Please welcome new member Barb Shaltis, pictured here playing alongside her husband Larry at a community event in Michigan. We’re fortunate that they decided to make New Hampshire their retirement home. Barb joined us in December, adding her clarinet to our wind section.

We’d like to welcome our newest members, Noel Gagne (fiddle), Gary Dickinson (guitar), Barb Shaltis (C clarinet and accordion), Kevin Finigan (Piano and banjo), Kim Speidel (violin, piano), and Katie Hawn (fiddle). And we welcome back Howard Slosek (fiddle and flute) and Laurel Bates (whistle). Kevin comes to us from Vermont and Katie from New Jersey!

When I took over as newsletter editor many years ago, I began asking members to write brief bios about themselves to include in our Granite Skyes. It’s been fun learning about our members’ musical history as well as their lives outside of music. This month Noel Gagne and Gary Dickinson have agreed to share their story.

Longtime member George Randall passed away on October 31, 2022. He will be remembered for his love of puns, limericks and odd jokes, books, classical and Scottish folk music, and lack of concern for what other people thought of his unique habits.