I don't remember this "Jeopardy!" episode, but I do recall the "Antiques Road Show" episode with the old Virginia dulcimore on it. The appraiser valued it way high, it seemed to me.

Good point, Dusty.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

The trick, Ken, is to record the show, memorize the answers, and then ask someone to watch it with you.  When you yell out all the answers they'll think you're so smart!

Haha, Dusty. I'm glad they repeat those old shows. Sometimes the second or third time through I can get the right question for the answer.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

If I'm only four or five months late, that's not bad.  I think of new music as anything played since the invention of the steam engine.

Jeopardy has been offering video and photo clues for years. That's nothing new. Also, this show is not new either. It was first broadcast in July of 2022.

Kwn

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Whaaaat?? I didn't think they showed picture clues on that show! Seems crazy.

As the question was asked, they showed a picture of a dulcimer, so the banjo answer was less informed than you might have thought.

That's actually pretty impressive!  Especially also considering that "mountain banjos" are actually a defined type of banjo.

On Jeopardy today:

Answer: The mountain this is the Kentucky state instrument.

Question: What is a dulcimer?

The first contestant to answer guessed a banjo, but the second one got it.

omg Dusty, too adorable! 

Do you love cats?  Do you love music?

Glad to see you active again. Looking forward to your participation.

I've been gone a long time.  Hoping to get back to trying to play again.

Hey friends, I created a new discussion entitled International Appalachian Dulcimer Day in the General Mountain Dulcimer Forum.  Let's move our discussion (especially the posters!!) over there and leave this space for other positive news.

Thanks.

Steve, I'll send you a private message through fotmd.

Strumelia, If you can send me an email address, I will send you a copy and you can edit as you wish.  Any help is appreciated.

Great poster!!!. Absolutely love it, the old timer sorta reminds  me of me😊....Robert.

I'm with Richard at thanking you for your original suggestion which got things rolling, @dusty-turtle!

National Guitar is February 11.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks Dusty for your original post. Now when is national guitar day? Seems that drifted off with the wind in all our talk of an International Dulcimer Day.

Hey everyone, I just want to say how wonderful it is that an off-the-cuff comment I made on National Guitar Day has led to a consensus here about International Appalachian Dulcimer Day.  When I get a chance (and recover from a long day at work) I'll create a new discussion somewhere else on FOTMD specific to IADD. We can share resources like Steve C's poster and, when the day arrives, share photos, videos, or just descriptions of what we do on that day.  (IF someone wants to do that before I get a chance, please go ahead.)

This is a positive outcome of a discussion on the positive thread!

I can adjust the contrast for the white text areas by deepening the yellow and pale blue background colors just a little, if anyone needs me to. Then it would be nicely readable if printed out or copied in greyscale.

Like those?

Thanks Stumelia!  I fixed it will try to get it re-sent

Great poster!

Note: the word "holding" at the bottom has a typo.

Also- many folks would be printing/copying this out in greyscale, and it'd be good to bump up the contrast between the lettering and the background colors so it's easy to read. ...making the background colors behind the white text just a bit darker. Here's how it prints out on a blk&white printer as it is now:

Great poster Steve

Good job on the poster, Steve!

Way cool from Steve C! 

..and from Steve Carney...

INTERNATION APP. DULCIMER DAY-page-001g-600.jpg  •  67KB

INTERNATION APP. DULCIMER DAY-page-001.jpg  •  255KB

Looks great, Robin!

P.S. Someone should copyright the name "grassroots celebration" before some corporation does.

In the way of many who have gone before us, I used what I had on-hand to make a little sign.  

My apologies for the big photo-- I've tried to re-size it yet don't really know what I'm doing (obviously)!

I'm wanting thoughts on going ahead and putting this picture on my Facebook page.  

We aren't an off-shoot of worldwide Play Music on the Porch Day.  It's a totally different thing.    

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day is its own thing-- just a day set aside to celebrate however you choose and in some small (or large) way, our favorite instrument.  (I live in an old coal mine village and everything we do here is on a small scale.  )   

I'm fine with it (assuming we are celebrating indoors--it will be cold where I live). Good to have an easy to remember date!

Being that the date will change yearly it will make it possible for others to celebrate if not this year then next.  It will not be a fixed day. 

@marg I didn't check the date here or internationally.  My thinking was it is not a day which would interfere with anything (unless one were on silent retreat or some similar event) yet, rather, a day to celebrate what many of us do every day-- play mountain dulcimer.

That's fine, just checking if that date was good  Internationally.

'Block or street gathering [party] day' for dulcimers on an annual basis.

@marg I was advocating for using "International" because the spread of the fretted dulcimer is across the globe and the membership here at FOTMD reflects this.  

This is to be a grassroots celebration on only one day.  (This is how I understand it.  No committee with officers, a budget, etc.  More like a flash mob, maybe?  If I'm on the wrong track, somebody can jump in and point the way.)  Even if a person just wished to post a special still photo for the day or make an elaborate video or a piece of artwork or anything in-between, assigning a day is a simple way to celebrate the boxes with strings we all love.  

(International - last Saturday in March) 

Did anyone check if this date is ok for different countries - That their country doesn't have that as a special date? Did anyone discuss just (Appalachian Dulcimer Day)

@dan    Or 'MD Day".

OK  for me although 'Appalachian' sounds a bit 'puffed up'.  Reason, I'm used to referring to it as a mountain dulcimer .   Baaaaaa

{No need for a poll.}

Go for it!  

Sounds good to me for International Appalachian Dulcimer Day  on the last Saturday in March.

Go for it.

@dan Yeah, we'uns know!

Not exactly good for outdoor activities in my part of the world, but I have no objections.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

How many do we need for a consensus, can we just stop and agree at the conspiracy level?

P.S. You'ins do know the Black Sheep will refer to this as "Dulcimore Day"...just sayin'

No real need for a poll if everyone thinks that's a good plan, Dusty.

Does anyone have other options they'd like to see considered?

@dusty-turtle, I like it!  

OK, folks. I think this conversation has wound down. Perhaps it's time for a vote.  Before we go there, how 'bout this:

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day: the last Saturday in March 

What think ye?  If there are serious objections, we can isolate some variables and have Strumelia set up a poll. But I wonder if we might reach a consensus.

Friends, I hope I haven't shut-down conversation about an Appalachian Dulcimer day of celebration!  

I think of the roots of the Appalachian dulcimer and how folks used the instrument-- at home or church or another community event of some kind.  Since we're not near any clubs, jams, gatherings, etc., pretty much all we do with making music here at our house stays home or close to home.  Whether there is something "organized" or the event is more of a grassroots/several shoots sort of thing for an International Appalachian Dulcimer Day, I plan to celebrate our dear little instrument on a given day.      

It's pretty cool how @dusty-turtle came to raise the idea of a day of celebration!   

I plan to let my Facebook friends know a name and day to celebrate ahead of time and invite/encourage any who play Appalachian dulcimer to mark the day some way-- a still photo, a video, an audio, artwork featuring our loved instrument, etc., and just see what happens.  

Should there be a group or team of people to plan and write the news releases for The International Appalachian Dulcimer Day?  Making sure that we cross a few T’s and at least dot an “i” or two.  Otherwise, we might of just of had a nice discussion but we could easily just forget to follow through.  That is if you all feel strong enough about this.  

Oh, I understood, @ken-longfield -- many of us who were teenagers long ago understand joking about teenagers.  

I hope I'm not giving the wrong impression. I spent 40 years working with teenagers and enjoy them. I was being facetious in my first post about our teenage years here on FOTMD.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I'm thinking about making a video for our day of celebration of the Appalachian dulcimer.  Springtime will soon be upon us.

@ken-longfield I know the teenage years can be difficult, at times, for all yet there'll be a lot of fun times, too.  Young people give me hope!  

For sure Robin. My oldest grandson just turned 13 last week. Hence my comment.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Oh, yes!

Oh, no! Another teenager.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I love cake!   And I remember when FOTMD was just a baby.

So July 29 will be FOTMD day around the world, Cake and goodies and lots of dulcimer music. Is it here yet?

Coincidentally, @lisa-golladay, I recently asked Strumelia that very question.  FOTMD first went live on July 29, 2009.  So this summer will be lucky 13 years!

We can make as many holidays as we want

While we iron out the details of International Day of the Appalachian Dulcimer, let's start another celebration while we're at it. When did the FOTMD site go live?

I propose we celebrate FOTMD's Birthday! Cake for everybody!!

I like your suggestion, Steve, when you wrote, "So we can skip the formal recognition if you all like and just promote the weekend ourselves."  

Also, it is still important to me that folks from all over are part of this day of celebration just as folks from all over are part of FOTMD.  

Just checked and we cannot register a national day by designating a “last weekend.” It has to be a date for it to be a “day.”  So we can skip the formal recognition if you all like and just promote the weekend ourselves.  But we could see someone down the road establish a date as “Mountain Dulcimer Day” or something similar.  But if we do a really good job of promoting our day we can diminish the possibility of that happening.  The more we circulate this among all dulcimer circles, the better.  What would you say as to the criteria for the weekend?  Would we go with the beginning of the festival season?  

I’ll check to see if we can schedule something like the last Saturday of March and register it on the national calendar.

As to name, I do not feel strongly about 'American dulcimer,' and Strumelia is correct that it's really too broad. I'm good with either 'mountain' or 'Appalachian' (regardless of pronunciation, lol). I think the terms 'lap' and 'fretted,' while accurate, are dry and descriptive, while 'mountain' and 'Appalachian' are evocative and descriptive.

I was feeling enthusiastic about MD and the banjo being the only two instruments indigenous to the US. I was also thinking of the large contingent of folks playing the 'Persian dulcimer' (lol) who might be inclined to say "Hey what about us?" so we need to be specific - and it seems like folks were thinking that way anyway.

Even so, many clubs and the Dulcimer Players News itself include both dulcimers, and I can well imagine some hammer-folks saying "Hey it should be about both dulcimers!" So, at least some of us will have to answer not just the question of 'why-that-date?' but also 'why-weren't-we-included?' To that, the native roots of our dulcimer seems a diplomatic and compelling comment. More compelling than "because the idea started on FotMD"!  More diplomatic than "b/c you drown us out," lol.

Now, as to date: Speaking to Dusty's concern, it often happens that 'celebrations' for an important date are moved to the closest weekend. So there's always the possibility of a set date falling where it might, but the subsequent weekend being the time for a local festival or jam or a special Zoom thing or etc. [Note this raises the separate question of what exactly to do to mark it. I say best to leave that to local communities and whatever folks want to make of it. But that thought argues for something in nice weather - versus, say, Dec 12, which I otherwise like.]

As for timing it to something less specific/more general - eg, first Saturday of Spring - I think that's still easy enough to remember, and let's look at the specifics:  First, 'vernal equinox' = spring equinox = first day of spring, and it is virtually always on March 20, 21, or 22 (Farmer's Almanac, almanac.com). This year it's Sunday, 3/20, and MD-Day would be the next Saturday, March 26. Similarly, it's usually going to be the last Saturday of March - another easy way to remember it 'roughly' and then be able to look up. Next year, 2023 (a possible 'first annual'), it would be Saturday, March 25.

Did you know that April 8 is National Banjo Day?? Rather nice that it would be close!

Oh, but would we have some other competition in late March?? Well, surprise or not, yes - but not significant: 3/26 is National Nougat and National Spinach Day. March 26 is National Lobster Newburg Day, Natl Medal of Honor Day, Natl Tolkien Reading Day and Natl Manatee Appreciation Day.  So we can celebrate by taking a manatee out for lobster Newburg...

Somehow I think we're okay with regard to that!! And obviously there are National Days for almost anything, so it's high time we get one for the mountain dulcimer!! 

I know I'm looking forward to the inaugural IADD!

WOW, I'm impressed with all the responses. Good luck with the end result. 

I think I’m over thinking all of this…lol..maybe I am thinking on a festival mentality and not thinking of just a day to say Hooray for our Dulcimer!

@richard-streib   Any date that is usually mild in both hemispheres.

Length of day/night [equinox] is irrelevant and is assuming everyone can, or will, take time figure out the right date. It's easy to mark a consistent date, or day, on a calendar. 

I'm really the right one to talk about dates [sarcastic],  I usually remember about an event the next day or forget about them entirely.  

How about the last Saturday in March? It's not a normal work day and is early spring.

As someone who has many years of labor ahead before retirement, I would suggest that were we to pick a specific date, I would not be able to do anything special for International Dulcimer Day most years since I will be working.  That's why you won't see me at Kentucky Music Week or any of the fine dulcimer events that complain about not attracting younger people but still schedule themselves during the work week.   And if we choose a specific date, the question will always arise about why that date was chosen, which brings us full circle to the beginning of this conversation when a few of us suggested Jean's birthday.  It will be pretty lame if we have a date and no explanation for it. 

I think it important that we choose a Saturday.  If the first Saturday of spring seems too confusing to people (seriously?), then we should just choose perhaps the second (or third or first or fourth) Saturday of a particular month.  I suggested the spring because it is a celebratory time of year and marks the beginning of the festival season.  And unless you give up music for lent, I don't know why Dulcimer Day would conflict with that 6-week period of time. Maybe I'm missing something.