08/30/23

Hello Everyone,

Here’s the current QCB news:

1963-2023, 60 Years of QCB

I’m excited that our 2023/24 Leo season is starting this coming Sunday. As you know, this year we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Queen City Balladeers and Leo Coffeehouse. 

The 60th anniversary gathering we held on August 4th turned out to be a very special event. We had a good crowd of both old and current members. A bunch of the old members in attendance were there at the beginning of QCB in 1963. There were lots of memories shared, and lots of stories told, and of course, some folk music played.

We plan to keep the 60th celebration going through 2023/24 by asking Leo performers to share their early memories of QCB and Leo on stage. This organization really is a special one. As several of the founding members said on August 4th, “We never imagined that what we started would last 60 years.” 

That QCB and Leo Coffeehouse have lasted this long is a testament to the  efforts of the many volunteers over the years who saw the value of keeping this folk music organization going. We owe a debt to all of those who have come before us.

Board Changes

The board has voted to make some changes to two board members’ titles and duties. John Mann will move from Vice President to Treasurer, taking over the Treasurer duties from Janice Alvarado. 

Janice will move into the Vice President position and will continue working to book musicians for Leo Coffeehouse with Spencer Funk, who has worked as a non-board member volunteer in the area of booking for many years.

Booking is listed as a responsibility of the Vice President in our constitution, so this change will better align the task of booking with our constitution. John taking over the Treasurer’s duties will distribute the work between these two positions much more evenly.

This Sunday: Leo Coffeehouse September 3, 2023

5:30 PM: All Night Song Circles

As we did last year, we will be starting our 23/24 season a little early by opening up Zion UCC on Labor Day Sunday for song circles. If you are not tied up with holiday activities on Sunday, please join us.

Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse September 10, 2023

5:30 PM: Songwriters’ Collaborative

Songwriters Cooperative back up again. Come and share your songs with other songwriters for encouragement and friendly critiques.

5:30 PM: Open Jam

Musicians bring songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony. Some members like to continue the jam upstairs during the performances.

Performances:

7:00 PM: Kabir Bakie

A familiar face at the Leo, Kabir likes to perform folk, pop and country songs. He particularly enjoys playing the music of artists such as Gordon Lightfoot, John Prine, and Johnny Cash.

7:30 PM: Ellen Mershon

Ellen is a local singer songwriter with deep roots in the Cincinnati music scene.  Her passion for American Roots music shines through her folky, soulful and eclectic style.

8:15 PM: Michael Johnathon

Folksinger Michael Johnathon has a long-standing career in the arts as a concert performer, songwriter, playwright, composer of the opera, Woody: For the People, and as the host of the live audience broadcast of the WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour.

QCB/Leo Coffeehouse Membership

We are keeping our standard annual QCB membership dues at $20.00 for a family, or for a single person plus a guest. Last year, knowing that the pandemic cut into our contingency funds, as we continued to pay overhead expenses with no income, some members donated larger amounts to QCB. We very much appreciate the support of all QCB members at all levels.

We are exploring setting up our website to allow the payment of different levels of dues support.  For now, if you’d like to pay the standard dues, you can pay them online here or by a check at Leo. (We’ve discontinued our P.O. Box, I will have a mailing address in the next newsletter for those who wish to mail their membership dues.)

If you would like to donate more than the $20.00 standard dues, you can do so by check, or through our website here. When you get to the page with the box to relay instructions, just note that you are paying a larger amount for your dues.

For visitors who prefer not to become a member, a donation of $5.00 (cash) per person helps us pay the rent for our non-profit organization.  Donations can be slipped in the box at the welcome table outside our performance room, Founders Hall.  If you can’t afford that, pay what you can afford or nothing at all.  We will welcome you to join us either way.

President’s Letter