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6-27-2021 11:03pm
Saline Fiddlers Philharmonic Take Show Indoors and Don't Skip a Beat
Fiddler hometown shows used to run like clockwork in Saline. With no show in 2020 thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Saline Fiddlers Philharmonic were anxious to play in front of their hometown. And they weren't about to let the threat of rain stop them.
So, they packed up all their gear and took the show from Hornet Stadium to the gym at Liberty School to put on a show in front of an appreciative audience Saturday evening.
If you were looking for more signs of normalcy, can you do any better in Saline than the Fiddlers with a cheerful rendition of Buffalo Gals?
Have a listen and note the audience clapping.
The answer is no.
For the storied youth band, the Hometown Show was a joyous return to the hometown stage. Earlier in the week the band performed in Plymouth for their first post-2020 show. They were happy to be back in Saline.
"It was so great to see all the supporters in our own community, so it feels really great to play in Saline again," said Jolie Kretzschmar, who plays bass guitar and violin and also sings and dances in the band.
Like Kretzschmar, Eli Trese recently graduated from Saline High School. Trese plays viola and mandolin. He also sings and dances. And like Jolie, he was happy to have a hometown show in his senior year.
"It's just so great to see that people still care and that the community still involved," Trese said.
And after months of Zoom practices and small-group work, they were glad to be back as a full band.
"It's great to play with our friends. We've been in such small groups and now we get to play with our whole group and it's just it's really fun," Trese said.
The Saline Fiddlers are about to kick off their summer tour. They'll visit Rogers City, Curtis, Manistique, Munising and Erikson Michigan, July 3-8.
(Support the Saline Fiddlers tour by donating here)
They're anxious to hit the road.
"We went up north a couple of years ago and they told us they want us back, and that's nice to hear," Kretzschmar said. "A couple of months ago, honestly, we weren't even sure we were going to be able to go on tour, so we're grateful and excited."
Touring is especially important to the seniors in their last days with the band. They are Gavid Dawid, Cameron Huber, Anja Jacobsen, Sam Jacobson, Kretzschmar and Trese.
"The class of 2020 missed their final tour. We know it means something. We're glad to be able to go on tour in our senior year, go on one last tour and get closure. It's really special," Trese said.
Catch the Saline Fiddlers Philharmonic again Aug. 12 at Saline Summerfest and Sept. 5 at the Saline Community Fair. They're also scheduled to play the Salty Sounds of Summer Music series downtown on Aug. 5.
Saturday's show was sponsored by The Picknell Team real estate office. Community Education Director Brian Puffer was credited for helping move the concert to Liberty in short order when the weather turned gloomy.
The concert started with a short set by South Industrial, a foursome inspired by traditional Celtic, New England, and French-Canadian fiddle music.
V Rose Cieri, Bubba Wilson, Jack Mackled and Michael Bean comprise South Industrial - the band formed when a group of co-workers at Shar Violin had a few impromptu jam sessions.
There were highlights throughout the night.
And, of course, the band played Orange Blossom, inviting alumni to join them on stage.
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