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 Contributed
by Thomas Duncan and David Batty
The International Accordion Festival Millennium
"All Star" Show was held in Pontins Holiday Camp at Blackpool, Lancashire,
England from March 15th to 20th. Intermediate, Elementary and Advanced
bands as well as buskers held practice sessions each morning before performing
on stage. Buskers also entertained diners on the Sunday, raising money
for charity.
 A
free and easy session was held each afternoon with a Songs of Praise session
on the Sunday. Each night comprised of four acts followed by Scottish
Country Dancing with Roy Hendry and his band. Entertainers included popular
overseas guests Frederic Baldo
(France), Oleg Sharov (Russia),
The Vilnius Duo (Lithuania) and Barbara Anne Martindale (Canada). UK accordionists
Steve Roxton, David Lukins, Jan Zukowski, Gordon Glenn, Ken Hartley, Johnny
Coleclough, Nina Suscenko, Larysa Bodell, Stefan Andrusyschyn, Liam Stewart,
Johnny-Lee Leslie, The Promenade Accordion Orchestra, the Thistle Accordion
Band, Starlets Accordion Orchestra, The Vintage and the Silver Sands also
received great response from the audience. Harry Hussey provided music
in the bar every night until 2am and was joined by some of the performers
for an impromptu session.
 Steve
Roxton, David Lukins and Oleg Sharov (see photograph) held an "after hours
impromptu session" until the early hours and accordion music could be
heard from various Chalets all over the camp. The trade stall was attended
by 8 companies selling everything from metronomes to accordions and a
local radio station broadcast live from the event on Friday March 17th.
Master Classes were held by Barbara Ann Martindale, Oleg Sharov and John
Leslie. The Wyre Accordion Festival was embodied in the Festival activities
with competitors playing to a capacity audience.
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Netherlands
group "Pot, van Lienen & Baumgarten" will perform in Apeldoorn on April
8th. The group which includes Peter Pot (accordion), Arie van Lienen (accordion)
and Philip Baumgarten (double bass) will play two, half hour sets of music
from their CD “Nectar” including “Innamorato” (which features "bellowshakes")
and “Beltsjeblom”. They also play modern folk music and their own compositions
influenced by Dutch, French, Irish and Italian folk traditions as well
as classical music and jazz. For further details email: 
Contributed
by Lynda Griffith 
Contributed
by 
Contributed
by 
David
Batty (founder and President of Leyland Accordion Club) was invited to
a "behind the scenes" view of a Foster and Allen Concert on March 21st.
Mick Foster of "Foster and Allen" is one of the most public faces of the
accordion in the UK and the Irish Duo are well known worldwide with tunes
like Bunch of Thyme, After All These Years, Maggie, Beautiful Dreamer
and many more. 
For
the first time poets, musicians and philosophers came together for a live
performance on the Internet. This event, organized by the Pisa Province
Council (Italy) and the local education committee, took place on February
25th and included personalities such as Alfonso Maurizio Jacono (philosopher),
Alessandro Agostinelli (poet), Michele Lo Bianco (engineer), Giovanni
Mayer (double bass player) and 
Time
Magazine prominently featured a 40 year old picture of country musician
Pee Wee King (86 years old) with his accordion when reporting his death
last week. Born Frank Kuczynski, he started his career as an accordionist
and also became a successful songwriter. He wrote hits such as "Slow Poke"
and "Walk Me by the River" and co-wrote "The Tennessee Waltz". Pee Wee
made frequent TV appearances and was inducted into the Country Music Hall
of Fame in 1974. For details on others who have recently passed away see