MartinFest 2010

All Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum members in good standing and their families and guests, and all Martin Guitar Company employees, families, and guests, are cordially invited to attend the Ninth 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: Friday, August 6, Saturday, August 7, and Sunday, August 8, from approximately 10:00 am (8:30 on Friday) to dusk each day. But, events will continue after dusk as well.

What: Jamming, Martins on Main Street, a tour of the Factory, some special clinics, and lots of fun!

Here are the up-to-date details. Be sure to watch this page for periodic updates.

1. Thursday, August 5, 2010: The traditional Annual Welcome Party will take place commencing at about 2:30 in Cheers Lounge courtesy of Laura Voorhis (Laura153). This will include an informal wine sampling area, some single malt and other unusual beverages to taste, and some snacks as well. Jamming and song circles in Cheers and the Morgan Room (the conference room down the hallway from Cheers) will follow.

1. Friday, August 6, 2010: This will be a new experience since we are sharing the day at Martin with the members of the Martin Owners Club. There will be tours, lunch, a speech by Chris, goodie bags, guest performers, and time for guitar signing. The tours will be going on all day, so there is no pressure to get there early. We have reserved the Large Pavilion at the Park for the entire day as well, so our members can go on over to Martin at their convenience and sign up for a tour. There will not be any advance signup sheets for tours - you will sign up when you get to Martin. There will also be special exhibits, guitar storage, and other activities.

Registration is the first item you should take care of when you get to Martin. Martin will have the July 17, 2010 Registration List, and these are the folks who are guaranteed a goodie bag and a tour. You will pick up your goodie bag at that time. If you are not on the list, please sign in at the registration desk anyway. Martin needs to know who is on the premises at all times. If you are also a MOC member who has registered to attend, please sign up on the MOC registration list as well. You will receive a separate, and different, goodie bag. After registration, you can check your guitar in the lobby, sign up for the tours, view the exhibits, etc.

10:30 – 10:55 Craig Thatcher – Local Artist and Martin Clinician demonstrates the new Performing Artist Series Guitar

11:30 – 11:45 John Arnold – Local Classical Guitarist, Performing “Martin Suite”

11:55 – 12:20 Tyler Grady & Travis Hobbie of Wailing Waters – Tyler (American Idol Semi-finalist)

1 – 1:45 – Chris Martin will address the group, and sign Martin guitars afterward..

Tours. The tours will be abbreviated due to the large number of expected participants. Due to these factors, if you have been on a tour recently, please consider passing on the tour this year.

2. The Schoeneck Moravian Church parking lot down the street (access is on the main road from Nazareth).

As indicated, the Large Pavilion will be ours all day on Friday, although we anticipate that the afternoon will be the busiest time. It is located past the concession stand on your left as you enter the Park. It's at the end of the parking lot on the left. We have the entire pavilion. You can park in any open space in the lot - there is no fee.

There will be no sound system at the Park on Friday other than a small system courtesy of Richard Pine to be used during the songwriting clinic at 3:00. There has been a lot of interest in having one day set aside for just jamming, with no schedule to worry about, and this day is it.

Afterwards, we will have the use of the Cheers Lounge in the Bethlehem Comfort Inn. Cheers and the Morgan Room are reserved for us for the entire weekend. This usually kicks off in the afternoon. 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. Smoking is OK outside.

Also on Friday, and throughout the weekend for those who are attending MartinFest for the first time, there will be special name tags for you courtesy of our MartinFest Team Captain, Rhys Ord. Thursday night and Friday are especially significant since it is our traditional time to meet old friends and greet new friends. But your welcome will continue throughout the weekend, and by the time you leave you will wonder why you never came before!

2. Saturday, August 7, 2010: This will be the Third Annual "Martin on Main" event. This is a cooperative event between the UMGF, C.F. Martin & Co., the Nazareth City Council, and the Nazareth Chamber of Commerce.

a. The venue on Saturday will again be the Circle on Main Street.

b. Main Street will be closed for a block or so in every direction.

c. We will not be renting tents this year since they were sparsely used in the past, nor will we rent chairs and tables. There are plenty of shade trees to sit under. The only tent will be the Admin tent, or perhaps a tent for the main stage. We may take advantage of the 20 tables which can be signed out at the Moravian church right behind us and, if so, we will be looking for volunteers to help with setup and breakdown shortly. This should be relatively easy as opposed to prior years. Since there will be no chairs provided, you are encouraged to bring your own folding chairs for your use.

d. There will be vendors all around the Circle and up and down the streets, with displays, food, wine, art, etc.

e. The Moravian Church on the Circle has again agreed to provide a room for guitar storage. This will be accessible for us from about 11:00 on. It is through the door on the rigiht as you face the church, down the stairs, and to the right. The room will not be available from about 3:15 until 4:00 due to the wedding discussed below, so if you would like to have your guitar out during the break for the wedding, please retrieve it before then. As was the case last year, we have developed a list of volunteer Guitar Guards, which will be posted on the door of the room, in the Admin tent, and on the Forum. You will need to sign your guitars in and out and be given a tag. Please try to have all guitars out of the church or other storage area by 6:15. Strays and leftovers will be taken back to the Comfort Inn.

f. There will be an Open Mike all day, from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm, completely under our control. It will be in the circle under some shade trees, and a stage will be provided. We have also arranged for a sound system. We have solicited volunteers for the Open Mike, and it has been published on the UMGF. There is a wedding at the church at 3:30, and so there will be no open mike from 3:20 until 4:10, but local jams are encouraged. Please jam far enough away from the church so as not to interfere with the wedding. Setup/takedown volunteers, Guitar Guard volunteers, and new performers will get first preference in that order. Your friendly Moderators, Mark Stalwick and Ed Madonio, will be your emcees for this Open Mike session as well as all Open Mikes at the Park. We hope to have Jim Martin (Zipster100) as a guest emcee as well!

g. We are pleased to announce that our featured guest performers for MartinFest 9 will tentatively be a group consisting of renowned banjo and guitar artist John Wheat, brothers Cory and Jarrod Walker, and our own Jon Garon, who put this group together especially for us. Another star guitarist may also join the group. They will give us a concert in the mid-afternoon on Saturday at Martin on Main and will also conduct a clinic on Sunday at the Park shortly after the baseball game.

h. The plan is also for most of us to roam around and have little jams on the streets, the corners, in front of shops, etc. There will be small stages set up in various spots. Everyone is encouraged to set up informal mini-groups and play for the public in the blocked off streets. Anything goes - Beatles, CSN, Eagles, Grateful Dead - the more the better!

i. Port-A-Johns have been arranged for.

j. Martin will broadcast this info to all 3,500 MOC members indicating that they are welcome to stay overnight and join us on Saturday. They are expecting about 1,000, and a good number of them might actually do that.

k. The township will advertise "Martin on Main " far and wide, on TV, radio, the press, etc. The goal is to get as many tourists as possible into town to listen to us and visit local merchants.

l. Parking will be at the Boro Park, and two 36-seat school busses have tentatively been arranged to take us back and forth to and from the short distance to the Circle. They will run at 15-minute intervals from about 11:00 to 12:30 and 4:30 to 6:15, and at 30-minute intervals in between. Parking on the streets, which is difficult under normal circumstances, will be even more so starting at about 3:00 may be very limited this year due to the wedding. There will be no windshield plaques for setup/takedown or Guitar Guards this year. Given this logistical scenario, using the Park and the shuttle buses to get to the Circle is the best route to take. Also, it's probably best to limit what you bring on Saturday to just one or two guitars, folding chairs if you have them, and other personal stuff such as a small cooler.

m. There will be a Martin Guitar raffle taking place on the Circle. The guitar has been donated by Martin. Here are some of the specifications:

R&D Wood Test Cambodian Rosewood D-28GE (no serial number)
Adirondack top
1 3/4" fossilized ivory nut
Fossilized ivory long saddle in black ebony belly bridge
Modified 'V' neck
Black ebony fingerboard with long pattern diamond & square inlays
Grained Ivoroid binding
Suggested Retail: $5,399

There will be 1,110 tickets available at $5.00 apiece. These are available at the raffle booth. The drawing will be toward the end of the day, which means closer to 8:00 p.m., since Martin on Main continues after we leave until that time. YOu do not have to be present to win.

This event continues to strengthen our relationships with Martin and the Township.

As indicated, we'll be at the Large Pavilion. Setup will be around 10:00 am after breakfast, and anyone wishing to help will be most welcome. Following this, there will be a Sunday Morning Worship Jam at about 10:30.

Then the Nazareth World Series IV (which was rained out last year) is expected to take place at the ballfield at about 11:30, with the revitalized and rejuvenated UMGF Aging Toners up against the CFM&Co DreadNaughts. There will be a coroner on duty.

Shortly after the game, we will have a guitar clinic by John Wheat, Clay Hess and Jon Garon, our guest performers as mentioned above.

After that, there will be time for jamming and friendship. We will also start the Open Mike shortly afterwards, again emcee'd by Mark Stalwick and Ed Madonio.

A word about the Open Mike at the Park -- No one has to participate in this activity, either as a performer, member of the audience, or worker bee. Also, you do not have to drop whatever you are doing and listen in silence! We do ask, however, that out of courtesy and consideration for those involved in the Open Mike, you move your jam or conversation to the other end of the Pavilion or elsewhere in the Park so that it does not interfere with the proceedings. If the Log Cabin is not being used, the porch there is a good spot for jams as well.

After the final Open Mike, we will tentatively have a group photo at the back of the Large Pavilion. Then dinner and Cheers.

Many Martin employees also now drop by on Saturday and/or Sunday. Please be sure to seek them out and thank them for coming!

Videotaping -- Videotaping is permitted at Martin (except on the tour), but videotapes may only be used for rebroadcast on the UMGF for our private membership to enjoy. Public posting of videotapes, such as on YouTube, etc., is prohibited unless you have the consent of all parties in the videotape. There are also issues such as covers, etc., and so it really is best if it's just kept local. We have no way of enforcing this, but we ask you to comply.

Buy and Sell -- There will be a designated area on Friday and Sunday 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 and professional sales by UMGF members ONLY except for CD's, where all artists who are either members of the UMGF or are our guests are invited to offer CD's for sale. In the case of professional guitar sales, items must be limited to vintage/used guitars, new Customs made up especially for you, or handbuilt guitars that you have made. Otherwise, new Martin guitars may not be offered for sale pursuant to Martin Guitar Company policy. Other professional sales such as cases, strings, etc. may also participate. MartinFest is not a trade show, and professionals may not have signs, brochures etc. accompanying your items. A price and a contact point is all that is permitted for any seller. All persons are limited to 5 musical instruments or other items in Buy and Sell and are to use the designated tables in the Buy and Sell area and not set up their own private table. For purposes of this section, the term "professional" means authorized Martin dealers, authorized Martin warranty persons, other repair persons, independent luthiers and authorized dealers of other types of accessories and who have been an active member of the UMGF for not less than 6 months. There will be no Buy and Sell on Saturday.

Name Tags -- Name tags will be available in the Administration area at both the Circle and the Park. Tags will be available for all registered members and their guests courtesy of Rhys Ord. There is a suggested voluntary contribution of $1.00 per tag.

Open Mike Signup Sheets -- There has been some confusion about this in the past. There are no signup sheets for the Open Mike at the Circle on Saturday. Solicitations for volunteers will be posted and the lists set up by the Moderators. As indicated above, setup/breakdown volunteers, Guitar Guards, and new performers will get a preference. There will also be no signup sheet for the Worship Service on Sunday - this just seems to happen.

There will be signup sheets each day for the afternoon Open Mike at the Park on Sunday. This can be found at the Admin area at the Pavilion. These will not be available in advance.

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 have an open mike for those who wish to participate, but all three 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 hope to 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. The Circle on Saturday will be even less secure, since the general public is invited to attend, so please keep a careful eye on your gear, other folks' gear, and also the chairs and tables, since we will have to pay for any that disappear.

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 the facility that we are using. It is not open if it rains, but there is a pizzeria (Mivajo's) right up the road near Martin and other places available.

Pool -- The pool at Nazareth Borough Park is open to all. There is a modest fee for its use.

Rain. Rain or thunderstorms can spring up anytime in the summer in Nazareth. Go into the Moravian church for shelter (except during the wedding), or if you're in town singing or shopping, into the nearest open merchant. For those in the Circle, please pick up any extra gear you see lying on the tables etc. and bring it into the church or the nearest shelter with you. We can sort it out later.

Heat. It's normally hot all three days. Bring plenty of water, and there's a water fountain in the Circle near the cannon. Keep an eye on each other and yourselves for signs of heat exhaustion, such as heavy sweating, paleness, nausea, and even fainting. Normally the person merely needs to sit in a cool place for an hour or so and have some water, but in the case of fainting 911 should probably be called.

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 the Schoeneck Moravian Church on your right, quickly followed by Mivajo'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 visitor's parking lot is on your right, but it will almost certainly be full, and so we have made other parking arrangements for Friday, as set forth above.

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.

Please note that these are all directions to Martin & Co. As indicated above, Nazareth Borough Park is on the way to the factory (except if you're coming from the north), on the left very shortly after you get out of the business section of town.

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, #4098 (NOT UMGF or Martin Guitar, etc.), but all rooms under that number are currently sold out. But it pays to keep checking for cancellations! Use the local number, not the 800 number, at this point since the 800 number may not be aware of cancellations. The rate for the group is $89.00 for a single or a double.

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

Courtyard By Marriott, 2220 Emrick Boulevard, Bethlehem, PA 18020, 610-625-9500. This is a brand new hotel which is right off Route 33 near the Texas Roadhouse.

There is a new Sands Casino in Bethlehem with various activities and several restaurants.

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.

There are also walking tours of historic Nazareth and many other activities available.

Registration -- Registration ended on Saturday, July 17, 2010 for guaranteeing your admission into the events at Martin. The July 17, 2010 list is available HERE. The final registration date is August 4, 2010 for those who just plan to come to the Circle or the Park on any or all days, and so registration is now closed. The list of all registrants is available HERE.

Registration Fee -- As always, the Registration Fee will be completely voluntary, and I will have a Contributions Jar in Cheers and at the Park on Friday and Sunday. I'm not sure yet whether to bring the jar to the Circle on Saturday. The following contribution rates are based on the number of persons in your party are suggested - but please keep in mind that they are suggested only, and there is no obligation whatsoever to make any contribution.

Number of Persons	Suggested Contribution for 1 Day	Suggested Contribution for 2 or 3 Days
1	$8.00	$15.00
2	$15.00	$25.00
3	$20.00	$30.00

For purposes of the above, "person" means the UMGF member, his or her spouse, fiancée or significant other, children 14 or over, and guests. Children under 14 are free as always. If there are more than three persons in your party, please consider an additional contribution.

If you are making a contribution for something else, such as name tags, Buy & Sell voluntary fee, etc., please do not put it in the Contributions jar. I'd like to keep these separate, and I will have a different container for this kind of donation.

Photos -- Here are some pictures of the Log Cabin, the Large Pavilion, the old Martin Factory, and the old Martin Residence, now used by the Nazareth Chamber of Commerce. There are some nice Martin guitars in there!