Fiddlin’ In West Virginia—Literally!

By Ana Deluca-Mayne
Scholastic Press Corps
July 31, 2009

 

Editor’s Note: This is from Ana Deluca-Mayne while she is on vacation, but she is still working. ( PHOTO: Ana Deluca-Mayne on her fiddle. Photo courtesy Ana Deluca-Mayne)

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Summer fun from fish camp to music camp to a giant observatory.

I am learning how to play the fiddle, so each summer I go to a camp in West Virginia called Allegheny Echoes. The camp’s goal is to teach old time music to the next generation. This was year was my fourth year at Allegheny Echoes and my third year playing the fiddle there.

I recognized some familiar faces at the camp and knew my teacher from the year before. The first day we played a song I had learned before called “Boil Them Cabbage Down.”

After the lesson (which seemed to go by quickly), my aunt and I had lunch and then went swimming. In the afternoon we went to the Masters’ Jam, which is where a bunch of old time music geniuses play. Then my grandmother came and we went back up the twisting road to fish camp. Every day we drove from the fish camp to the music camp on this winding road. (It would have made my friend sick to ride on that road.)

Thursday night was concert time. Yikes! I was so nervous. We played an awesome song called “Liberty.”

The next day was Friday and I was sad that it was the last day of Echoes. I made some really cool friends and I was going to miss them. I learned a lot at Allegheny Echoes and I can’t wait to come back next year.

Although I was sad Allegheny Echoes had to end so soon, I had a really fun time at the rest of my stay in West Virginia. My cousins from North Carolina came and so I had a fantastic time swimming in rivers, playing in creeks, and watching fireworks with them.

Then, we visited the National Radio Astrology Observatory, which is operated by the National Science Foundation. It operates three large telescopes that explore the universe. Researchers also detect and study radio waves emitted by astrological objects. At this very moment, researchers there are picking up signals from space that are billions of years old.

The observatory has made many important discoveries, including blackholes and double stars. Surrounding the observatory is something called a quite zone. People who live in the quite zone can only have certain electronic items that won’t interfere with the radio signals being sent and received from space.

All in all, I had a great time in West Virginia swimming, hanging out with my cousins, visiting the observatory, and most importantly of all listening and playing fiddle music.

Source: Scholastic News Online