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

Details and Options For 2022

Here are some details for refunds on registrations and reservations:

If you decide to opt-in and roll-over your 2022 retreat registration to 2023, please contact either Bing (bingfutch@yahoo.com) or Jae (bluezfan@yahoo.com) so we can record that info into our spreadsheet.

The Florida Cracker Riverside Resort will NOT be charging for room cancelations.  If you're planning on coming to Homosassa regardless, and want to stay in your room, your original rate applies.

If you're planning on staying, and want to still make a little music, Sharrie's info below will help you decide if you'll want to join us for the cruise:

We’re all disappointed not to see you all for the Retreat in Homosassa, but if you are interested, the Castaway Music Cruise is still an option if you have the dates available.

You can book a cabin for the prices below and pay $200.00 now and the balance by the 28th of January. Royal Caribbean is offering a “Cruising with Confidence” guarantee that says you can cancel up to 48 hrs before sailing and get your full amount paid as a “future cruise credit” that can be used within 1 year of our sail date. (They will refund if you have documentation from a doctor stating that it is not safe for you to sail, but they would review your cancellation first)

Cruising out of Tampa, FL aboard the Brilliance of the Seas for 5 nights, sailing to Nassau, Bahamas, and CocoCay, RCCL's Private Island.  Leaving Monday, Feb 28th, Returning Saturday, March 5th, 2022.

Prices as of Today:

Interior Cabin for 2 People starts at $729.52 total includes taxes and port fees - everything but gratuities which is $14.00/day/person)

Ocean View Cabin for 2 People starts at $791.52 total includes taxes and port fees - everything but gratuities which is $14.00/day/person)

Balcony Cabin for 2 People starts at $1283.26 total includes taxes and port fees - everything but gratuities which is $14.00/day/person)

These fares include all your meals, so if you compare that to what you would have been paying for the Retreat, the cost may be similar. Also, we are not charging for any workshops or jamming on the cruise. We are doing limited workshops by request and private lessons as available. But we will be doing daily activities and get-togethers with everyone, starting with Tai Chi at 6:30 am with Guy on Los Lobos Deck!

Royal Caribbean has taken many steps to make the cruises “safe and protected” for us all amid the new “Keep Safe from Covid” era.

1. All ships are sailing at a reduced capacity to ensure that social distancing can be maintained when inside the ship. (You may have heard the stories of ships that have returned home with folks testing positive, but there are plenty of ships sailing that the media don’t talk about because everyone is safe and testing negative.)

2. Only vaccinated individuals with proof of vaccination will be allowed to board the ship, and a negative test is required within 48 hrs of boarding. 

3. The crew are all required to have the same vaccination and tested each time they sail.

4. They are constantly sanitizing surfaces all over the ship as well as your cabin each day, something we saw happening the last time we all sailed in 2020 (we were on one of the last ships to cruise before the pandemic)

5. Masks are required for everyone when you are moving about the ship or in any area where social distancing is not possible unless you are seated or eating or drinking. 

6. We have 2 large conference rooms where we can jam, teach, and gather until 9 pm at night without any worry about distancing. (Very large rooms)

As hosts of the Castaway Music Cruise, Bing, Jae, Guy & Sharrie have all made the decision to sail unless Royal Caribbean feels it is not safe and cancels the cruise. We have 24 people in the “Castaway Crew” who are all going, and we would love to have you join us if you can!

Call Sharrie @ 440-478-1302 for more information and booking.  We’d love to be with you all and we’ll do the Retreat as soon as we can again!