THANK YOU!

Thanks to all of our guests for making this such a sweet homecoming!  It was a wonderful week and weekend of musical fun and relaxation.  The response was so positive that we went ahead and booked The Hampton House for our 10th annual retreat, February 22nd - 25th, 2024!

Here are just a few glimpses of the good times shared by all.  Registration will open SOON for next year and will be limited to 50 attendees, so subscribe to this page and watch for an announcement in March! 

Safe travels home to everyone - many of us will be continuing on to the Castaway Music Cruise this weekend for even more musical serendipity!

Thanks again for coming together and helping us usher in a new chapter for the Florida Gulf Coast Dulcimer Retreat!

P.S.  If you have pictures and video from the event, and would like to share them with us for promotional purposes, please contact Bing.  Also, be sure to follow our Facebook page to stay up-to-date on the latest! 

ToMORRow, toMORRow, we LOVE ya, toMORRow!

 Good Morning!

 

It's going to be a beautiful weekend in Homosassa, Florida, and we can't wait to see y'all!!

 

The information below will help you find your way to the Retreat and the Resort - (Posted on Website - www.gulfcoastdulcimer.com)

 

Address for the RETREAT: Hampton House -  5410 S Magnolia Ave, Homosassa, FL 34448

 

Address for the HOTEL: Florida Cracker Riverside Resort -                                                        5297 S. Cherokee Way Homosassa, FL 34448

 

Map below shows pathways to get from one to the other - PLEASE NOTE: We will have 2 Shuttles to get you to and from both locations!  Boat transportation will be available as well!  

 

Stop by Wednesday afternoon to see the Hampton House!  You can also drop off instruments.

The shuttle will follow the walking path to get to Retreat.  If you get "stuck", call us!  For now, call 440-478-1302 (Sharrie) and we'll send someone for you. We WILL have a shuttle schedule as well during the day.

 

Workshop schedules and more information will be available at Hampton House.  

 

The Retreat officially starts at 9 am on Thursday, Feb 23rd.  Come in anytime after 8 am to set up and grab information, coffee, and snacks. 

 

Please DO NOT worry if you don't have chairs - we will have enough for everyone!  We do have a beautiful yard, gazebo, and dock where you may want to sit, play, and enjoy old Florida life in between classes!  A few extra chairs will be handy if possible, but not essential!

 

Thank you for coming and we'll see you soon,

 

Bing & Jae, Guy & Sharrie, Richard & Aly

The stage is set for WEDNESDAY!

 

We're excited to finally be returning to Homosassa for our annual retreat!  There are still a few spots left if you're looking to attend.  There will be a flood of posts between now and then with important info, so watch for more soon. 

In the meantime, we're behind-the-scenes preparing for your arrival; see you soon!

Bing & Jae, Guy & Sharrie, Richard and Aly (and dad!)

2 Weeks To Go!

Howdy, all!

We're very excited to be welcoming you to the Hampton House estate for our return to Homosassa Springs in a couple of weeks!

Hampton House is located at 5410 S. Magnolia Ave., which is right across the street from the Homosassa post office.   There will be limited parking at the estate, so if you're staying at the Florida Cracker Riverside Resort, we will have two shuttles running between the resort and the estate.  If you choose to walk from the resort, it's an easy fifteen minutes around the bend and past the school.

We have our own private dock and there's a possibility that we'll do some boat shuttling and/or river tours.  You can also always rent a pontoon boat, paddle board, or kayak from the Florida Cracker Riverside Resort marina.

As we get closer, we'll post check-in, registration, and first-day details.  There are 15 registration spots available, so if you're local and want to join, come along!

We're looking forward to seeing all of you and having a wonderfully relaxing time on the river.  See you soon!

Registration Update: Spots are going fast!

 

Registration just officially opened and we are already at 1/3rd of capacity!  Don't sleep and miss out on this very special reboot of our old Florida retreat!

After the retreat...the adventure continues!

Following the Retreat, Saturday, March 4 thru 9, 2023, we will be sailing out of Tampa, FL aboard the Brilliance of the Seas, (Royal Caribbean Cruise Line); 5 nights traveling to Cozumel, Mexico, and then Georgetown, Grand Cayman Islands, with 2 at sea days. You can book a cabin by calling RCCL (Royal Caribbean) 800-465-3595, hit Option 4 for groups of 8 or more, and tell them you'd like to book with GROUP # 5269810, Castaway Music Cruise. You can also call Sharrie @ 440-478-1302 to have any questions answered or for help with booking. Prices subject to change daily - book now for these rates with totally refundable deposit: Interior cabin starts at $962.70 (includes all taxes & fees) - $481.35 per person Ocean View cabin starts @ $992.70 (incl taxes & fees) - $ 496.35 per person Ocean View Balcony @ $1500.70 - (incl taxes & fees) $ 750.35 per person $200.00 totally refundable deposit per CABIN will hold your reservation until final payment date of Dec 4, 2022. (Suites and other cabins are available; ask for pricing) As part of our group, we’ll eat together at 5:30 each evening in the main dining room, but you are welcome to dine anywhere onboard ship as well. There are some other dining options available as well as the buffet each night, if you want a different dining experience. Workshops will be offered for Mountain Dulcimer, Pennywhistle, Ukulele, and Jumbie Jam Steel Drum, with jamming each day as well as other musical and non-musical group events! Tentative workshop schedule is posted below, and descriptions and registration for WORKSHOPS will be available by September 10th, 2022. For booking, go to www.castawaymusiccruise.com Pricing for workshops, daily jams, learning workshops, and all music and social events will be $299.00 per person. Spouses are welcome to hang with us for all events at no charge.

2023 Castaway Cruise Tentative Workshop Schedule 3/5/23 At Sea Workshops: Guy - Pennywhistle Masterclass - Part I Bing - Mountain Dulcimer Masterclass - Part I Sharrie - Ukulele Strumming Masterclass Uke & Steel Drum Combo Class Evening all instrument workshop and Jam 3/6/23 Cozumel - Workshops: All Instrument Morning Workshop - Bing - Mountain Dulcimer Masterclass Part II Guy - Pennywhistle Masterclass Part II Sharrie - Ukulele All Level Orchestra Class 3/7/23 Georgetown - Workshops:Guy - Pennywhistle Masterclass - Part III Bing - Mountain Dulcimer Masterclass - Part III Sharrie - Ukulele Fingerpicking Masterclass Evening all instrument workshop and Jam 3/8/23 At Sea Workshops:Guy - Pennywhistle Masterclass - Part IV Bing - Mountain Dulcimer Masterclass - Part IV Sharrie - Ukulele Level Up Repertoire Class

We hope you will join us for any and all of the up-coming events! Please contact any of us with questions! Enjoy the fall weather and stay healthy, happy, and enjoying music and life! Cheers, Guy, Bing, Jae, and Sharrie

Early Registration NOW OPEN!

Howdy, friends! 

The 9th Annual Florida Gulf Coast Dulcimer Retreat will take place at The Hampton House in Homosassa Springs, just a few hundred feet up the river from our former location.  This expansive five-bedroom waterfront estate sits upon 2 acres of land that's exclusively reserved for our group!  Folkcraft Instruments is once again sponsoring the retreat and Richard Ash will have plenty of room for his customary display as will Guy & Sharrie George and Bing Futch.  

Many folks have already registered (carrying over their 2022 registrations) and we are very much enforcing an attendance cap of 50 people in order to make the best use of the space. So if you are thinking about going, we're anticipating a sell-out situation, so don't miss out!  

You can register by visiting the retreat site today at www.GulfCoastDulcimer.com and choosing your payment option on the right side of the screen. Lodging will once again be available at the Florida Cracker Riverside Resort as well as numerous other hotels and campgrounds nearby.  The retreat site has info on area accommodations, shopping, dining, and attractions to check out while you're in Old Homosassa.

Workshop descriptions and schedules are already posted and we'll decide which parts of the estate are "area 1" and "area 2", respectively.  We have lots of options.  

Let us know if you have any questions - we're so excited to be back with a brand new space!

Sincerely,

Jae, Bing, Sharrie, Guy, Richard, and Aly