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Welcome to Sharon's NEW Blog!
Click on a date to read the latest news from Sharon's
BLOG! 4/19/2010 - Sorry, it's been a while since I've updated. Other than the snow storms; we had a pretty good winter. Vanessa, Roger and I spent most of February in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. We had several good shows down there...that along with the warmer weather has convinced us to go back again next year. I've recently moved my office from our home to World Famous Headquarters in Lyons NE. What is World Famous Headquarters? Dave Elifrits and I bought a building in Lyons. World Famous Headquarters includes the Traditional Country Music & Dance Association, the production of the Wahoo Country Music Festival, World Famous Records label/studio/marketing and World Famous Booking Agency. Vanessa, Roger, Jerry Neeman and I will go back to Sandstone, MN this weekend to perform on Midwest Country Theater again. Jerry Neeman is putting the finishing touches on a new CD to hopefully be released by our Wahoo festival. Hope to see you all there! - Sharon 8/24/2009 - Well, it's been a busy summer and I've been out of touch with all of you. Sorry about that. On the 15th of August, Roger, Vanessa and I went to the RFD-TV famous Midwest Country Theater in Sandstone, MN. They taped the show and we're hoping to get an air date yet this fall. Make sure to check back often and soon for announcements about that. The Wahoo Country Music Show for this year seems like a distant memory already, but what a great time we had again this year. Thanks to all of you who came to support LIVE Traditional Country Music and Dance! We couldn't do it without your support and we need you all to come back next year in introduce a few of your friends to our musical family. I need to get some product information updated on this website, so check that out when you have a minute and keep watching the home page for news about the Midwest Country Theater on RFD-TV. Bye for now - Sharon 6/1/2009 - My how quickly the time passes these days. We're getting geared up for the show and we're busy doing all the last minute promotions. I hope you'll help by getting copies of the flyer out to your friends or just telling them to come the web-site. I don't have a lot of time here, but just wanted to let you know we're looking forward to seeing you very soon in WAHOO! - Sharon 5/11/2009 - Howdee! It's still a crazy busy time at our house these days. Roger and I spent the weekend at my sister's in York and thankfully her and several of her friends helped me stuff the 2000+ envelopes that need to be in the mail by next week. That's a big job and right now my dining room table is piled high with all this paperwork. It still needs more of my attention, but I'm working on it every day and hope to get it out of my house by early next week. Roger's been busy working on things outside. He's been converting an old electric golf cart into a gas burner and that has been a challenge for him. He's working out a few of the bugs and hopefully we'll have wheels by Wahoo. He's got lots of projects just like that around here that need his attention, so having him off the road is a big help. It was a little sad for me on Mother's Day this year, the first since my mom passed away last fall. Even though I miss her every day, on Mother's Day it hit hard. So, a few tears still come to the surface now and then as we all continue to be saddened by our loss. Even though we know she's much better off and no longer suffering, it's still very difficult sometimes. Well, I just wanted to say a quick howdee while I had a minute. I have a ton of things that need updating on the site. I should look into a couple of them. I use MicroSoft FrontPage software to build my site and it's not the best option. I guess I'm going to have to acquire a different program to get caught up with the rest of the high tech world. Not all servers are compatible with the program I have and that makes for some challenges when it comes to managing the content of my site. I'm not trying to make excuses, just letting you know that it's not always my fault things don't get updated like they should. I've been trying to do a better job, but time will tell how well I do at that. Gotta run - Sharon 5/7/09 - Hi there friends. Thanks for checking in! I'm just finishing up the 2nd Quarter newsletter for the Traditional Country Music & Dance Association. It will go out in the mail tomorrow. I'm always glad to have that project off the top of my priority list, especially this time of year when I have so many other things going on. After I finish getting them printed, sealed, labeled and stamped I'll move on to the Wahoo Country Music Show stage schedules, volunteer schedules and all those details. That's always a big job. I'm going to pick up my final flyers from Tyler Graphics in Wahoo on Friday and over the weekend I'll be busy stuffing envelopes and preparing for the bulk mailing that goes out to over 2,000 people as soon as I get that all put together. So, that to is a big job and one I'm always glad to get completed. After that I stay busy just working on the advertising and promotions that I try to do every year a few weeks ahead of the show. After 12 years of organizing this event everything seems to have a groove to it so it's much easier than it was when I first started, but as we continue to grow it becomes more complex. We'll see how it goes the next couple of weeks. Make sure to send me your mailing address if you're not already on our mailing list. Roger's been busy working on his project golf cart these last few days. We have two golf carts, neither of them were running when we got them, but the price was right - FREE. Luckily, if anyone can make them run, it's Roger, so with any luck we'll have our own set of wheels for the show this year and hopefully the John Deere Gator donated from Platte Valley Equipment and the Hilltop Country Club usually donates a couple Club Cars for us to. They are life-savers as there is a lot of ground to cover in the week that we're at the show. So, anyway, hopefully Roger will have all the bugs out of at least one of his golf cart projects before the show, and if things go really well, maybe he'll get them both running! YEAH! We're planning to go to my sister's (Janice in York, NE) this weekend for a short visit. Roger has a Cub Cadet garden tractor fixed up for them and they needed something bigger to mow their acreage with, so it will be a nice tractor for them. We'll be delivering that so it's a good reason to go visit. It's been a while since we've been there and we always have a good time. We just don't get together often enough. Janice broke her ankle on April 1st. First thing that morning she missed the last step in their house and twisted her ankle and sure enough broke it. So, she's still in a cast and on crutches and has been hurting with that for six weeks now. She'll get her cast off very soon. Today I got a senior picture and graduation announcement from one of my nieces, Clare Harre from Wichita, KS. She's the third of six (all girls) to graduate in "MY OTHER BROTHER" Darrell's family. Just like the rest of her sisters, she's beautiful in the Senior pictures. Makes me wonder how my brother ended up with such pretty girls. I think they got it from their mother, Therese! HA! Anyway, you've likely seen a whole pack of my nieces and nephews at the Wahoo show and may not have realized who they were. Most of them are able to make it every year and as I think back to the first festival, they were all tiny, now they are grown and graduating. Hard to believe! In a sense they grew up spending time with their cousins in Wahoo and that's very special to me. They may not have had opportunities to spend that much time together otherwise. Well, I've rambled on long enough. My printer is needing some attention and I have more newsletters to fold so I'd better get back to work. I'll be in touch when I have a minute. Thanks for keeping up with the Kenaston clan and I'll be seeing you all soon in WAAAAHOOOO! 5/2/2009 - I'm back! I've been away from updates for a while because one of my computers has been down for the count. Thankfully today I am back up and running again and boy do I have much to do to get caught up. Not only was I down to my old faithful computer, but my network was down and I couldn't access my printers. So, I'm behind schedule with the 2nd Quarter TCMDA newsletter, but rest assured, I'm working on it now and should have it out very soon. Along with May comes getting the schedules all ready for Wahoo and a giant bulk mailing that will need to get in the mail in the next couple weeks. I'm hoping things will go together quickly now as June 25 - 28 will be here before I know it and of course I have to be somewhat organized by then, at least I'd prefer it that way, but it rarely happens. We've been working on our new CD. It's going to be a really nice project and I'm still hoping we can get it in our hands by Memorial Day Weekend's big 41st Annual Country & Western Fiddler's Jamboree at the Kenaston's hometown of Springview, NE. If we don't have it then, it will be here before Wahoo for sure. Watch for a great sounding new CD from Mike Behnk that we're also working together on. It's our first attempt at being producers, so we're excited about it and I think Mike's fans are going to be really happy with. At least we hope so. I'm glad to be back in working condition. Now there are no excuses for me not getting things done around here. I'll be in touch again soon and we'll be seeing you all in a few more weeks in Wahoo! Bye for now! Sharon 4/13/2009 - This is where you can check to see just what's going on at my house. I've been wanting to give these updates for a long time, but now that the rest of the world is blogging, I thought it might be time for me to join in. I hope to give updates as my time allows and this time of year might be difficult since it's so close to the festival, but check back often to see what's going on in our personal life and keep updated on the latest news with the Traditional Country Music & Dance Association, Wahoo Country Music Show, Green River Band, Kenaston Family Band, and everything else. So, here's the latest to get everyone caught up this year. The entertainment directory from the Traditional Country Music & Dance Association is on it's way to our subscribers. To learn more about that, give me a call or read some info about it on this website. We've been working on a new CD called Generations II which I'm proud to say will feature four generations of Kenastons. How cool is that? I'm so proud that everyone participated in the project and it's going to be the best yet from our family. Here's the host of talent in our family tree. Of course Bob & Arvilla are at the top of the family tree and we featured them on the album. Their kids, Roger and Vanessa did their part to. I even got to help. Both of Roger's kids, Bobbi Jo and Marty are on this project. Bobbi Jo, who's no stranger to the music scene, sang a lot of harmony, played a little bass and took the lead on two of my favorite songs on the CD. Her husband, Scott, is the producer on the album and absolutely amazed all of us with how quickly he learned how to use the recording equipment and train his ear to hear things he's never had to think about before. Marty, who I have only seen sing in front of an audience one time, and who secretly has an incredible voice, sang one tune, did a fine job, despite being terrified. You're going to love his version of 18 Wheels Hummin' Home Sweet Home. On to Vanessa's family, her oldest, Clifford, sang the Johnny Cash tune, Get Rhythm, on this project. It's been years since he sang in the junior competitions at various festivals and we were so glad he was willing to do his part on this family project. Again he did a fantastic job, demonstrating his voice is very nice even though he's not likely to let anyone hear it anytime soon except for on the new CD. Vanessa's other boy, Jesse, helped his mom sing a great version of Family Bible and it makes me cry to hear how sweet and appropriate the arrangement is on this tune. Jesse did a great job and I expect we'll be seeing and hearing a lot more music from him as he's only eleven years old. Jesse also helped all Roger and I's grandkids sing This Little Light Of Mine and that's where we get to the fourth generation of Kenaston family talent. That tune features Bobbi & Scott's kids, Shelbi and Shelden, (Stetsen (18 months) was there to) Marty's boys, Deven and Ashton and Vanessa's boy Jesse. So, I'm looking forward to getting that project completed and available I hope by Memorial Day weekend. It's really going to be a great CD and something our family is really proud of. We've also started to expand our horizons a little and now are booking recording projects for some of our friends. We're almost finished with a new project from Mike Behnk of Greeley, NE. Mike's a great classic country singer and his new CD is going to be really good. It's his first project and I'm just so impressed with how well Mike sings. He's been hiding behind the scenes a lot, but he's going to be stepping more into the spotlight once people get a hold of this new CD. It should be available by Wahoo. We have several other people who want us to help get some recording done, so look for CD's from some new and some familiar faces coming soon from the Kenaston Music Production Facility. If you know anyone who'd like to make a recording, have them contact me. Maybe we can help, or suggest another place if it's out of our league. We're still adjusting to having Roger home every night for supper. He's working for the neighbor and he really likes it. His boss is a super nice guy and Roger's happy to be 3/4 a mile from work. It's going to be busy for him in the coming weeks as they get ready to plant their crops. I've just been busy here doing what needs to be done. I did work for a month in a temporary position to help out a company in Fremont. It put me behind schedule, but the paycheck was nice and every little bit helps. There are a ton of other things going on. I've got a newsletter due out for the association very soon. I'll be busy working on that in the coming days along with the Wahoo show and tons of other projects I have that need attention. So, I'll close for now. Check back again soon to see what we've been up to. Take care - Bye for now! Sharon
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