OYEZ, OYEZ!!!
Come One, Come All
to the
Fourth Annual
Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum
Members' Get-Together
(NazFest 2005)
Last updated on Sunday, July 31, 2005
All Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum members and their families and guests, and all Martin Guitar Company employees, families, and guests, are cordially invited to attend the Fourth Annual informal Get-Together for us lovers of Martin Guitars! The setting will be both indoors and outdoors, definitely informal, and most of all there will be the opportunity to meet new friends, greet old ones, enjoy each other's company, and play the guitars which we have grown to love!
When: Sunday, August 7 and Monday, August 8, 2005, from approximately 1:00 pm to dusk on Sunday and 9:00 a.m. to dusk on Monday. But, events will continue both days at the Cheers Lounge, see below.
Where: Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
Who: YOU and your guests!
What: Jamming, a tour of the Factory, singing and playing, and lots of fun!
Here are the up-to-date details. Be sure to watch this page for periodic updates.
The Location --
Sunday afternoon: Nazareth Borough Park - The "Large Pavilion" past the concession stand on your left as you enter the Park. It's at the end of the parking lot on the left. The Log Cabin was not available again this year. But, that's not all bad since the Large Pavilion is more in the shade, and no one has to carry guitars up the hill!
Monday morning: C.F. Martin & Co. - Private tour, goodies, time with Chris Martin!
Monday afternoon: Nazareth Borough Park - The "Large Pavilion" again.
The Events --
1. Warmup Session: Saturday, August 6, at Cheers Lounge in the Bethlehem Comfort Inn. Cheers and the conference room next to it ( the "Morgan Room") are reserved for us for the entire weekend. This usually kicks off in the early evening.
There is NO SMOKING at any time in the Cheers Lounge, Morgan Room, or anywhere inside the Comfort Inn except for certain designated private smoking bedrooms. Please honor this at all times, even if you happen to be alone in one of the rooms for a short time.
2. Sunday, August 7: I have again reserved the Large Pavilion all day, although most folks come from about 1:00 p.m. to dusk. This will be a private spot just for us. Electricity is available. The restroom facilities are directly across the parking lot.
3. Monday, August 8: We will start our day with a private tour of the Martin Guitar Factory starting at about 7:30 a.m. We will break into groups of 12 to 15 or so and be given our private tour in 10- to 15-minute intervals in order to space out the groups.
Martin will provide a private room for us to store our guitars while we are on the tour.
I will have tour signup sheets available at Cheers on Saturday night, at the Park on Sunday, and then again at Cheers on Sunday night. These will be delivered to Martin first thing Monday morning. First come first served!
There will also be a Guitar Exhibition on Monday at Martin. We are all invited to bring a maximum of two fretted instruments - any brand - for display at Martin. Martin will be open at 7am on Monday to receive these, so be prepared to get up early! Please bring your own stands, and please send me a brief writeup (optional) about your instruments. The deadline for the Exhibition is now August 1.
In addition, there will be an Open Mike at Martin during the lunch break (11:00 am to 1:30 pm). If you would like to participate, please let me know by August 1.
My email for both the Guitar Exhibition and the Open Mike is mac1588@aol.com, which please note is different from the email address for registration below.
4. After the tour, Chris will again speak to the assembled group in the "Sawmill" as he has for the last couple of years. Then we will be Chris's guests for lunch, which will be inside for a change.
5. After lunch on Monday, we will have an afternoon of sociality and music at the Large Pavilion, again private and just for us.
Martin's quarterly employee meeting is also Monday afternoon, and they will be invited to join us after the meeting is over. As you walk through the factory and have your lunch, please encourage those you see to come!
6. As was the case in the past couple of years, we will be offering instructional breakout sessions. Here is the schedule:
Sunday, 2:00 to 3:00 -- Learning Songs By Ear/Tim Porter
Sunday, 3:15 to 4:15 -- Olde Tyme Music/Tom Buck & Don Hurley
Monday, 2:00 to 3:00 -- Travis Style Fingericking/Marshall Oberholtzer (Wire & Wood)
Monday, 3:15 to 4:15 -- Guitar 101 - Guitar Basics and Setups/David Musselwhite
Signups are available on the NazFest 2005 section of the UMGF.
7. Open Mike -- There
will be an Open Mike both days, starting around 4:30 and ending when we're done.
OTHER ACTIVITIES:
Buy and Sell -- There will be a designated area both Sunday and Monday at the Park to buy or sell guitars, other musical related gear, CD's and other UMGF related paraphernalia such as T-Shirts. This is limited to private sales ONLY except for CD's, where all artists who are members of the UMGF are invited to offer CD's for sale.
Other General Info --
There is no entry fee at Nazareth Park, and there are restrooms, a concession stand, and other facilities available. We will not be providing any food or beverage, so please bring your own or use the concession stand. I have not been told that alcoholic beverages are prohibited, but if you bring beer or wine PLEASE be circumspect and responsible.
Most importantly, there is NO talent needed or required (other than a good sense of direction to Nazareth). We will try to arrange for an open mike, but both afternoons are really intended just for getting together, enjoying each other's company, perhaps sharing tips and tricks, and just plain old having fun!
You will be responsible for keeping watch over your own instruments and other possessions and for loss of or damage to the same. The parking lot at Martin & Co. is not secure (and also could get hot); however, as indicated above we have arranged for a room at Martin where we can store our instruments. Nazareth Park is a public facility, so even though we have private areas, there could be many other persons passing through.
Food and Beverage -- Since there is a concession stand at the Park, everyone is encouraged to bring his or her own other provisions or use the concession stand. The concession stand is 25 to 30 yards from either facility that we are using. It is not open if it rains, but there is a pizzeria (Mijavo's) right up the road near Martin and other places available.
Pool -- The pool at Nazareth Borough Park is open to all. The fee on Sunday is $4.75 for minors (under 18) and $5.25 for adults. On Monday it is $4.25 for minors and $4.75 for adults.
Directions --
From the East: Find your way to Interstate 78 in New Jersey. Follow I-78 into Pennsylvania (do NOT get off onto Route 22, Phillipsburg). About 6 miles into PA, take PA 33 North. Continue until you see Route 248 and a sign for Nazareth. Get off at this exit and bear right at the bottom of the ramp. Go a few miles, past the huge concrete plant on your right, and turn right at the light by the Nazareth Diner. Go through the town of Nazareth and past Nazareth Park on your left (yes, that is the park that we will be using). You will then see a Moravian Church on your right, quickly followed by Mijavo's Restaurant/Pizzeria. Turn right immediately onto Beil Avenue, and you will see C.F. Martin & Co. on your right at the next intersection. The parking lot is on your right.
From the West: Find I-78 East and get off onto Route 33, then follow the above directions.
From the South: Take the PA Turnpike Extension up to I-78 East, then follow the above.
From the North: Follow the directions on the Martin web site
Lodging -- There are many places to stay in the Nazareth/Bethlehem area. The Bethlehem Comfort Inn, 3191 Highfield Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18020, 610-865-6300, 800-732-2500, is where most folks are staying. We have a group number, #3100 (NOT UMGF or Martin Guitar, etc.), but all rooms under that number are currently sold out. But it pays to keep checking for cancellations! The rate for the group is $74.00 for a single and $79.00 for a double.
Here are some other suggestions found at the Nazareth Chamber of Commerce:
Bed and Breakfast:
Classic Victorian Bed and Breakfast, 35 North New Street, Nazareth, PA 18064, 610-759-8276.
Inn at Heyer's Hill, 568 Heyer Mill Road, Nazareth, PA 18064, 610-759-6226
Hotels/Motels (all in or near Bethlehem. most with in-house restaurants and lounges):
Four Points Sheraton, right next to LVI. A first class hotel, with an indoor pool, nice lounge and good restaurant.
Hampton Inn, Easton/Nazareth. Low rates, indoor pool, closer to CFM & Co. than the Comfort by a couple of minutes. No lounge or restaurant, but Continental breakfast. 610-250-6500
Comfort Inn, Easton, PA, 610-253-0546
Comfort Suites, 120 West Third Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015, 610-882-9700
Courtyard by Marriott, 2160 Motel Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18018 610-317-6200
Holiday Inn at the Gateway, Rtes 512 and 22, Bethlehem, PA 18017, 800-360-5050
Local sights and activities:
The Martin Guitar Design Seminar, jointly sponsored by Martin and Northampton Community College, will be going on in nearby Bethlehem from the 8th through the 12th of August. This is a great opportunity to extend your stay, learn a lot about guitar design, and keep having fun!
The annual "Musikfest" is ongoing in Bethlehem.
Other events will be posted here as they are announced (or discovered).
Winery tour - Slate Quarry Winery offers tours and wine tasting. The winery is located just outside of Nazareth.
Crayola Crayons - For the kids (including us grownup kids), the Crayola Factory offers tours every day of the week in nearby Easton, PA.
Also for kids, including grown-up kids, is Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown - rides, etc.
There are also walking tours of historic Nazareth and many other activities available.
Registration -- Registration is ongoing. The list of registrants is available HERE. To register, please email me at mac00028@aol.com. I would request that everyone register, even if you are coming for only part of the events. Please note that the deadline for the events at Martin on Monday was July 15!
Registration Fee -- By the time all is settled, I will have advanced quite a bit to cover fees. My best guesstimate right now is that the suggested Registration Fee this year will be $5.00 per adult. Kids are free. Please note that this is less than last year! The Registration Fee will be completely voluntary, and I will have a Contributions Jar at the Park both days. This will be the only "solicitation" - I will not be asking anyone directly.
Photos -- Here are some pictures of the Log Cabin, the Large Pavilion, the old Martin Factory, the old Martin Residence, and the Nazareth Music Center. The Log Cabin photos are just for fond memories, but I'm too lazy to change the site where these are posted.
Mac Carter, Webmaster