Audrey Hash Dulcimer

Around 1985, I bought my second dulcimer when I attended the Ferrum Folklife Festival in Ferrum, Virginia. I fell in love with a beautiful wormy chestnut dulcimer. The fact that it was made of chestnut made it even more special to me since I had grown up hearing many stories from my grandpa about the grand chestnut trees that were killed by the blight.

 

Audrey Hash--Ferrum Folklife Festival--circa 1985

The builder of the dulcimer that I purchased was Audrey Hash Ham. She was born in 1949 in Ashe County, North Carolina to Albert Lee Hash and Ethel Spencer Hash. Audrey learned to make instruments from her father, Albert Hash, a renown fiddle maker. She made her first dulcimer around 1966 and continued making them for years. She went on to make fiddles as well. Audrey died on August 2, 2013 at her home in Ashe County. 

 

The Hash dulcimer that I purchased does not have a number or year in it. The tag inside says: "Handmade by Audrey Hash Miller, Mouth of Wilson, VA 24363. I purchased it around 1985 and it was new.

 

You can view an interview with Audrey and hear her singing here and here.

Monroe Burrage Dulcimer

Back in the early 2000s, I purchased this dulcimer at a little gift shop, “The Wormy Chestnut” located just off of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Floyd, Virginia. At that time, I already owned two other dulcimer since the 1980s, but I did not play very often. This new instrument had a very sweet sound and it revived my love of dulcimer playing. I realized that it was a superior instrument when compared with the other two that I owned.

The craftsmanship is gorgeous and the sound is wonderful. It is one of my favorite dulcimers. 

The label inside the dulcimer shows that it was built by “Monroe Burrage, 2631 Harvard Ave., Durham, NC 27703 on May 18, 1999.” It is instrument #186.

Is anyone familiar with this builder? I would love to learn more about him and see other instruments that he built.

New Dulcimer and a Renewed Interest 

For Christmas in 2022, my husband surprised me with a dulcimer built by Jack Ferguson. This beauty is made of cherry. 

I have know Jack for many years and together we formed the Roanoke Valley Dulcimers group around 2014. Life and work got in the way of my dulcimer playing and I basically quit playing for years. That new dulcimer ignited my interest again. Since December 2022, I have been playing on a regular basis, both with the Roanoke Valley Dulcimers and the Blue Ridge Dulcimer Ensemble. Fairly recently, I was asked to join the Star City Dulcimer Quartet when one of their members moved to another state. 

My next post will hopefully answer the questions "How many dulcimers DO I actually own?" I truly do not know. So, I intend to have photos and descriptions of the dulcimers coming soon!

Be Careful

I can still remember my grandma talking about the Spanish flu and how terrible it was. She was fifteen years old then, but she was plenty old enough to understand what was happening. When she would mention the flu, she would generally just mention something about so-and-so died or their children or parents died because of the flu. She never talked about fear. I have to wonder if that was because Floyd County, Virginia was not that densely populated at the time and they lived on a farm. Unlike today, it wasn't like they were living on top of each other or had to rely on stores for just about everything that they needed.

Over the years, I have given thought to what would happen if there was an epidemic of some sort and how I would handle it now that I am a city-dweller. Overall, I feel pretty prepared for COVID-19 or the Coronavirus. If I could, I would stay at home and not go anywhere until this thing has played out. Unfortunately, that is not possible because my employer is still requiring us to come into work each day. Even though we are officially closed to the public, we are still going to have a drive-thru window open. In addition, I know that I have been as careful as I possibly can be, but what about my co-workers? Have they taken every precaution possible? Will I be exposed to this virus because of someone not being careful? As someone with underlying health conditions (a comprised immune system thanks to having Lyme Disease and also being an asthma sufferer) that makes this pretty dangerous for me.  I will admit that I am pretty well terrified.

Be careful out there and take every precaution possible.

Bourbon Balls

3 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers (about 1 box or 75 cookies)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (about 4 ounces)

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 cup bourbon (or your favorite liquor)

1/4 cup light corn syrup

Powdered or granulated sugar

Mix crushed wafers, powdered sugar, nuts, and cocoa. Stir in bourbon and corn syrup. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar. Refrigerate in tightly covered containers several days before serving. Makes about 60 servings. 

NOTES

• When I make this recipe, I generally use pecans rather than walnuts, but they are both tasty. 
• I have made this recipe many different ways over the years. Simply substitute your favorite liquor for the bourbon. I have used whiskey, bourbon, Jim Beam Red Stag Dark Cherry bourbon, cinnamon whiskey, dark rum, pineapple rum and other flavored rums, creme de menthe, Grand Marnier, butterscotch schnapps, orange cream rum, etc.  You get the idea!  😀
• I have never rolled the balls in granulated sugar. I always use powdered sugar, but I’m sure both are good. 
• I have been using this recipe for 16 years and it is just awesome.