An organ rally hosted by the Heart of America chapter of AMICA was held
September 11-13 at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson.  Members from
ten states attended the rally, bringing with them a variety of band and
hand-cranked organs in all shapes and sizes.  Leonard and Billie
Railsback of Hutchinson coordinated the event and did a superb job!

After a Friday evening get-together hosted by the Railsbacks, the rally
itself began on a hot and sticky Saturday at the fair.  The organs were
situated throughout the fairgrounds, and the sounds of their music
could be heard wherever fairgoers went.

The instruments attracted people's attention in various ways.  Some
people stopped and listened to the music, while others came up,
inspected the organs, and asked questions.  Even those who walked by
without stopping kept their eyes fixated on the melody-making
instruments.  Children especially enjoyed the organs.  Some were afraid
at first, but then, almost always became intrigued by the strange
music-making boxes.  Kudos to the AMICA'ns for their special efforts
with children!  I have some wonderful photos that attest to that.

Several participants traveled a long distance to attend the rally.
Special guests John and Jan Hamm from Australia (home of the 2001 AMICA
convention) were welcomed by chapter members.  I also enjoyed meeting
fellow MMD'er Angelo Rulli for the first time after more than two years
of "knowing" each other by Internet.  It good to put a face with a name.

On Saturday evening, the business meeting for the Heart of America
chapter was held at the fairgrounds.  A presentation by Ron Bopp on
"Eugene deKleist, The Forefather of The American Band Organ Industry"
followed the business portion of the meeting.

The organ rally continued on Sunday.  More than 110,000 people attended
the fair during the two days that the rally was held, enabling a large
number of people to be exposed to the "happiest music on earth."

Special thanks goes to Len and Billie Railsback for coordinating the
rally, and for being such wonderful hosts.  Thanks also goes to Galen
and Linda Bird, who twisted my arm and convinced me I should go to the
rally; to Cynthia and Gary Craig who showed me how to operate their
organs and even trusted me alone with the machines!  Also, to Ron Bopp
for his funny stories, and to my chauffeur ;-) MMD lurker Rick "How do
I get out of the Wal-Mart parking lot?" McDowell.  (BTW, I still
haven't received my "A" check in the mail, Rick ;-) ).

Finally, thanks to everyone who attended the rally and made the weekend
so much fun!

Joyce Brite
Player Piano and Mechanical Music Exchange       Buy * Sell * Trade
http://mmd.foxtail.com/Exchange/                 (785) 565-0268