December Jam is at a private residence, but it's still on!

Our next jam will be this coming Sunday, 12/17, at a private residence in Great Falls, so I won't be posting the address publicly. Please email me at mail-admin@potomacvalleyscottishfiddle.org for the location.

The jam will start with the song circle at 1 PM as usual, and the jam at 2 PM, but will be BYOB. The hostess, Linda Cameron, will be providing snacks.

I'll be creating an event soon, as well as getting the word out through the Potomac Valley Scottish Fiddle Club mailing lists.

Sorry for the late notice; I got hit with a major bug in a recent OS update and my home computer is temporarily borked!

The Scottish Jam Session is on hold until we find a new home

 

It's with great regret that I have to report that Fiona's has decided they no longer want to host the Scottish Jam Session. I'm not sure why, in total, but I suspect that part of it had to do with the jam wasn't bringing in the same revenue that private parties using the same room were bringing. In short, we aren't eating and drinking enough.

I'm going to begin the search for a new location for 2018, and until we have a home, the jam is on hold. We've had an offer to host in a home for the December meeting, and if I decide to accept, I'll pass along that info.

If you know of a pub in the area that might be willing to host us, please let me know.

Until we have a chance to settle into a new place, however, we will be taking a break. I'm hoping to have a new home by March, and even February if we're lucky.

If you want a fix of Scottish music, check out the Potomac Valley Scottish Fiddle Club - I will be hosting the January meeting in my home!

We need a new home. Here's what happened at Fiona's for the November jam.

It's with great regret that I have to report that Fiona's has decided they no longer want to host the Scottish Jam Session. I'm not sure why, in total, but I suspect that part of it had to do with the jam wasn't bringing in the same revenue that private parties using the same room were bringing. In short, we aren't eating and drinking enough.

I'm going to begin the search for a new location for 2018, and until we have a home, the jam is on hold. We've had offers to host in a home for the December meeting, and if I decide to accept, I'll pass along that info.

If you know of a pub in the area that might be willing to host us, please let me know.

So here's what happened.

I arrived for the jam early, to have lunch, and when I told the host why I was there, he hesitated and told me he was getting the manager. Turned out to be the owner. The owner told me they were not going to honor our reservation for the room, and wanted us to play out on the blustery patio. I said that was not reasonable, for the sake of the instruments, and tried to negotiate. I got him to agree to let us *maybe* have part of the time we had reserved, because the previous group wouldn't be done and another had been booked starting at 4:30. I asked about the bar area, and was told we couldn't use that space because the three open tables there were also reserved. I was told that the bumping of our reservation was a "matter of revenue".

I said I'd wait outside to let the song circle people know what was going on and wait until we could get in the room. When I went outside, I was ignored by the waitstaff, and it seemed like they were not going to accommodate us, and if I were going to get the word out, I had to go home immediately.

Apparently between the time I dashed home to put the word out to cancel the jam and when 2 PM rolled around, the manager relented and gave the room to the group and the jam happened without me.

After making the above info public on Facebook, however, Fiona's owner contacted me and ended our arrangement with them formally - though it was pretty clear he was done with us when I showed up on the day. I don't know what went wrong. We loved that place, and heard nothing but good things from the manager (Amber) and the staff. But the owner is the owner, so we are out.