WTF! Springs into action!

Hi gang,

Finally... and not a moment too soon... SPRING arrives on Tuesday
so... on Friday, March 22nd, WTF! will welcome spring in all it's many
incarnations. Bring whatever song, tune or tale that springs to mind.
Spring it on us! We love surprises!!

                    *********************************************

                    According to the OED...
          the word SPRING has many variations.
                            Among them...

1. the place of rising or issuing from the ground; the source or head
of a well, stream or river; the supply of water forming such a source.

2. the action or time of rising or springing into being or existence;
the appearing or coming on, the first sign, of day, morning, etc; the
dawn. Also, the beginning of a season.

3. a young growth on a tree, plant or root; a shoot, sprout or sucker;
a small branch, sprig or twig; the rudimentary shoot of a seed.

4. rise, beginning or birth (of something)

5. an elastic contrivance or mechanical device, usually consisting of
a strip or plate of steel (or a number of these) suitably shaped or
adjusted, which when compressed, bent, coiled or otherwise forced out
of its normal shape, possesses the property of returning to it.

6. some kind of dance; a tune upon the bagpipes or other musical
instrument; especially a quick and lively tune; a dance tune.

7. a snare or noose.

8. to change place or position by sudden and rapid movement without
contact; to move with a sudden jerk or bound; to dart or fly.

                    *********************************************

So... as you can see there are many ways to look at SPRING. It's not
all mud and slush and thawing doggy doo although... it would be wise
to put a spring in your step as you bound over what's springing up
under your feet. But should you make contact, you can always clean up
at the spring and put your feet up on your bed springs to dry.

Xo Margo


WTF! is an artistic outreach program of the Helen Creighton Folklore
Society. We meet every second and fourth Friday of the month at
CHEBUCTO COFFEE, 6430 Chebucto Road, corner of Chebucto & Kline in
Halifax where Mike's extraordinary culinary fare is approaching
legendary status. Come early for a bite and stay for the entertainment
which starts around 6:30 and goes until 9:00ish. As always...
admission is by free-will donation towards the Society's work.

Tales of Fortune and Fate for World Storytelling Day

Tales of Fortune and Fate

Round and Round and Round it goes! Where will fortune’s wheel take you? Will fate decide?

Celebrate World Storytelling Day 2013! with the Storytellers of Halifax.

Come for soup. Stay for stories.

Friday, March 15, 7pm – 9pm.

Chebucto Coffee, 6430 Chebucto Rd, Halifax

For further information, contact Elinor Benjami: elinorbenjamin@gmail.com

WFT: K(n)ight of the Living Trad, with Sir Bill Plaskett

Next Friday, March 8th... WTF! goes Trad!

Bring songs, tunes and stories either from traditional sources or inspired by the traditional. This will be a night to surpass all nights as our gregarious guest host Mr. Bill Plaskett is a Knight to surpass all Knights. Please see the photo of the illustrious Sir Gadabout Galahat if you have the slightest doubt.

"Let the projectiles come!" commands Sir Knight, "Tally Ho and WTF! Verily I am prepared." Although his fashion sense is without peer, he will not require this suit of armour regardless of the rumours as we will be strictly enforcing our new ban regarding the throwing of projectiles at guest hosts.
So... dust off your melancholy lute... saddle up your milk white steed... and come to where the lusty Lords and Ladies love to meet. You dare not miss "The (K)night of the Living Trad" with Bill Plaskett as the Knight in question or perhaps... the questionable knight??? Come to think of it... the whole night might be in question but it sure will be fun!

WTF! is an artistic outreach program of the Helen Creighton Folklore Society. We meet every second and fourth Friday of the month at CHEBUCTO COFFEE, 6430 Chebucto Road, corner of Chebucto & Kline in Halifax where Mike's extraordinary culinary fare is approaching legendary status. Come early for a bite and stay for the entertainment which starts around 6:30 and goes until 9:00ish. As always...admission is by free-will donation towards the Society's work.

Written by Margo, Posted by Cindy (your usual or normal...err, almost normal... WTF co-hosts)

Beneath Springhill: The Maurice Ruddick Story by Beau Dixon

Hi gang, Next week's WTF! will be somewhat of a departure from our usual format. While we will still be featuring open mike slots before and after... on Friday, February 22nd, as part of Black History Month, we have engaged acclaimed Toronto playwright, musician and actor BEAU DIXON to perform his one-man show - Beneath Springhill: The Maurice Ruddick Story. Chebucto Coffee Friday,February 22 6:30-9pm free will donation ************************** HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: On October 23, 1958, a massive "bump"—similar to a small earthquake—collapsed No. 2 colliery of the Cumberland mines in Springhill, Nova Scotia, trapping 174 men 3900 metres (over 2 miles!) underground. Rescuers acted immediately, with little hope there would be many survivors. Slowly they extracted men, alive and dead, from the ground. On the ninth day, they reached the last 7 to be found alive. Among them was Maurice Ruddick, a 46-year-old African Canadian, a slim man with a thin moustache who always pomaded his hair. When the miners finished a shift, it took an hour to ride to the surface in the trolleys. Ruddick would sing during the trip, blues, jazz or popular songs of the day. Some of the miners joined him to sing "Dem Bones" or "Don't Be Cruel" or "Bye Bye Love." As they ascended from the pit, their baritones rumbled up ahead of them, audible to the company men who worked on the surface. After the mineshaft caved in on them, the 7 men struggled to survive. Ruddick, despite a broken leg, helped his companions keep their spirits up by singing and leading them in song and prayer. Ruddick and the other "miracle miners" enjoyed public attention briefly after the disaster. For Ruddick, the only Black in the group, racism dimmed his moment in the spotlight. The 1958 mine collapse killed 74 men and ended Springhill's tenure as a large-scale mining town. The mines were sealed shortly after the Big Bump. Maurice Ruddick died in 1988, all but forgotten for his role during those 9 long days. ************************** BENEATH SPRINGHILL: THE MAURICE RUDDICK STORY This forty-five minute musical chronicles the life of Maurice Ruddick, "the singing miner", an African Canadian who survived the historic mining disaster in Springhill, Nova Scotia in 1958 and was awarded “Citizen of the Year” for saving the lives of his fellow workers. It recalls the events of seven miners trapped over two miles beneath a small mining town; the effect it had on their rural Canadian community; and the racial tension that surfaced as a result. BEAU DIXON'S tour here is supported by the playwrights guild and sponsored by the Government of Canada. For more information on Beau please see www.beaudixon.com or www.firebrandtheatre.com We are thrilled to be able to present this educational and entertaining story filled with tragedy, drama and comical - yet conflicting - moments of hope and bravery. This is a "MUST SEE" performance so to ensure seating... please arrive early. Xo Margo WTF! is an artistic outreach program of the Helen Creighton Folklore Society. We meet every second and fourth Friday of the month at CHEBUCTO COFFEE, 6430 Chebucto Road, corner of Chebucto & Kline in Halifax where Mike's extraordinary culinary fare is approaching legendary status. Come early for a bite and stay for the entertainment which starts around 6:30 and goes until 9:00ish. As always... admission is by free-will donation towards the Society's work.

WTF: What the Folk Celebrates 1 year at Mike's!

You heard it right! We have been the benificiaries of Mike's legendary hospitality at CHEBUCTO COFFEE for one full year! You'd think he would have clued in to us by now and sent us packing but thankfully... he's a very good sport!!! So... in honour of this momentous occasion... WTF! proposes that those of you who write songs, stories or poetry... write something in honour of Mike. You could be reverent with praise... OR... my personal favourite... you could slam dunk the doughnuts with completely over-the-top humour. But... if composing an ode, musical or otherwise, is not your thing... how about bringing something from the pantheon of pre-existing songs and stories that would fit the occasion from your point of view? Maybe something that mentions coffee? Or a song or story with a wildly memorable character? After all... Mike's sense of humour is legendary so... short of a full out "roast"... we must show our appreciation in a Mike-minded manner Margo and Cindy Cone join us: Friday, February 8th 6:30pm Chebucto Coffee, Halifax WTF! is an artistic outreach program of the Helen Creighton Folklore Society. We meet every second and fourth Friday of the month at CHEBUCTO COFFEE, 6430 Chebucto Road, corner of Chebucto & Kline in Halifax where Mike's extraordinary culinary fare is approaching legendary status. Come early for a bite and stay for the entertainment which starts around 6:30 and goes until 9:00ish. As always... admission is by free-will donation towards the Society's work.

Stories at the Raven's Nest

The Storytellers Circle gets Grimm

The Storytellers Circle of Halifax are on the road this Friday telling stories in Tatamagouche! The stories will feature Grimm's Fairytales in honour of the anniversary of the Brothers Grimm. The stories will be the originals , not the sugar coated versions. More details to come...

WTF: What the Folk likes FOOD!

Fantastic Food Songs and Stories. Fanatastic Hosts: June and James WTF! is oh so pleased to announce that the dynamic duo of James Crouse and June Trenholme have graciously offered to guest host next week, January 25th, with their chosen theme of FOOD. 6:30 pm Chebucto Coffee 6430 Chebucto Road ( corner of Kline and North streets in Halifax) WTF! is an outreach program of the Helen Creighton Folklore Society. We meet every second and fourth Friday of the month at CHEBUCTO COFFEE,where Mike's extraordinary culinary fare is approaching legendary status. Come early for a bite and stay for the entertainment which starts around 6:30 and goes until 9:00ish. As always... admission is by free-will donation towards the Society's work. Margo and Cindy Helen Creighton Folklore Society: Folksongs, Folktales, Folklore, Folkcraft