is scheduled to begin with a full day in Baltimore consisting of a road tour of the city, my second visit to the National Aquarium, and a dinner cruise that evening. This is contingent on my full recovery from whatever bug I brought back (in addition to the Kong-sized shot glass and…
Business and Pleasure–Day Two: St. Paul and Minneapolis
I arrived in St. Paul, Minnesota, early on Saturday morning for the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) conference. After checking into the hotel and getting a short nap, I attended several presentations and ended the day at their awards dinner. I kept my acceptance of their Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research pretty brief, admitting my surprise at receiving their 2023 Best Discography in Research on Recorded Blues, Soul, R&B, Gospel, or Hip Hop award category for my book, Recorded Solo Concert Spirituals, 1916-2022, because of the high level of competition. Sorry, no pictures. Anyway, I got a fairly early start on Sunday morning since I had reservation for a tour of nearby Minneapolis. I lived only a four-hour drive away from Minneapolis for nearly two decades, but only now was I going to get to see the city. I chose the Narrated Scenic Trolley Tour that…