Some
folks love to know the behinds the scenes information about a website,
and well, we aim to please around here. This is a web-log, lovingly
called a BLOG, which is a sort of website journal of thoughts, information
and updates. I hope that you enjoy these mental wanderings and information.
Some may think this is as exciting as watching paint dry, but well,
it's history in the making! (g) Enjoy!
Sherri Chekal, Editor, Buckeye
Bluegrass.com
Scroll Down to the
Bottom for the latest entry!
November
18, 2003
Buckeye
Bluegrass.com is born. It was thought up by Sherri Chekal on a long
trip home from West Branch, Michigan. She wanted to do something to
help Bluegrass Music in her state and aside from never playing the
banjo again... (like that's going to happen...) it seemed that putting
her numerous skills at website and commerical art and advertising
design seemed the right thing to do. Apparently so, because it's been
well recieved and the traffic is growing each and every day!
December
5 , 2003
The
first newsletter appears and is sent out to a whole 30 people! No
one seems to be upset, so it must have been a success! Onward and
upward!!!
December
9, 2003
If
anyone really knows Sherri, they know that she learned to love Bluegrass
music up in Michigan, around the Detroit area. She'll be ready to
credit a good friend to getting her tangled up in blue... grass that
is! 20+ years ago, she was a tagalong to many a show, festival and
event with all the Michigan greats... and with the success of Buckeye
Bluegrass.com, she could hardly let her roots go without attention.
Living in Toledo is really like living in the greater Detroit metropolitan
area, anyways, so after a day or so of hard thinking, www.GanderGrass.com
was born. Michi-ganders love their bluegrass and it seemed only right
to help out her old pals as well. (Note... GanderGrass.com became
MichiganBluegrass.com)
December
11, 2003
The
Front Porch Forum is added. Since it was incorporated into the site,
it seems that everyone really enjoys it and there are messages posted
daily.
January
16, 2004
Since
Sherri is a banjo player and everyone knows that banjo players just
can't leave well enough alone and MUST fool around with things constantly,
she redesigned the front page of the site and added some nifty button
boxes to direct people around the site quickly. Also added is a Chat
Room function, that is sure to get her into trouble, because she LOVES
to chat and well, bluegrass and chatting seem to go hand in hand.
Check in often and maybe you'll catch her there. Drop by on one of
our announced chat times and see who shows up!
Also
added is our new affiliation with Americana Music. Through the gracious
help of Bill Gamble, we will be receiving a small commission on all
albums sold through his site with our promotional code of A108. This
will help to keep Buckeye Bluegrass.com up and running. The costs
are low, but there are costs. This affiliation will help to keep things
easy to manage and free of annoying pop ups and other funding methods.
January
28, 2004
Added
three new bands.. lots of classified ads, a press release and updated
the show listing. Can't believe how many people are emailing to
join the newsletter and to help with information, etc. You guys
are all great! This is one awesome effort from everyone! Thanks!
February
5, 2004
Added
our first official Buckeye Bluegrass Advertising Sponsor! Many thanks
to Archie Stinson, of Archie's Music Shoppe for taking a chance
on our new fledgling website to place a store ad. Had a lovely time
coming out to meet Archie at his store, take a few pictures and
pick a little banjo! Be sure to take a look at his new page here
on Buckeye Bluegrass! If you're a store, business or other organization
and would like to help out with a very affordable, custom designed
sponsor webpage here on Buckeye Bluegrass.com, please contact Sherri
for details.
Also
have updated the various parts of the site. We're off to SPGBMA
convention in Nashville and will no doubt return with pictures and
fun information and details galore!!! You can read about the trip
here... SPBGMA Road Trip.
February
22, 2004
Wow,
a very busy month! We have added several new bands... and information
is coming is so fast that I'm having to update the site DAILY! Many
thanks to everyone for helping out so much! The website is fast becoming
a great networking source and it's just what we want!
Welcome
to the staff of BuckeyeBluegrass.com and GanderGrass.com, the following
gentleman.
Dave Russell,
Editorial Consultant
A well
known musician and songwriter in the Detroit area, Dave has been
playing the banjo since he was 15. He has played with several well
known local bands. He is currently picking the 5 string in the Mike
Adams Band out of Michigan. He lends his expertise in the music
as well as his creative talents.
Okay,
I just can't leave a good thing lay. I wanted to clean up the look
of the site a little more, and add buttons/boxes for easy clicking
around the site. I also wanted a cleaner, simple look for all the
boxes. I hope you like the overall change. We'll keep tweeking with
this until we really like it.
Also,
we'll be adding a guest book so that folks can sign in and say howdy!
And
if you are interested to see where this all is created for the most
part... here's a picture of my office! (I just got it all fixed
up nice and I think I'm going to like working here. Can't wait to
go and get my new (old) bass... it's going to be fun to learn to
play and will look great in my office! (g)
March
24, 2004
It's
a sad day at the offices of Buckeye Bluegrass... Sherri finally
boxed up and sent her beloved pretty Stelling banjo back to the
old home place in Virginia. It only took 2 weeks for her to give
it up. It's going in for some service work... something is not quite
right with the neck and Geoff Stelling has offered to fix it or
buy it back, an offer that really astonished us all in it's well
meaning generosity. It's great to see a fine luthier such as Mr.
Stelling, to stand behind his work, even when it was not purchased
from him, but some fellow out in California! Our hats off to the
Stelling Banjo Works! Go visit them and send Sherri's banjo a get
well e-mail!
Lets
all think some good thoughts that it comes back soon, because even
though Sherri bought a bass to try and pass the lonely days, she
is not that good at it and is scaring the cats and children.
Ain't that the
purdiest banjer you've seen?
Yes...
she's the one you've seen here and there with the PRETTY
girl banjo... (g)
Sherri's
considered going into the "Banjo Head Decoration Business"
If you have a banjo and you want some fancy original work
on that banjo, you just write to her here... Have Sharpie
markers, will travel!
(And
it doesn't have to be pretty, though she's not too keen
on drawing nekked ladies.... how about some cool Celtic
knotwork or maybe ivy?)
April
2, 2004
My banjo
is coming home! Yeah! I can't wait... Just got an email from Geoff
Stelling and he tweaked it and did a little adjusting and a little
repair and gave it a clean bill of health. It aughta be here in
no time, and the sooner the better. Even though I've been learning
how to play the bass, and then broke a string and had to resort
to playing the guitar.... (no offense to you all that play the guitar,
but well, once you've played the banjo, it's just so hard to go
back to anything else... (gg) and other people's banjos... Thanks
guys, but I just can't wait for mine to come back. The waiting is
almost over and I have to thank everyone that has come up and offered
their kind thoughts about my lack of banjo!!! I am definately going
to have to think about a backup banjo for the future!!!
The
site is coming along nicely... keep spreading the word and I'll
do my best to keep it up to date and tidy. I really really appreciate
the fact that folks are getting in touch with me, instead of me
having to go searching and surfing to find tidbits of information.
That makes it very easy for me to keep the site updated. Please
let me know of anything that you learn about bluegrass related that
you don't see up on the site right away. I don't mind doing the
data entry and designing, but I just can't be everywhere at once
to learn all these little goodies of bluegrass music events and
happenings!!!
May
6, 2004
Well,
it's been a really busy month here at the estates of the Buckeye
Bluegrass Empire. We are busy at work with several neat projects,
all of which are still top secret and we would have to rub you out
if you found out... (g)
But
on the good news side... The Stelling is HOME! Yeah! Thanks to all
who have written and spoken to me about it. I know it's silly, but
you know, if ain't bluegrass without a banjo and well I was sorely
missing the old thing while it was away getting adjusted and a little
tender loving care from the Stelling banjo Works.
I got
to actually play on stage with the boys of Copus Hill at the Ashland
Jam and Show... (My DEBUT!!!) And it sounded just fine. More information
will be coming about my road trip there... just trying to find a
few minutes in my hectic life to rub together to get it all written
up. And boy do I have picture! Wow!
Hope
all are enjoying the site, it's really got a life of it's own and
I'm just thrilled to be part of it all, helping bluegrass in Ohio!
YEAH!
The girl with
the flowery banjo....
It
takes a real man to play a girl's banjo....
here are a few! Recognize anyone????
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