Mount Washington Valley News Brought To You By Horsefeathers

CONWAY NH— Mud Bowl — the world championships of mud football — returns to North Conway’s Hog Coliseum Friday through Sunday, Sept. 10 through 12, 2010, featuring nine teams from throughout New England, the annual Tournament of Mud Parade Sept. 11 at 10 a.m., and zany halftime entertainment.

To be honored as the recipient of the third annual Steve Eastman (1949-2008) Grand Marshal Tournament of Mud Parade Award is local jeweler and longtime community supporter Brian Smith of North Country Fair Jewelers.

Mud Bowl is a double-elimination, three-day tournament played in knee-deep mud. This year’s theme is Super Muddy Heroes.

Proceeds benefit charities in Mount Washington Valley. First held in North Conway in 1976, the games have raised more than $700,000 for charities over the years.

Three-day tickets serve as raffle prize entries. Volunteers interested in helping are urged to call Jackie Howe at 603.356-5213 or Ryan Sommer at 603.356-2096. Tickets are on sale in advance at The Met, the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce, Hannaford, the Cigar Emporium, Discount Beverages,the Ham Arena and Believe in Books.

Non-profit groups which see tickets in advance receive 25 percent of the proceeds. Call Sommer at 603.356-2096 if interested in helping out.

The parade features an open and a team class. Registration is in early September through Bobbi Steele-Marotta or Ryan Sommer at 603.356-2096. Parade and event sponsor is Amoskeag Beverage Inc., of Bow, distributors of Lite Beer by Miller.

For further information, call the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-367-3364 or Jackie Howe at North Conway Day Care at 603.356-5213.

NORTH CONWAY NH - As our way of saying thanks to our customers our annual Countdown to Christmas Discounted Gift Card Sale is starting December 1st and will last until December 24th, but don’t wait too long the great deals are happening now.

Veteran barkeeps Sandy Sanborn (left) and Randy Mosson (right) have been pouring spirits at Horsefeathers and other establishments in the Mount Washington Valley for a combined total of 70 years. Stop by and say hello next time you’re in the neighborhood for some sustenance and cheer — and some good sports viewing on the big screen TVs.

(TOM EASTMAN PHOTO)

By Tom Eastman
Conway Daily Sun

CONWAY NH— Like a smooth-running and well-maintained old Ford pickup truck, Them Fargo Brothers purred along their song list of country rock classics from the 1970s and 1980s at their sold-out reunion shows, held at Horsefeathers’ Windows on Main Street Friday and Saturday, Nov. 13 and 14.

They were older, and so were their fans, many of whom said they had not gone out to see live music in years, but it didn’t matter: For last Friday and Saturday, Horsefeathers seemed like a time warp, and the music was crisp as ever as in the old days.

Taking pages from the country songbooks of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, to the Doors and the Allman Brothers, to name a few, Them Fargos rolled through both nights before an appreciative crowd of those who remembered their days playing at the old Oxen Yoke, the William Penn Tavern, Barnaby’s, the Red Parka Pub and Brothers II.

“I’m tired. I need to sit down!” joked the group’s founder, rhythm guitarist, front man and smooth-sounding lead singer Bill Madison, now a landscaper and musician in Florida, after he had played his second set Saturday night prior to returning to lead the group’s ensemble of past members through a climaxing final set that left the dancing crowd yelling for more, ending the show at 12:30 a.m.

From “Mamas Don’t Let Your Boys Grow Up To Be Cowboys” and the classic, “Don’t The Girls All Get Prettier (At Closing Time),” to “Ghostriders Of The Sky,” “Riding On The City Of New Orleans,” “Try To Put The Shovel Down,” “Stormy Monday” and their own 45 hit, “Ain’t No UFO Gonna Catch My Diesel,” the band members showed they had not lost their groove in the 15 years or so since their last much smaller reunion show at Black Mountain’s Shovel Handle Pub. Read the rest of this entry »

NORTH CONWAY NH — As a result of a small kitchen fire Nov. 4 that has forced the Wildcat Inn and Tavern to close for repairs for the month, Hoot Night is being moved to the Windows on Main Street at Horsefeathers on Tuesdays for the month of November starting Nov. 10.
Co-owner Stu Dunlop said the inn will be closed until after Thanksgiving to make way for installation of a new sprinkler system as well. So, Dunlop said, Hoot Night for the month of November will go on, just in a different location: the Windows on Main Street at Horsefeathers in North Conway. “Jonathan Sarty and the White Mountain Boys will host, and the same tavern crew will be there — Rane Peterson and Kate Saunders behind the bar, Sitch Samia at the door. Just like at the tavern Hoots, there will be free pizza for all performers,” said Dunlop. He added that renovation work has already begun at the tavern kitchen areas.

In other Horsefeathers news, bartender Marie Oliver says that tickets for the upcoming Them Fargo Brothers reunion Nov. 13 and 14 are selling well.

For further information, call 356-6862.

By Tom Eastman
The Conway Daily Sun

NORTH CONWAY NH — The Eastern Slope Ski Club is gearing up for its 39th annual ski and  snowboard sale at the North Conway Community Center in North Conway Village.
The sale will be held on Friday, Nov. 13, 3 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 14, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
After sale, come on over to Horsefeathers for some sustenance and cheer. Horsefeathers is featuring reunion shows by Them Fargo Brothers Friday and Saturday, Nov. 13 and 14, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 each and are available in advance.

“This is a great opportunity for those looking to purchase alpine, nordic and snowboard gear at very reasonable prices. There are new and used skis, snowboards, clothing, gear and accessories available as well as some great kids stuff. The sale is one of the largest in the area,” said Bob Tagliaferri, vice president and board member of the club.  He said the sale is also a great opportunity for those who have good equipment to sell their merchandise. Individuals may bring their clean, new or used equipment for consignment sale to the North Conway Community Center Wednesday, Nov, 11, and Thursday, Nov. 12, 6 to 9 p.m. Each item submitted for sale will require a small tag fee. Sale tags can be purchased in advance at Bob and Terry’s Sports Outlet in North Conway. The ESSC reserves the right to reject any equipment deemed unsellable.

Unsold equipment must be picked up at the North Community Center Sunday, Nov. 15, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., or the item will be considered a donation to the ESSC. A 15 percent commission will be retained by the ESSC on each item sold.

All proceeds go to the Eastern Slope Ski Club and to support the Junior Ski Program for the Mount Washington Valley.

“We would like to thank our 450 volunteers, the local ski areas, businesses and friends of the program around the valley,” Tagliaferri said. “Without the entire community this program would not be possible.”
For further information, call Sports Outlet at 356-3133 or Horsefeathers at 356-6962.

By Tom Eastman - Conway Daily Sun

NORTH CONWAY NH — Given their rough rider Old West image, no one would be surprised if the extended members of Them Fargo Brothers rode in on horseback for their upcoming reunion shows at Horsefeathers Nov. 13 and 14.
Instead, they’ll be coming from points far and wide via airplane and automobile, but they’ll bring that old-time country rock flavor nonetheless to the two shows, both of which are slated for 8 p.m. at the Windows on Main Street venue on the second floor of Horsefeathers.

Tickets went on sale at Horsefeathers Nov. 1 at $10 each. Dinner will be served for ticket holders upstairs from 5 to 8 p.m., with time allotted for the setting up of the stage at 7:30 p.m. The ticket-required reunion shows are being organized by former Oxen Yoke owner David Peterson, now owner of Horsefeathers, and former Fargo Brothers drummer John Dudli.

With the economic downturn in the Sunshine State, the latter has been back in the valley this summer from Florida, working for local painting contractor Rickie Tibbetts of RLT Painting. That’s when he and Peterson began talking about a reunion show for the once popular band, who attracted a loyal following for their appearances at the Red Parka Pub, the Oxen Yoke and the now no longer standing Barnaby’s, site of today’s Staples in North Conway. “Yes, yes, it was all the doings of my sick mind,” said Dudli, who now lives in the Fort Myyers-Sanibel area of southwestern Florida, where he works as a bartender and painting contractor. He said he and former Them Fargos bassist Jim Merrill got to talking about getting together this summer, and that led to a conversation with Peterson, and voila — it ain’t necessarily the reunion of the Beatles, but it’s bound to be a big two nights for those who loved the band in the day in the 1970s and 1980s. Read the rest of this entry »

NORTH CONWAY NH - Word has it that the legendary Oxen Yoke and Red Parka Pub band of the 1970s and 1980s, Them Fargo Brothers, will be returning to  the valley at Horsefeathers  November 13th & 14th for a re-union show. We’ll keep you posted!

Tickets are $10.00 and will go on sale Nov. 1st at Horsefeathers. Just ask your friendly bartender for one.
Tickets will also be available at the door the night of the show.

Do you remember their hit, “Ain’t No UFO Gonna Catch My Diesel?” It’s a funny tale about a trucker driving his 18-wheeler down Crawford Notch, when a UFO appears. Maybe Rich Gray will sneak it into the playlist a time or two at WMWV?

Bill Madison website

The Valley Voice - By Tom Eastman
The Conway Daily Sun - Aug. 28, 2009

Summer on the wane …

Summer is definitely on the wane, with most of us still feeling like we skipped the entire season, other than the past few weeks when more summerlike weather finally did arrive.
Not sure if you’re feeling the same, but do you think we could file a request with somebody for a July, Take 2?

As you know, we received a record-breaking 10.15 inches of rain in July, after 6.83 inches in June — and August has us up in the 6-inch range as well. It all adds up to a second crop of some giant and blood-thirsty mosquitoes, and even a second batch of black flies — Ed and Cathy Bergeron tell us they were eaten alive by the buggers while photographing some hummingbirds at the base of the Mount Washington Auto Road earlier this month.

For the record, WMWV 93.5-FM “Morning Show” co-host Roy “The Bicycling DJ” Prescott says that summer doesn’t officially end until the fall equinox on Sept. 22 — so take advantage of these summerlike days, even after the kids go back to school.
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WOODSTOCK AND OTHER MUSICAL GROUPS REVISITED: It’s been a 40th anniversary Woodstock Music Festival month, and — following the story that the Sun rain in its Aug. 15 Weekenders edition on the festival — readers continue to write to tell us about their experiences in upstate New York in August 1969.

Cycling guru Dave Kinsman of Fryeburg, for example, says he was there; the just-back from a month of sailing Beverly Simmons says she and her friends tried to get there, before their car broke down in traffic; one certain owner of Horsefeathers/the Wildcat/and Decades was one of the 450,000 there for the three days of peace and music; and so was Karen MacDonald, who offered the following account:
“In response to your query regarding Valley people who made the pilgrimage to Woodstock … I did just that.  Along with three friends in a VW bug. And, because of a gem of a kid who pumped our gas on the N.Y. interstate, we were able to get all the way there. He told us that the ‘Staties’ had closed the turnpike, but that he knew of a ‘back way in.’ After eight miles on a one-lane dirt road, albeit beautiful hilly countryside!, we thought we had ‘been had.’ But that dirt road spilled us onto another … 1/4 of a mile from the stage. The rest is forever recorded in our personal histories. I even retrieved a Boom Box that I had loaned to some kids (strangers) at the Newport Jazz Festival earlier that summer. Talk about ‘Cosmic!’  What a world we had goin’ for us, eh?  Keeping that idealism alive.”
Thanks for the story, Karen!
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THEM FARGOS TO RE-UNITE? Word has it that the legendary Oxen Yoke and Red Parka Piub band of the 1970s and 1980s, Them Fargo Brothers, may be returning to somewhere in the valley come November for a re-union show. Bill Madison, now of Florida, is said to be working on it. We’ll keep you posted! (If you’re of the male persuasion, or perhaps just a quick female, you may enjoy seeing an old poster of Them Fargos in the male bathroom at Decades).
Do you remember their hit, “Ain’t No UFO Gonna Catch My Diesel?” It’s a funny tale about a trucker driving his 18-wheeler down Crawford Notch, when a UFO appears. Maybe Rich Gray will sneak it into the playlist a time or two at WMWV? Read the rest of this entry »

Join residents and businesses of Conway, NH for a traditional evening holiday parade followed by visits and pictures with Santa.  There’s a free movie for the kids at the Majestic Theater, photos with Santa, hot cocoa, tree lightings and caroling.  Free and open to the public.  Info:  603-447-2639 or www.conwaychamber.com.  (Note: Date to be confirmed).