The Banjo Man performs lively and engaging folk, bluegrass and original music for all audiences including kids and seniors. I am available for occasions such as concerts, community festivals and children's parties.

Check out the new songs (for general audiences, not necessarily kids) on my MySpace Page - 'Sugarloaf Mountain' and 'Mandolin Mama': www.myspace.com/banjomanfrankcassel. Studio versions of these songs with the whole band are developing nicely.

Thanks for the many great comments about the 'Web Sites and Activities' section below 'Performances'. Let me know your thoughts about sites you visit.

JULY PERFORMANCES

Saturday, July 17 - 1-2 PM - Classy Kids Consignment Fun Fair - the event goes from 10 AM-3 PM - Prince William County Fairgrounds, Manassas VA, 10624 Dumfries Road Manassas, VA 20112 - Contact Robin Blevins: 571-437-4886.

NEW VENUE IN SILVER SPRING - GREAT KIDS VILLAGE - This is located at the old MAYORGA location at 8040 Georgia Avenue. It is a great play space for kids. I perform on Mondays at 10:30 AM beginning this coming Monday, July 19th. Admission is $7 per person 'ages 2-200'. For that price, kids also get to stay and play after the show. Moorenko's is right next door. They have great ice cream, coffee, etc. Great Kids just opened at the new location in June, and are in the process of updating the web site, so for now, if you have questions call the Columbia location at 301-309 - 2FUN, or contact me.

SILVER DINER, ROCKVILLE, MD - Because of your many requests I am back to twice or more per month at the Silver Diner, on the first, third and fifth Tuesdays of the month from 6-8PM for Kids Night. Next Banjo Man kids show at the Silver Diner: Tuesday, July 20. Every Tuesday from 5 to 8PM there is free face painting or arts and crafts, and kids get a free milk shake. (On Tuesdays when I am not performing there is a magician). The Silver Diner is located at 11806 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The phone number is 301-770-2828 and the web site is www.silverdiner.com. The email address is rockville@silverdiner.com.

LEBANESE TAVERNA ARLINGTON – Performance for young children the first Wednesday of the month - 10:00 AM – FREE – 5900 Washington Blvd, Arlington, VA 22205 – 703-241-8681

LEBANESE TAVERNA BETHESDA - Performances for young children, the fourth Tuesday of the month - 10:30AM - FREE - 7141 Arlington Road, Bethesda, MD 20814 - 301-951-8681 - www.lebanesetaverna.com.

JAMMIN' JAVA SHOW CONTINUES! Thanks to a very positive response, the Banjo Man show for young children at Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA continues every Friday at 10:30AM. Kids and their parents are having a great time. There is a $5 Admission. Jammin' Java is located at 227 Maple Ave. East in Vienna, VA. The phone number is 703-255-1566 and the web site is www.jamminjava.com. Jammin' Java also has great acoustic music in the evenings, space for special events, instrument lessons, and more.

I am looking forward to performances at preschools, senior centers and private parties not listed here because they are not open to the public as far as I know. If you want me to include your event (August and forward) on my list, please let me know.)

I am available to perform at concerts, community festivals, special events and parties, including children's parties. I teach 5-string banjo and guitar.

The Banjo Man CD for kids and/or banjo lovers has been a great success. Copies are available from me for $15.00. I usually have them at performances, or just reply to this e-mail and let me know if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Listen to samples on my web site, or Myspace page noted at the top of this newsletter.

ACTIVITIES AND WEB SITES OF INTEREST TO PARENTS AND/OR ARTISTS

Boogie Babes produces concerts for toddlers at Sova Espresso and other locations in NW DC. I performed there on March 24 and April 28 of this year. We had a great time. Their web site is: www.boogiebabes.com, and email: dcboogiebabes@gmail.com.

Banjo Bunny - My good friend, Susan Preston, has a great e-card web site: www.banjobunny.com. This site is a lot of fun, and well worth a few minutes checking it out. I signed up, and send these cards to my friends.

Geff King does a great job on the design and maintenance of my web page (www.banjomanfc.com). He plays guitar and sings (really well) in my band, Mountain Fever, and plays bass with Karen Collins. He wrote a song recorded on the new Karen Collins CD that got a great review in the Washington Post - 'Forgive My Heart for Breaking' is the name of the song Geff wrote. The CD is 'Tail Light Blues' by Karen Collins' Backroads Band, and is well worth a listen. Check it out at www.cdbaby.com/cd/karencollins2 - Contact Geff at www.unidentifiedbassplayer.org.

Mary Cliff's wonderful radio show, Traditions is the longest running show in DC. Saturdays: 2-6 PM on WAMU 88.5 HD Channel 2 in the Washington, DC area, streaming worldwide on www.bluegrasscountry.org, and (completely different) 11 PM Saturday to 1 am Sunday on WAMU 88.5 in the greater Washington area, streaming worldwide on www.wamu.org. Mary, many thanks for all the years of supporting folk music, and the music folk of the area, the nation, and the world!

Many thanks to Lissy Rosemont for setting up my Myspace Music page. Check out her band at: www.juniorleagueband.com. Their new CD got a very good review in the Washington Post. I saw them recently at the 9:30 club, and they were great, as is the new CD – I got a copy at the show and listened in the car on the way home. It is excellent.

www.GoCityKids.com is a great web site for checking out children's activities.

Storytelling in Kensington - Ellouise Schoettler hosts a storytelling event the first Wed. of every month at 7:30 PM in the Kensington Row Book Shop, 3786 Howard Ave./Kensington, MD 20895. For more info contact her email: Ellouise9112@aol.com.

Andy's Parties offers full service birthday parties in DC, Maryland and Virginia - they provide everything to create a great party, and have a variety of themes available including, of course, the Banjo Man. I highly recommend them. The web site is: www.andysparties.com.

Noodles and Noggins of Clifton, VA offers 'Creative Play & Things for Kids'. They carry great stuff. The store is well worth a visit, and I believe there is also a mail order catalog available. For more information, please call 703-815-8600 or e-mail Jacquie at jacquie@noodlesandnoggins.com. Let her know you heard about the store from the Banjo Man web site: www.noodlesandnoggins.com.

www.dc-baby.com is a very valuable web site for parents of young children. The book, DC Baby, is a great resource, and got a very good review from Washington Parent magazine. The book is available through the above web site. The web site also has informative news of interest to local parents and an extensive list of very useful links.

Check out a very informative web site: www.our-kids.com. They are a local guide listing activities and resources for families. In addition, they offer a weekly newsletter which has a calendar of events, local theater performances, promotions and more that's useful for families.

The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County provides valuable services including a newsletter for artists in the County, grants and employment opportunities. They also have a great calendar of events. Their website is: http://www.creativemoco.com.

My favorite bluegrass band, Bob Perilla and Big Hillbilly Bluegrass plays a lot in the DC area. If you like bluegrass music, or if you think you might, you should go see them. Their web site is: www.bighillbillybluegrass.com

The DC Bluegrass Union has a site that is an indispensable resource for those interested in the local bluegrass scene. The web site is: www.dcbu.org.

The Washington Area Music Association provides many benefits to local musicians. They have been a great help to many of us over the years. Help keep our local music scene strong! http://www.wamadc.com

E-Mail address: banjomanfc@aol.com

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