Hi Harriet...
First, let me introduce myself. My name is Bob McNair from
Winston-Salem. My wife, Judy, and I met you briefly a few times this past weekend at the
Charleston Beach Music and Shag Festival. Butch Halpin is one of my buddies and turned me
on to your festival. I've attached a photo below so that perhaps you'll remember us.
Judy and I wanted to let you know how very much we enjoyed our visit to Charleston,
J.B. Pivots, and the Charleston Beach Music and Shag Festival. It was an absolutely superb
weekend!!! We truly appreciate the outstanding effort that you and your volunteers and sponsors did to put on such a
successful event. We can only imagine the tremendous work, time and expense that is involved in producing such a huge
event. You are to be admired for your many years of support of beach music and the shag.
We drove in Friday afternoon and stayed until Monday morning at the sponsor hotel, the Best
Western. I wanted to let you know that the employees and the accommodations there were excellent. They were all
most cordial and made our stay quite pleasant. We even ate dinner two evenings at Amalfi's Italian Restaurant adjacent
to the hotel. The location was so convenient and the food was excellent. We also enjoyed listening to 94.9
the Surf's Top 40 Beach Music Countdown on Saturday morning by the pool.
There are so many wonderful things that I'd like to compliment you on about the festival,
but I'll just mention a few. The bands that you had booked were all excellent. Several of the bands I'd never
seen and I loved them all, but Sunday's line up was SMOKIN' HOT!!! Wow!!!
The Swingin' Medallions and the Tams flat torn it up!!! It was truly exceptional the way you honored
the Tams and their many years of contributions to beach music.
I really liked that you used a "pre-setup" stage so that the bands could rotate in and out
with a minimum of disruption. The way the hall was laid out was terrific and a stroke of genius. I loved
the dance floor in the back with the bar and only a few sponsor tables. Lots of room to dance and mill
around in the hall.
Judy and I want you to give our thanks to Jerry
and Barbara for the fun shag lessons on Saturday and Sunday. We got there late both days and they let us jump
right in. My only suggestion would be that PA system be off during the lessons. It was difficult for
Jerry to communicate the instructions with the music blaring in the background.
Speaking of shaggin'... Judy and I seriously "wore out" some shoe leather down there. <grins>
We danced more than we have in several years combined and really had fun trying to remember some of our old mirror steps.
We also met some really nice folks down there and made some new friends.
We will both be proudly wear our 2009 Charleston Beach Music and Shag
Festival t-shirts that we purchased. Please let me know as soon as the video is available.
I'd like to purchase one. Also, are the still photos going to be posted online? I think the photographers got
several of us during the weekend and I'd love to see them.
Harriet, many thanks again for providing us with such a fun, entertaining weekend. We
certainly look forward to the next one. Please put me on your e-mailing list so that I will see any up coming
events.
From one huge beach music fan to another...
Bob McNair
