During the 2021 Winter Solstice online song circle, we played the first two minutes of this recording of Al Cox leading Children, Go Where I Send Thee, from 48 years ago at the Christmas Folk Song Circle on December 19, 1973. Here’s the full recording (which still doesn’t capture the whole song, but that’s all…
You are all most welcome to attend our annual Winter Solstice event, which is online once again this year. We can only hope next year will be brighter for us all. On Tuesday, December 14, if you are on our Zoom email list, you will get the usual email with the Zoom link, and an…
We are sad to share the news that Al Cox, one of the founding members of the VFSS, passed away peacefully on September 22. Al’s beautiful voice can be heard on many of the VFSS archival recordings, both as frequent MC of events and as a performer. Eli, his daughter, wanted the VFSS members to…
During the September 1, 2021 online song circle, we played the first couple minutes of this recording of Gretchen Grinnell singing Who Killed Cockie Robin?, from the first anniversary of the VFSS, July 20, 1960. Here’s the full recording: Marian Buechert has been sifting through boxes of VFSS archives to organize them and digitize some of…
The first meeting at the Folk Song Circle as the VFSS was then called was at the Alma YMCA on the first Wednesday of July 1959. The five people who were responsible for founding the Folk Song Circle were Albert Cox, Jeannie (Cox) Moss, Phil and Hilda Thomas, and Rolf Ingelsrud. Of those founding members,…
On Sunday, September 26, 2021, the VFSS held its first online Retreat. Sixty folks attended by Zoom. For archival purposes, here are links to all the information that was emailed and/or posted on our Home page before and immediately after the event. Overview, Schedule, Session Details song suggestions for the Folk Revival of the 50s…
What does the VFSS mean to its members? The VFSS Vision 2030 Committee is out to find the answer and asked members to submit a song that they believe represents what is important about the VFSS. Mary Sherlock wrote:
I had completely forgotten creating this video for Youtube four years ago. Proof positive that we’ve been digging shanties for a lot longer than any TikTok dilettantes. I love the robust, spontaneous crew singing from the crowd at The Friends’ that evening. Someday, we’ll be doing that again, folks!
Admin. Update, June 29, 2024: To ease an upcoming website migration and eliminate duplication, all the posts related to Charles West’s Pickers Circle project prior to April 2021 are no longer available from this website. Those posts can all be found at https://pickerscircle.ca/blog/.
