Hi, MMDers!  On the Third of July, I did the Stone Mountain, Georgia,
Fourth of July Parade.  After the parade, as I was taking off the flag
decorations, and old man came up to talk to me about the calliope.  He
said he had owned one of the originals in the 1930s.  We were talking
about rolls for the instrument and he commented that there were rolls
for other instruments that would play on the calliope and perhaps even
better than the ones I have.  I have 33 ten-tune "A" rolls but in a
parade I play from the keyboard.  I always keep a roll in place,
just-in-case.

The gentleman said he thought that the rolls were actually Wurlitzer
organ rolls, but did not remember exactly.  Is this true?  If so, it
would make much more music available.  Please post any info you have
or email me directly.

By the way, yesterday I received a letter saying we had won 2nd place
in the float judging.  I am waiting for a photo from that parade and
will forward it to you to post if you desire.

As far as the continuing interest in mechanical music, I have five
grandsons, three of which are always asking me to get the trailer out
from under cover and play it.  The two year old will sit at it and play
"Three Blind Mice" with all fingers.

The calliope is the only reproducing instrument I own, but in my house
I have a Lowery H-25 church organ, a Wurlitzer upright grand, four
accordions and two electronic keyboards.  All are available for the
grandsons to play if they desire.

As a kidney transplant recipient, I ask that all that read your
wonderful site, consider signing an Organ and Tissue Donor Card, and
most important, inform your families and loved ones of your desire to
give the "Gift of Life" to others in case the unexpected should happen.
My family let me buy my calliope in 1997 at a time the doctors were not
giving me much hope of living very long without a transplant, and we
really could not afford it.  I think it helped, along with my family
and the Lord, to get me to the point of getting my transplant July 15,
2000.  Soon to be four years.  I give thanks every day for the love the
unknown donor in Pennsylvania showed by wanting to donate her organs
to help change a number of lives.

If any of the MMDers have seen me in parades in the Atlanta, Georgia,
area I would love to hear from them.

Dean Smith

 [ The Wurlitzer Caliola has 44 stopped flute pipes (very loud!).
 [ The deepest note is F below Middle C, same as the Tangley CA-43.
 [ The Caliola plays the Wurlitzer APP (Automatic Player Piano) roll.
 [ A few rolls from the extensive APP catalog were adapted for the
 [ Caliola by lengthening certain notes; the label indicates they
 [ are for the Caliola.  Most of the Caliola rolls I've heard sound
 [ like piano arrangements, though.  -- Robbie