2016 Burns Night memories, anyone...?

[James Hood]

2nd Burns Night in this part of metro Chicago was at a local community college radio station studio.

Andrew Calhoun, Chicago area Scottish folksinger and Robert Burns scholar / translator / interpreter, was the featured artist and proved fascinating-wide-deep learned-sincere-accomplished-gracious. His music CDs are highly recommended and Andrew has a meticulously-researched-translated, much-corrected, book on Burns, the Bard, coming soon.

Also present were veteran piper John Ludwig and guitarist/vocalist Amy Dixon-Kolar, accomplished folksinger, who performed "Auld Lang Syne" correctly; much of Burns' music has been done not-as-written for so long, the incorrect way is widely accepted and copied.

As this was not a dinner event, Scottish Breakfast tea, shortbread cookies and magnificent dark chocolate-Guinness brownies were snacks.

Some of us went afterwards to the radio studio, where Andrew spoke and played live and Amy and Piper Johnny also performed live on hostess Lilli Kuzma's "Folk Festival" weekly broadcast.

Splendid event!

(Kilt by Bonnie Heather Greene and sporran/flashes from Jerry at Stillwater contributed to this writer's informal evening kit.)