The Fiddle Concert

On a recent trip to my local coffee shop (actually, my "preferred Mid-Columbia Washington-side coffee shop", since there are of course many in this area), I noticed a flyer on the wall for a "fiddle workshop and concert" in Hood River. As soon as I read the information, I knew who the organizer was: Denise, our superstar realtor and local business-woman. She not only runs her own realtor business, but she also publishes Gorge Living magazine and runs the Oak Street Hotel, a small boutique hotel in Hood River. A few years ago, her son started taking fiddle lessons, so Denise took up fiddle as well. (Astute readers may even remember that we got a performance in our own home.) They've been attending workshops and traveling to concerts ever since, and we were sure that this was her doing.

We don't get many fiddle concerts in Hood River, and since we enjoy fiddle more than your average person we figured we had to go. April Verch plays in the Ottawa Valley fiddle style, which I'm sure you're all familiar with. Yeah, we didn't know Ottawa was in a valley, either. She and her 3 piece band put on a great show, and it was a fun night out. Anybody who plays fiddle like that, and can also step dance, and then can top it all off by doing BOTH at the same time, is okay in our book.

- Mike (& Corinne)