============================================= *** R O C K Y M O U N T A I N H I G H *** ============================================= The John Denver Internet Fan Club Monthly Newsletter March 2005 Editor: Emily M. Parris ================================================ http://www.rockymtnhigh.org * emily@parris.net ================================================ Table of Contents March 2005 * Issue #131 John Denver Events.........................1 What I Do In Honor of John Denver..........4 John Denver Concert Reviews: Scotsdale, AZ Concert Reviewed by Carole Campbell............6 John Denver CD Reviews: Norm Schmidt's "A Tribute to JD" Reviewed by Emily Parris...............7 John Denver Notes..........................8 Poetry Corner: "Symmetry" by Cynthia Gullage............9 "Snowman" by Emily M. Parris.............9 John Denver Want Ads / For Sale...........10 ======================================= J O H N D E N V E R E V E N T S ======================================= March 3, 2005 - Altadena, CA - Christopher Westfall at the Coffee Gallery Backstage / 8:30pm / 2029 N. Lake St. http://www.chriswestfall.com * Info: jht@spamarrest.com 831-373-7780 March 4-12, 2005 - Durango, CO - Durango Film Festival - "The Connecticut Kid" features a tribute to one of John Denver's songs. (See "Letters to the Editor" for info) March 6, 2005 - Yorba Linda, CA - Christopher Westfall / Nixon Library Theater 3:30pm / 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd. 714-993-5075 * Info: jht@spamarrest.com March 11, 2005 - Aspen, CO - Wheeler Opera House 8:00pm "Rocky Mountain High" - A musical tribute to John Denver. John Adams and Friends $30 and $15 (970) 920-5770 http://www.wheeleroperahouse.com March 15-22, 2005 Mack Bailey - 2005 Ireland Trip with Kevin Brooks and John Sommers. Includes St. Patrick's Day in Dublin, tours, concerts, and a fabulous trip around Ireland. http://www.mackbailey.com/Ireland.htm March 19, 2005 - Cottage Grove, Oregon - Peace Cloth will participate in a Memorial Peace Procession and be displayed at the Community Center. www.johndenverpeacecloth.com March 19, 2005 - Moose, WY - Third Annual Chocolate Moose Festival & Auction 1-4pm Murie Center Ranch $10 http://www.muriecenter.org (307) 739-2246 April 2, 2005 - Hamilton, OH - Mark Cormican Concert - Fitton Center for the Arts. 7:00pm. Free Admission. http://www.markcormican.com * MarkCormican@aol.com April 2-3, 2005 - Lancaster, PA - John Denver Weekend / Highway Cleanup 2:00pm / Potluck Dinner afterwards / Sleeping bags welcome / Breakfast on Sunday / RSVP by March 25 * Pat Liddic < tigersnwolves@comcast.net > April 16, 2005 - Altadena, CA - Coffee Gallery Backstage / Phil Christie with Mike Valentine and Ellen & Steve Stapenhorst 7:00pm $15 (626) 398-7917 2029 N. Lake http://www.philchristie.com April 22, 2005 - Largo, FL - Ron Rich - "A John Denver Tribute" set as the opening act for Lee Greenwood and Don McLean at the Largo Music Fest - Tickets $15 727-587-6793 Larry Vanscoy lvscoy@aol.com 727-398-2649 April 22-24, 2005 Asheboro, NC - Earth Day JD Events in the planning stages http://www.ncfriendsofjd.com Laura Bollinger < countryroadsnc@bellsouth.net > April 22, 2005 - Moose, WY - Earth Day Celebration 7:00pm National Museum of Wildlife Art / Keynote Speaker: Karsten Heuer http://www.muriecenter.org (307) 739-2246 April 23, 2005 - England - Friends of John Denver Day, Village Hall, Barton Under Needwood, Staffordshire, Doors open at 10am. Christine Moon: < president@fojd.org.uk > http://www.fojd.org.uk April 23, 2005 - England - Dave Mallett in Concert (with Mark Robinson) Village Hall, Barton Under Needwood, Staffordshire, 7:30pm 01283 712748 or 07971288380 email: wolfsongmr@tiscali.co.uk http://www.fojd.org.uk April 23, 2005 - Denver, CO - Windstar Colorado Connection is hosting an Earth Day Event at Red Rocks Park. Music by Chris Collins and John Adams as well as a trail clean up. 10:00am - 3:00pm dreauxdog@comcast.net May 19, 2005 - Columbia, MD "The Hard Travelers 20th Anniversary Reunion Benefit for the M.U.S.E. Foundation" Howard County Community College - Smith Theatre 7:30pm 410-825-7331 $40 (VIP $100) donnamyoung@comcast.net Guests John Sommers, Chris Nole and Pete Huttlinger http://www.musicunites.com June 24, 2005 - Aspen, CO - A special concert related to the Windstar Summer Retreat with music by John Adams and Chris Collins. Annabelle Inn. 6:00-8:00pm dreauxdog@comcast.net June 25-26, 2005 - Snowmass, CO - Summer Retreat at the Windstar Land Conservancy. Sponsored by the Windstar CO Connection. $35 All Windstar Members and prospective members are invited to attend. APokey1@aol.com http://www.windstarcoloradoconnection.org July 4, 2005 - Dillon, CO - Lake Dillon Amphitheatre 6:30pm "Rocky Mountain High" - annual 4th of July concert. Bring your own blanket. John Adams & Friends. Free admission. July 21, 2005 - Estes Park, CO - Second John Denver Tribute Concert sponsored by the Estes Park Arts Council featuring "Cowboy Brad" Fitch. / Performance Park / 7:00pm Free / bring lawn chairs http://www.cowboybrad.com October 6, 2005 - Aspen, CO - "Friends With You" featuring Mark Cormican and Chris Collins and the Boulder Canyon Band - Aspen Community Church 8:00pm $10 APokey1@aol.com October 9, 2005 - Snowmass, CO - A Windstar Celebration! Windstar Foundation - All Windstar members, old and new, are invited to a special day celebrating and thanking you for all you do to support The Windstar Foundation 9:00am - 4:00pm * Shari < Apokey1@aol.com > October 10, 2005 - Aspen, CO - "Colors of the Rainbow" presented by Georgiann McDaniel / Mountain Chalet Roof-top Conference Room 9:00am - Noon $20 / SASE to Georgiann McDaniel / 48 E. Tamarack Circle / Battlement Mesa / Parachute, CO 81635 * Info: RockyMtnHaven1@msn.com October 10, 2005 - Aspen, CO - Mt. Chalet 7:30pm - downstairs concert - "New Friends To Find" Steve Brook, Rene Wingelaar and Tim Durnan / John Denver Trivia Contest $12 < jht@spamarrest.com > * * * * * * * * * WHAT I DO IN HONOR OF JOHN DENVER * * * * * * * * * Annalisa Berns < aberns@hotmail.com > In honor of John I live life to the fullest. I go white water rafting on the Colorado river, skiing in Colorado, flying in a Long EZ, make donations in his honor and listen to his music! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Carole Romanowski < whispjesse@aol.com > John Denver's music changed my life. He became a mentor to me - someone to imitate in my own way out of respect for his message and legacy. Both made a major impact by entering my stream of consciousness, giving me a deeper sensitivity and respect for life and for all creatures and for the environment. Therefore, I honor John through charity donations - giving what I can afford to disaster relief such as contributions to UNICEF for the tsunami victions in Asia ("I Want To Live"), mess kits for our troops in Iraq, Toys for Tots for needy children during the Christmas season, turkeys and warm clothing to soup kitchens for the homeless on Thanksgiving, warm bedding to animal shelters for their inhabitants housed outside, etc. Would I have done this before learning about John? - yes, but not to such a degree as after hearing his songs nor with the same degree of purpose nor spirituality as now. John also opened my eyes to the beauty of nature. I now SEE what's around me ("Sunshine On My Shoulders"), appreciate it and enjoy it. I've planted trees to honor John's Plant-It 2000 program, attended bench dedications in his name in public parks near me to pay homage to John, and set up a guard rail on the Saw Mill River Parkway a few blocks from my house to protect the sloping greenbelt bordering the parkway from car accidents. One of the ways I honor John on a more frequent basis is hands-on. I volunteer at a nearby nursing home a few hours a day, three times a week, for the past 4 and a half years. I have "adopted" a group of patients ("Falling Leaves") who are now my "family" as I am their "sister" or "daughter." I have sung to them, celebrated their birthdays and all holidays with cake and presents, assisted in feeding them in the lunchroom, brought them robes and slippers when needed, and wheeled them outside to enjoy the gardens and fresh air. ("What One Man Can Do"). My daughter, Jennifer, seeing my experience, has followed in my footsteps not only with visits but has made homemade craft gifts for the patients at Christmas. It is gratifying to witness John's legacy passed on to me and, through me, to my beautiful daughter. It's also a richer experience knowing John used to visit nursing homes and befriend and comfort complete strangers - just because he cared. Learning about John Denver through his songs opens up a whole world of rewarding possibilities ("It's A Possibility"). It is a privilege to honor John in any way we can and keep John, his message ("Autograph") and his memory alive in all of us who listen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Carrie G. < andamaca@comcast.net > To keep John's memory alive for me, I planted one of the trees I received from Plant-It 2000. It is now about 5 feet tall. John would have laughed to see my photo album of this tree from its infancy until now. I take as good care of it as I do my children and there are days it is a better child. Every Christmas it gets lights and ornaments and this year it had the John Denver ornament all to its self. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mary Joy < MaryJoy543@aol.com > I always return the shopping cart back to the store now and if there is a loose one in the parking lot, I return it too. I collect shampoos, lotions, soaps and toiletries from my travels and give them to the homeless. Also toothbrushes from the dentist. I've had several JD Weekends and we always do a little service project. Once we made Easter Baskets for children in a homeless shelter. Once we made 300+ cookies for a soup kitchen. Once everyone brought a bag of groceries to give to the food bank. John Denver people are just the best and everyone enjoys doing something for the community. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rosemary Robinson Laurel, MD Whenever my church has a special collection for something to do with music, I make a donation in memory of John Denver. I also have this printed on my checks right above the signature line: The Music Is You John Denver 1943-1997 I try to keep his name in people's minds wherever I can. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Emily Parris Kansas City, MO Rosemary's news reminded me of something I used to do long before I started the Rocky Mountain High newsletter. This was back when regular lp's were still around. Whenever I would go to a music store I would look for John Denver lp's and before I left the store I would put his records in the front of each stack. Now with cd's it doesn't make as much of an impact since they are small. But back then with the nice, colorful covers it made a big impact. When I started Rocky Mountain High I would occasionally go to our local used cd/record store and put a small RMH flyer inside the John Denver lp's. One time I was there looking at JD cd's and putting in flyers when someone noticed me and we started talking about John Denver. He was a big JD fan and said that he always came there looking for John's albums. Then someone else overheard us and started asking a question about one of John's Christmas albums. So we had a JD fest going right there in the used record store! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - =========================== JOHN DENVER CONCERT REVIEWS =========================== John Denver Tribute Concert 12/31/04 - Scottsdale, AZ Reviewed by Carole Campbell The John Denver Band concert in Scottsdale, Arizona was fabulous. The only body missing was John and he was there in spirit, for sure. We even heard his voice for a few seconds as they overlaid the music with him actually singing. The entire evening was a treat. At the silent auction I bought a copy of the "Poems, Prayers and Promises" club newsletter from 1977. The money goes to the Hunger Project and a couple of other worthy charities. The concert came next from 7:00 - 9:30. The band members are not only magnificent musicians, but also sing very well. Among the singers were Jim Salestrom, Chris Nole and Molly Weaver. John Sommers played a piece he composed that JD was supposed to write the lyrics for (but it didn't get done before he died). The audience was asked to think about what the lyrics might have been. I thought of cowboys and stars, although it could have been about nature, too. All in all the concert was great fun. The band's connection with the audience was magical. I don't know how many in the audience sang along but I did for almost every number. I lost track of the curtain calls. After the concert we stayed seated for the live auction, very ably conducted by Twirp Anderson. I wished I could have bid on John's beaded leather guitar strap but it started at over $100 and sold for $350. The evening wound up with a reception and buffet dinner. I tried to connect with each band member during the reception but realized I missed a few. I had a particularly nice chat with Pete Huttlinger from whose video I am learning to fingerpick ala JD. Molly Weaver is very youthful and charming with a wonderful voice. Her father was a flying buddy of John's so she knew him as a child and once beat him at Scrabble. Alan Deremo is a very quiet man but really does his share. Dinner was excellent - we chose the Mexican alternative but there was also a buffet of typical American/English food available. The party broke up around 11:30 so we made it back to our hotel just in time to see the ball drop in Times Square. For people who usually struggle to keep awake until midnight on New Year's Eve this was an especially great treat. <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> <*> ====================== JOHN DENVER CD REVIEWS ====================== Norm Schmidt's "A Tribute to John Denver" Reviewed by Emily M. Parris < emily@parris.net > On his 4-cut cd single called "A Tribute to John Denver", Norm Schmidt sings 3 John Denver songs and one original song called "Carry One." Norm has won an award as a National songwriter and has been the opening act for such singers at Kenny Rogers, The Oak Ridge Boys, Ricky Skaggs and Sawyer Brown. He has 3 independent albums on cd. Norm hails from Euclid, Ohio and for 6 years he appeared there on local tv on "The Gene Carol Show." Norm's arrangement of "For You" has additional lyrics making it very personal and full of love. It is very beautiful and John would be very happy with the additions. The simple piano and organ accompaniment is also very appealing. He also does a nice job with "Annie's Song" and "Calypso" with the arrangements very similar to John's originals. "Carry On" is Norm's original song that is dedicated to his father. It is a very heartwarming song; interesting both lyrically and musically. It is about multiple generations in a family. It is certainly a topic worthy of being set to music, especially when done in such a beautiful and loving way. http://www.anotherblessedday.com ======================================= J O H N D E N V E R N O T E S ======================================= John Denver's song "Back Home Again" was played at the funeral for Louis Sutter, the first father of Canadian hockey. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Marrty Dormish < Dormish@uscm.org > Marrty Dormish quoted the entire lyrics of John's "Perhaps Love" in an article on Valentine's Day called "Consider Source of Love on Valentine's Day." It was in "The Round Up" - the student voice of New Mexico State University http://www.roundupnews.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - An article in the Denver Post on 2-13-05 mentions John Denver. It is an article about a book called "Sacred Stones: Colorado's Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre" by Thomas J. Noel. http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~26~2705367,00.html - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Jim Salestrom < jim@jimsalestrom.com > A link to my song about the Cherry Mash Candy Bar http://www.cherrymash.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Jean Kendle < jbk944@yahoo.com > * Reader's Digest came out with a new CD collection: "What A Wonderful World: Timeless Ballads." It has John's picture on the advertising (very young), and also "Annie's Song" and "Sunshine On My Shoulders" in the collection. * There's a new collection called "Ultimate Christmas Album, Vol 4" which includes "A Baby Just Like You." This is from "Nina's Discount Oldies catalog." * "John Denver Christmas Celebration Concert" - BMG produced by Kris O'Connor has 10 songs from the actual concert. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Murie Ranch in Moose, Wyoming has tours from May 1 to October 31st. It is an opportunity to explore the historic ranch and learn about the conservation legacy of the Muries. Monday and Wednesday at 3:00pm / Reservations required. http://www.muriecenter.org (307) 739-2246 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A group called "Bright Eyes" performed at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, Washington. Greg Boudreau had this comment on their performance: "My favorite part of the show was the multi-band cover of "Leaving On A Jet Plane" (John Denver) for the finale. It was a solid finishing song, and I didn't even notice the slide guitar in it!" Spectator Online http://www.spectator-online.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ======================================= J O H N D E N V E R P O E T R Y ======================================= Symmetry by Cynthia Gullage Just join hands and form a circle Only make a space for all Hearts in symmetry are beating No one is too great or small Do not wait until tomorrow Everybody has a place Nobody is great or lesser Visualize each happy face Just join hands and form a circle One world is a dream to live Peace in our time? We can do it! It's but a single word "forgive" _________________________________ Copyright 2005 by Cynthia Gullage * * * Snowman by Emily M. Parris A snowman - white and icy Sweet and friendly with a grin Seeming like a human Although all is cold within Created in our image With a hat, a scarf and eyes Made to live in winter Like a frozen, white surprise Created all of snowflakes Firm, packed down in symmetry Two twigs to serve as arms; With some work he came to be His frozen days are numbered If the temperature should rise But for now we smile To see our frozen, snow surprise __________________________________ Copyright 2005 by Emily M. Parris ================================================= JOHN DENVER W A N T A D S / F O R S A L E ================================================= Mary Ledford < eagleshorses@yahoo.com > Expect a Miracle Now Foundation has sent me extra programs from the New Year's Eve show in Arizona. The front cover has Virginia Allen's prayer photo of John and the back cover has my photo of John singing "For You" taken in Camden, NJ in 1995. They are 8x10 with color covers. $5 checks to be made payable to "Expect A Miracle Now Foundation". Also include a separate check or cash made payable to me for postage $1 for 1 ($.50 each additional). Mary Ledford / 139 Watkins Mill Road, Apt. F / Gaithersburg, MD 20879 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Windstar Foundation (Founded in 1976 by John Denver and Tom Crum http://www.wstar.org WindstarCO@wstar.org (970) 927-5430 ************************************************************* Rocky Mountain High: The John Denver Internet Fan Club emily@parris.net http://www.rockymtnhigh.org March 2005 * Issue #131 * Editor: Emily M. Parris ************************************************************* ^Z [ Part 2: "Attached Text" ] _______________________________________________ Rockymountainhigh mailing list Rockymountainhigh@emissives.com http://emissives.com/mailman/listinfo/rockymountainhigh_emissives.com