June 9th Less than one month after performing there, the band turned up again for a weekend in Arlington. Ironically, the band flew into Love Field (their first foray into the are flying on Southwest. Leah picked up the band at the airport and whisked them away to the Plaza Pub in Arlington (with a stop at her house to pick up some gear on the way). Fortunately, it was an early flight, so there was enough time to set up after arriving. The band's contact-list was still in tatters and the band was playing opposite the opening night of a major Celtic music event (just down the road, no less), so the crowd was understandably small-ish. But it was still a rip-roaring evening that flew by. Bob had arrived early in the evening, so when the band was all packed up, they road back to Chez Bob with him. The next morning, Leah arrived to pick up the band (plus Bob), and it was off (with a brief breakfast-stop at McDonald's to Maverick Stadium at the University of Texas, Arlington for the Texas Scottish Festival. It was the band's second year there, and their reception was very warm indeed. They ended up back in the Glenuig Tent sharing the stage with Hugh Morrison and Kendall Rogers, Jed Marum and Friends (including Don Gabbert), Colin Grant-Adams, and Seamus Stout. With the technical expertise of David Shaw onhand, it was one great set after another (and a lot of nice visiting). The gang got to spend a great deal of time with Hugh, Kendall, Jed, and Don, and their weekend was all the better for it. There was a good bit of conversation with Hugh regarding the band's upcoming Scotland tour, with Hugh suggesting a visit with his parents who live in Tain. There was also a similar dialogue with Ed Miller (who was performing in the Glenfinnan Tent) regarding the possibility of hooking up in Scotland, as he will be over there with one of his Songs of Scotland tours whose schedule will overlap the band's tour-schedule. Over the course of the weekend, the gang also got to hang out with Al, EJ, and Emily (from Clandestine) and rub shoulders with Brian McNeill (both of whom were also performing sets at the Glenfinnan Tent). At one point in the day (exactly 24 hours before the group's Sunday departure-time), they coordinated with Will to get on-line and check the group in for their flight… otherwise they'd have never been able to find enough overhead space for the guitar and hammered dulcimer on the jet. When the evening rolled around, Mary and Rachel headed off to the Lassies Galore! celebration which was noticeably thinner with the absence of Kathleen and Marj (from the Trinity River Whalers), so some 'support' guys were invited onstage (Al, EJ, and Mark). Then after the performance, it was off to a late dinner at TGI Friday's, and then home to Chez Bob's. The next morning, there wasn't time for the usual IHOP extravaganza, so when Leah arrived to pick up the gang, a pit-stop was made at Rock Island Donuts (the next-best thing to breakfast). Then it was back to Maverick Stadium for one more set at, a little more listening and visiting, several rounds of goodbyes and hugs, and then a nice leisurely trip back to Love Field where the band would bid adieu to Bob and Leah until August (when they return for a weekend at the 'Dallas pubs'). May 19th This past weekend found Tullamore giving their first performance for the Kearney Irish Festival, the first performance held at the Kearney Amphitheatre - Kearney's new, state-of-the-art, 4,500-person outdoor venue nestled in the picturesque hills of Jesse James Park. The festival was sponsored by First Missouri National Bank and Form-Tech. The Lucky Charms kicked off the afternoon's festivities with a long set, followed by Tullamore and Bob Reeder (who also served as master of ceremonies), with Connie Dover wrapping up the evening. It was a beautiful day, with a sky spotted with big clouds, and the temperature was unusually warm (given how mild it has been so far this season). The crowd was predictably small, what with this being the inaugural year of the festival and the inaugural performance of the new venue… but where they lacked in numbers, they made up in enthusiasm. Overall, it was a good day, everyone was happy with the turnout (patrons, performers, and sponsors alike), and the sponsors are already looking forward to next year. May 12th The crash of Mark's hard-drive (and loss of their contact-list) prevented the band from getting the word out about their quarterly visit to the DFW metroplex, but that hardly put the damper on the good times to be had. Their visit started with an atypically earlier flight than they've been accustomed to taking which got them on the ground in Irving early four hours ahead of show-time (rather than the ordinary thirty-five minutes). Leah was there to pick them up at the airport and, once all the gear and luggage was safely stowed in the van, they were off. They stopped for a nice dinner at Cracker Barrel and still made it to the Plaza Pub with a seemingly luxurious amount of set-up time. Absent the usual Tulla-gram that would give advance notice of the band's performance, the crowd was understandably smaller. But the regulars turned out and the evening was most enjoyable. The next morning started slowly. A visit to the Scarborough Renaissance Festival was the gang's original intent, where they might catch up with their performer-friends they see only occasionally. But with the play-it-by-ear, shoot-from-the-hip manner for which they are famous, they opted, instead, get some much-needed rest in and make the day a more relaxing one. After a lazy morning, they piled into Bob's SUV and headed off to the Irving Mall Cinema to see Iron Man, one of the best comic-book movies ever. Afterwards, it was over to On the Border for lunch, and then back to Chez Bob. And then it was off to the Tipperary Inn for another great night. The Tipp's regulars were out in full and were particularly responsive (especially to the news of the band's upcoming appearance at the Texas Scottish Festival). After a big evening, it was back to Bob's. But the weekend was far from over. After the trademark breakfast at IHOP, the band headed over to Dallas to appear on KNON 89.3 FM's North Texas Polka Radio which is hosted by Rachel's aunt, "Polka Jennifer" Milton. Rachel's grandmother Thea was also there, but didn't come into the studio. It was a very fun appearance, and the gang did some live performances on the air. Afterwards, goodbyes were said all around, and it was off to the airport with time to spare. But it would not be long before the band was once again in the area... May 5th If the Midwest was considered to extend as far north as Chicago and as far south as Dallas, then Tullamore's visit this past weekend to Bridgeport WV for the Scottish Festival and Celtic Gathering would mark the band's first gig outside of the region in four years. At 870 miles from Kansas City, it is easily the furthest from home the band has been (on this side of the Atlantic). It was a spectacular weekend for the band, notwithstanding the on-and-off light rain and humidity. The band flew into Pittsburgh where they were met by Mark's nephew Luke (the lead-singer for Double Shot, Pittsburgh's award-winning all-vocal band) who would be joining them for the weekend's fun. They all piled into a rental and made the two-hour drive to Bridgeport in an hour and forty-five minutes. Once there, they hooked up with Dawn, Mark's mother, who had driven out from Hagerstown MD earlier that day, and who would also be joining them for the weekend. The next morning, it was off to the City Park to kick off the entertainment on the Main Stage. Over the course of the day, the band was joined by the Canadian Celtic rock powerhouse Hunting McLeod, the Washington DC area's excellent pan-Celtic band Iona, and one of Scotland's best singing exports (now a native of Austin TX), Ed Miller. It was a great day of music, and the crowd soaked up every last note. The good times were made even better by a reunion with the Foxes - Dennis, Ellen and Kathy - who drove all the way from Cincinnati because they just don't get enough of the band out Ohio way. Between sets, there were plenty of vendors' tents to visit and plenty of food to eat. The gang had the opportunity to visit quite a bit with Ed as well as with Corey, Steve, and Alan (from Hunting McLeod). After the majority of the entertainment was done, the band, Mark's family, and the Foxes high-tailed it down the road to Applebee's for a dinner away from the crowds before returning to the High School for the evening's concert. Ed emceed the show which featured sets by all three bands, Ed, and world-renowned piper Alasdair Gillies. After the concert, it was off to Buffalo Wild Wings to wind down the evening with the company of Ed and the sound-techs. Then it was back to the hotel to crash in Iona's room and visit with Barbara, Bernard, Chuck, Jim, and Cassie for an hour or so before heading off to bed. Sunday morning, Dawn was up early and made a quick departure for Hagerstown. The band had already made their goodbyes to the Foxes the previous evening, so all that was left to do was to head off to Bob Evans for a hearty breakfast before beginning the drive back to Pittsburgh. They took advantage of the drive to listen to the Double Shot CD Luke had brought, giving it six enthusiastic thumbs up. Once back at the airport, the gang made their goodbyes to Luke to head off to their gate (leaving Luke to sit, forlorn, waiting for his mother to come pick him up). April 21st The band continued the tradition of the Rogue's Gallery Spring Hooley this past weekend with the sixth installment of the annual event. Tullamore's die-hard regulars turned out en masse for the affair along with a handful or so of new additions. The format of the gig returned to being unplugged, with the result being a much more intimate performance. The set-list made it about 2/3rds of the way around the room with only a few surprise-requests before the band took a break. During the break, there was a minor presentation by the band to the Rogues of some USMC clan badges. After some R&R, the entertainment continued, with the 'solo performance' component of the evening - Dan's bemusing request that each of the band-members do a solo performance. Mary led off with a performance of the traditional English folk-song 'A Maid in Bedlam'. Rachel followed with her rendition of the White Stripes' 'We Are Going To Be Friends'. Mark wrapped up the solo performances with Andrew Calhoun's modern folk-ballad 'My Balls', and Jim Croce's 'I Got A Name'. And then it was back to the music. The second set only lasted another hour or so, by which time the evening was over. Another half-hour of socializing followed before everyone was kicked out. Everybody's already looking forward to RGSH-VII. April 7th Tullamore returned to Norman this past weekend for another long weekend of friends, fans, and fun at the Norman Medieval Fair. There were plenty of differences between this season and the last few, beginning with the band's Thursday-evening arrival in Norman at the new Best Western, about a mile from the site... the last few years, the band had the good fortune to stay with Ron and Donna Deluca (past king and queen), but they were tied up with family business out of state. Friday morning, they arrived at Reaves Park only to find that the amount of shade had been drastically reduced due to the severe ice-storm that hit in January and destroyed about 75% of the park's trees. While the band repeated a year on the Unicorn Stage, there were plenty of new faces. Sandy Lee (Simpkin the Foole) and his sound-system had gone down to the Gryphon Stage while Dirk VanBuskirk brought his set-up over to the Unicorn. Returning to the Fair this season (and to the Unicorn) was Istanpitta, the Texas-based early-music ensemble featuring Al Cofrin, Abby Green, EJ Jones, and Michelle Levy. The two bands alternated sets with Skip Selvey (Harmless T Jester) for the majority of the weekend.Friday evening, the band (accompanied by weekend friend/roadie Roger Ruffner) joined Sandy and Mary Kay, and Skip for a long dinner (and dessert) at Applebee's before turning in for the night. Saturday brought even nicer weather than Friday, a huge crowd with a much larger percentage of adults (Friday was 'Kids Day'), and saw the arrival of the Merry Sisters and their session-in-a-tent. Ironically, it wouldn't be until Sunday that Rachel and Mark would be able to get over to their little oasis of music. It was a great day that ended with a great dinner at Misal of India with the foursome from Istanpitta, Vicki Farmer, Craig and Alicia Bamford, and a handful of the guys from the Bilge Pumps. Dinner was followed by an utterly indulgent visit to the Marble Slab Creamery (it was, after all, two doors down, so it was virtually an obligatory visit), and an odyssey to Wal-Mart. Then it was back to the Best Western for the night. Sunday's weather was both the warmest and the windiest of the weekend. The day brought a most- welcome visit from Delbert and Sherri, their son Jeremy Biggs (who was celebrating his 26th birthday), as well as Jeremy's long-lost sister Kristen (of whose existence the band had begun to doubt). Of course, the Biggs family's appearance led to all sorts of fun and games (Stretch and Bocce). It turned out to be an extraordinarily long day for the band. With their return-trip to Kansas City waiting in the wings, the gang usually gets the earlty schedule at the stage, giving them the chance to finish their last set and be on the road by 4:30. This year, that slot went to Istanpitta, who had flights to catch (of course flights trump all other requirements). So the gang was out on the site until 6:00, setting them up to leave at about 7:00 (and get back to Kansas City about 1:00 AM). Something will have to be done about that next season. March 24th Saturday evening was a landmark performance for the band as they turned in their premiere concert in the US at the magnificent Unity Temple on the Plaza. The band has performed in concert before, on a few occasions, with the Missouri Valley Folklife Society as part of their Metro Artists Concert series, but this was their first exclusive concert-appearance. Being a self-produced concert, the evening started out earlier that afternoon with the gang moving through the litany of preparations with no semblance of ease or grace whatsoever. They were able to hand off many of the preparations after arriving at Unity Temple and hooking up with a few handfuls of support-staff, including: Ian, Arielle, James, Dillon, and Martin (from the Plaza YOU, the high-school-aged youth group); Kelsey (from Rachel's violin studio); Charity, Christine, and Carmen (Mark's daughters); Kurt (Mary's husband); and Gretchen and Sean (Rachel's sister and boyfriend). The gang completed their sound-check and finished preparing for the concert (with 20 minutes to spare). About 175 people turned out for the show, including a few handfuls of out-of-towners: Dawn (Mark's mother, from Hagerstown MD); Bruce and Lupita (Mark's brother and sister-in-law, from Austin TX); Joseph and Mary (Mary's father and mother, from St Joseph MO); Bob (from Cedar Rapids IA); Becky and William Grotts (from Parsons KS); Ray and Beth (from Emporia KS); and Scott and Louise (from Maryville MO). Valerie and Mark showed up and and manned a table for MVFS. And the Plaza YOUers operated concessions during the intermission as a service-project for the Plaza Uniteens (the junior-high-school-aged youth group). Steve Denny, a close friend of the band since its inception, hosted the concert, and turned in a very gracious introduction. From the first song, the crowd was very friendly, attentive, and appreciative. And the band responded with one of their best performances ever. Kurt photographed the concert for the band. And Phyllis arranged an after-party at the Tap Room at Waldo Pizza, where at least 75 people went to hang out and visit following the show. March 18th It would be one of those understatements typical of the band to say that the long St Patrick's Day weekend was a busy one for the band. The bustle ensued as the band returned, this past Friday evening, to perform for the group that gave rise to their international touring career, the Irish American Club of Shawnee. But it wasn't to the usual stomping grounds of Old Shawnee Town… this time it was to the Shawnee Civic Center. For the fourth year running, the band had the privilege of performing for the annual mixer. As always, Damian Stack was among the honored visitors from Listowel, this time being accompanied by Seán Moriarty. Access to the room was limited to just one hour before the event began, so the music started a little on the late side. After an hour, the gang set their instruments down to have a bite to eat, and the program began, in earnest, with recognition of (and presentations for) the club officers, local dignitaries, and the visiting Listowellians. By the end of a second set, most of the crowd had packed it in. A small handful followed the evening with a visit to the Ribbon Room for a little comedy, and then over to the Court of Appeals for a nightcap. Sunday morning found the band over at Unity Temple on the Plaza, performing prelude-music for the Palm Sunday service in anticipation of this Saturday evening's concert there. From there, it was into the van and driving (like the fabled bat out of Hell) to Emerald KS to attend (as visitors this time, rather than performers) the annual fund-raiser dinner and raffle at St Patrick's Parish. When the band agreed to appear at Unity Temple, it did so knowing it would have to take a pass on the fun of the annual dinner, so they handed off the performance to Dog Tree (the humorously-named phoenix that rose from the ashes of Shenanigans), featuring Victor Dougherty, Richelle Basgall, Rachel Bowerman, and Chris Carr (and, occasionally, Tara McCullough). The gang arrived with about 30 minutes left in the dinner's agenda (and scooped up the very last of the exceptional corned beef). Much to their satisfaction, Dog Tree ran long, and the band was treated to a show as enjoyable as the meal (if not more so). The next day was The Day, and was ill-served by the weather. The chilly downpour put the damper on the band's inclination to breakfast at Browne's Market to the pleasant grooves of Dog Tree. So they took it easy in the morning before rounding themselves up and heading to Topeka to perform in the Florentine Room at the Jayhawk Tower for the Topeka's St Patrick's Day Celebration. There was only a light drizzle of rain in Topeka (compared with the stiff rainfall in Kansas City), but it was still enough to shorten the Parade, and hurry it to an early ending. Consequently, the post-Parade celebratory crowd arrived at the Jayhawk Tower early, and the band kicked off their first set ahead of time. After an hour or so, the band took a break. Hot on their heels were the Pipers of the Plains, Topeka's own pipe and drum band. After a thunderous set from the band, they turned the show over to the O'Shea Sisters, the young and lovely duo from Lawrence whose music could best be described as "cowboy meets Celtic". After a generous half-hour from them, Tullamore took over the show for their second set. From there, the band packed up and high-tailed it to O'Malley's Pub, where the band joined the likes of Bob Reeder, Ellis Island, Flannigan's Right Hook, Connacht Town, and , whom Mike and Corey had rounded up to provide music for the Pub's big St Patrick's Day bash. The band took the stage in the upper cellar at 8:00, and played until midnight (with one break). With St Patrick's Day being on a Monday, there weren't as many no-holds-barred partiers as there were the previous year (when it was on a Saturday, and the Pub was a madhouse). The pub was still nearly-overflowing, but the crowds were very focused on the music and having a great time (rather than merely getting hammered). Kudos to all the regulars who attended - Gene, Dale, Marion and Diane, Phyllis and Wendy, Damian and Seán, Fred and Linda - they all helped to make it a great evening. March 10th This past Saturday evening found the band returning, once again, to NKC's St Patrick's Parish for their annual Irish Fest. This year saw a new line-up of Jody Watson opening the evening with some rousing bagpiping, then a set by Tullamore, some ceilidh-dancing by the Clanna Eireanne Irish Dancers, a set by the new kids on the block - the Shortleaf Band (who get two thumbs up for having ratcheted up the quality of their show by an order of magnitude over the last few months, and a closing set by Tullamore. As always, the corned beef and cabbage dinner was excellent and the atmosphere of the festival was boisterous and fun-filled. And as always, sound-guru Lane Turner was there to make everyone sound perfect. Kudos to regulars Scott and Louise Garten, and Charles and Kristine Shumway, who brightened the band's evening with their presence. March 3rd The first milestone of Tullamore's twelfth season came in the form of their debut appearance, this past weekend, at the North Texas Irish Festival, the largest Irish festival in the Southwest. The band had a set each of three days the Festival ran, and had the pleasure of sharing a couple of stages with Festival headliners Ed Miller (with John Taylor and Rich Brotherton) and Seamus Kennedy, and regional favorites Shift, Beyond the Pale, Jigsaw, Bounds Street, the Trinity River Whalers, Amberhawke, Spriggan, Behan, the Irish Rogues, and Jim Flanagan. It was a beautiful weekend, by and large, and the Festival set record attendance. The weekend started out with an early-afternoon flight DFW, where the band was picked up by Leah and Bob. The duo ordinarily serves as chauffeur and host to the band when they visit the area. This weekend, however, the band would be staying at the Radisson Dallas and commuting by way of shuttle. So Leah made do with just hanging out. The first stop was at the Radisson to check in and drop off luggage, and then over to Fair Park. John Hebley picked up the band and whisked them over to the instrument check-in, where they unloaded their instruments and gear and set off to wandering about the Festival. After some "window-shopping" and a lot of catching-up, the gang grabbed their instruments and gear and headed off to the Star & Harp Pub Stage to tune and set-up for their 9:30 (PM) set, and catch as much as they could of Beyond the Pale. The band took the stage shortly after 9:00 and had a leisurely sound-check courtesy of the very-capable sound-tech, Dustin. The crowd was surprisingly large (considering that the band was playing opposite the Scottish headliner Battlefield Band), as was their response. At the end of the hour-long set, the band visited with a couple handfuls of folks who stayed around to meet them. Their visits were so long, in fact, that they ended up getting the bum's rush out of Fair Park by the security personnel (who wanted to go home). It was back to the Radisson, courtesy of Leah and Bob, who dropped the gang off and headed home. There were no sessions Friday night, so the band had a very-late dinner at Vanessa's while visiting with Bob Hayes (with whom they would hang out on-and-off over the course of the weekend). Then it was off to their Sleep-Number beds (ahhhh). The next morning saw breakfast with Kathleen and Richard Jackson (from the Trinity River Whalers) at the German-styled Black Forest Café and Bakery. It was an Epicurean delight, one that warranted a nap from Mary once they all returned to the hotel. Rachel and Mark went on to the Festival, and did a lot of visiting, listening and shopping. The late set-time (7:00 PM) allowed Mary to get a nice nap in before heading over to the Park and catching up. The band followed an exceptional set by Seamus Kennedy on the In The Tradition Stage where, once again, the crowd was far bigger than expected. It was this set that was attended by several handfuls of friends that Mary and Mark had made while performing at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival, and the reunions afterwards (some of months, some of years) were ample and heartening. After the evening was over, it was back to the hotel, and then out on the town with Richard for another late dinner at Café Brazil. After dinner, it was back to the hotel to wander around and visit with the fifty-or-so folks in the bar or sit in on one of the six sessions in the hallways or meeting-rooms before heading up to one of the party-rooms on the ninth floor for yet another session. Mark peeled himself away at about 2:00 AM, and the girls followed about forty-five minutes later. The next morning was, understandably, a slightly later one. The gang went out to a nearby Panera's for breakfast with Richard. Once back to the hotel, Mark headed off to the Festival fairly quickly (having packed prior to breakfast), leaving the girls to finish their packing, check out, and head out to the Park one or two shuttles later. While the weather had gone overcast and breezy and the temperature dropped 10°, it was still very pleasant. This would be the day for finalizing purchases and making sure all the bands the gang wanted to listen to had been gotten to. The band went on at 4:00 (PM) back on the Star & Harp Pub Stage, following a kicking set by Beyond the Pale. Yet again, the response from the audience was incredibly enthusiastic (the band has been spoiled by this Festival). Afterwards, there was a meal at the Hospitality Room, some loose-end visits and purchases, about 30 minutes of the Whalers' last set, about 45 minutes of Altan's surprise-visit set, and then it was off to the airport with Leah and Bob. It was an incredible weekend overall, and the gang counted themselves lucky to have connected (or reconnected) with every friend, fan, and fellow-performer there. This entry has been fairly devoid of names, but only because they are too numerous to list (and remember). Suffice it to say that from Adam to Wahid (they didn't meet anyone whose names began with X, Y, or Z), the list of friendly faces would look more like the credits for the Lord of the Rings. You all know who you are. Thanks for a great weekend! Epilogue: After goodbyes at the airport were said, the remainder of the trip turned into what could only be described as an episode of a poorly-written, one-dimensional sitcom… the plane (on its incoming flight) was delayed a half-hour; it sat on the tarmac, after being boarded, another 15 minutes before taking off; the travelers waited at the luggage carousel at KCI for another 15 minutes; and the gang waited for the Blue Bus to economy parking another 15 minutes. By the time Rachel and Mark made it home, it was 2:45 (AM). February 11th Tullamore'sfirst weekend of the year at O'Malley's Pub could hardly have gone better. The February weather was cold but hardly interfered with the prospect of being out. The band returned to using the in-ear monitors rather than Mike's new EV wedges, and (to be honest) it truly helped with tailoring the mains for a better sound. The Friday crowd was a little on the thin side until about 8:30 when things began picking up. The band played until about 10:00, and a good number of folks went home during the break. The crowd that remained was an attentive one, and the rest of the night was enjoyable. Regulars included Jason; Lloyd; Gene; and Scott and Louise. Kurt showed up fairly late in the evening and was pursuaded to take Mary home with him. Saturday was (predicatbly) a much bigger night from the word go. There was already a crowd of friendlies there by the time the band arrived (including Dan and Norma; Pat and Carol; Mike; Ray and Beth; and Carl, Cindy, and Clay (formerly one of Rachel's violin students and his folks). The night started big and just got bigger. The band played an extra-long first set (until about 10:30), and the pub was still fairly busy when the band wrapped up the night. Friendly faces also included Marion and Diane; Mike and Tammy; Mike and Gayla; and Larry. New faces included JoAnne; Gunther (Saturday's birthday boy); Sarah and friends; and Adam, Steve, and the rest of the Lincoln crowd. Tullamore's next appearance at O'Malley's will be as one of the four bands in their St Patrick's Day gala that will include Flannigan's Right Hook, Ellis Island, and Connacht Town. February 4th This past weekend saw the band's first visit to Dallas of the season, and it was nearly perfect. The gang arrived at DFW a bit late and hit the ground running. Leah was ready with the van, and they were off as soon as all of the gear came off the carousel. A hurried drive and a stop at Taco Bell got the band to the Plaza Pub with about 25 minutes to spare before having to start. Of course, there was no way that they were going to make the 8:00 pm start (mental note - Plaza Pub gigs should run from 8:30 to 12:30), so they set up as quick as possible and launched into song. The crowd was downright huge in comparison to the crowd that was there in November, bigger than one would've thought possible. Familiar faces included Ed, Devin, and Kyle; Bob; Rickey and Charles; Craig, Terrie, and Sahara Rose; Marita Beth, Leah and Jay, and Tony (who brought Madeline Mary and another two handfuls of folks). New faces included Ron, Joanne, and Patrick; Mark; Bill; Mike; Robert; and Shannon. We told you it was a big crowd. Saturday started out with a nice, healthy dose of sleeping in, which was followed by an episode of The Soup. After a little more channel-surfing, everybody got themselves put together and it was off for an early lunch at the Olive Garden with the Tharps and the Austin Claveys (Bruce and Lupita) who drove up to see the band that evening. A lazy afternoon nap followed lunch, and then everybody piled into the car to head over to the Tipperary Inn for what turned out to be the best night the band has had there. The regulars included Thea, Kathy and Jim, Jenny, Peter, and Christopher and Erin (Rachel's Texas folks); Bruce and Lupita; Bill and Wendy; Leah, Will, Robert, Josie, and Kay-Lee; Bob; Charles, Rickey, and Misty; Joe, Steve, Dave, and Michelle; Eric and Deirdre; Patrick and Beth; Charlotte, Donna, and Jim; and Becky and Stuart. New faces included Lloyd, Sarah, and Tanzie; Cody, Mary, and Judy; and Pierre. And Jaime and Christy did an incredible job taking care of the band and the crowd. With an atypical Sunday afternoon departure, everybody got to sleep in again before marshalling for the customary IHOP farewell-breakfast (which included Mark). Then it was off to the airport with Leah. Truth be told, the Dallas audiences are incredibly friendly and accessible... they are why we look forward to our quarterly appearances there with such great anticipation. January 21st After having been away from the gala for a couple years, Tullamore returned to Tulsa this past Saturday as the featured entertainment for the Robert Burns Supper. The annual black-tie event for the Scottish Club of Tulsa, it was the band's inaugural performance of their twelfth season. Held at the fashionable Radisson Hotel Tulsa, the dinner featured a moving presentation on the 1917 Battle of Passchendaele, a tribute to the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns, some toasts to the lads, the lasses, Scotland, and the USA, piping by the City of Tulsa Pipes and Drums, lots of dancing under the direction of Nicki Phillips, and all the whiskey and haggis you could want. The gang had the pleasure of sharing a table with long-time friends Roger Ruffner, and Christopher Merle and Melissa Tatum (who was awarded the Silver Thistle, a service award for outstanding contributions to the Club). Also seated at the table were Jerry and Debbie Bryan and Richard and Tammy Hoar. An after-party followed, which managed to get chased out of the party room that the Club had booked on account of being too loud (hello... it's a party room...), and winding up in the same ballroom where the Supper was held. It was a truly enjoyable evening, a most welcome return to Tulsa, and a great way to kick off the season.