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A Florida Non-Profit 501(c)3 Corporation
| Note from President |
Yes, the “Dawg Days” of summer are here, and by the time this issue hits your hands we will have
already participated in two wonderful outdoor events—The City of Oakland’s AAA Festival and
The Blues Soup Benefit at Harry’s (forgive me if it rained- I’m not Nostradamus), so thanks in
advance for your support. With summer in full swing it’s a great time to get out and spread the
Blues even if you stay in the shade. Our next event is just around the corner on July 4th and 5th.
The Independence Day—Gary Ingber Scholarship—Blues Event and Fundraiser will be held at the
Rio Pinar Shopping Center in east Orlando (check out the ad for details). Yes, there will be a tent
for shade, and I am very proud to say that the Board has earmarked the proceeds from this event
to fund our first OBBS scholarship. Along with our Blues in the Schools program, this is another
HUGE step towards supporting Blues education! So we need your support and attendance.
Furthermore, we will be developing the structure and criteria for this scholarship at future Board
meetings, so please show up and give us your input.
I also wanted to give you some insight on a growing trend I see in our membership. Right now over
15% of our new members are “20 Something” college students. That’s up from around 2% last year.
Why is that so cool? Well, many of these new members are students that are joining the Society as
part of the leadership track in their Entertainment Business Master’s Program. Their desire is to
get out there, network and give back to a worthy cause. Yes, they had a choice and could have
joined another organization, so if you see someone “new” hanging around the jams, Board meetings,
or other events, introduce yourself and make them feel welcome.
Finally, in the last issue I talked about stepping out of your comfort zone and experiencing
different “Blues circles”, and I said I’d keep you updated on my adventures. Well, although I had
to fight a “bug” for about 10 days in May, I did manage to step out and visit a “Full Circle” (yeah,
you know these guys/gals) House Party in Oviedo (which can seem a hemisphere away from Ocoee
where I live). We had a great time with friends and fellow members in a very cool and casual
setting; we even stood in the yard and watched the shuttle launch. I almost forgot how much fun a
house party can be . . . need to do that more often. Then to take it to the other extreme I got the
family early up one Sunday and we all hit the world famous Gospel Brunch at HOB. Wow! I was so
impressed I actually wrote a full page review which you can catch in the July edition of MyCity
Eats and Entertainment, but if you want the bottom line: “Believe me when I tell you this IS a
religious experience you don’t want to miss.”
See ya out there…
Jerry