WORKSHOP + JAM HOSTS

Erynn Marshall is an old-time fiddler who lives in Hillsville, Virginia and is known internationally for her traditional music. She learned the nuances of Appalachian old-time fiddling from visiting elder, southern fiddlers and through her love of archival recordings. Erynn was the first woman to win 1st place fiddle at Clifftop (The Appalachian Stringband Festival) among other awards and is featured in the 2023 exhibit, “Women of Old-Time Music,” at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum (Bristol, VA). Erynn and husband Carl Jones have toured and taught at music camps across North America, Europe, China and Australia. Erynn has numerous recordings, is featured in five films, three books, and is coordinator for Swannanoa Old-Time & Dance Week (NC).

John Harrod has documented, recorded, and performed traditional music for more than 60 years. In the 1970s and ’80s, he played with a number of bands that re-introduced old-time musicians such as Bill Livers and Lily May Ledford to Kentucky audiences. During this time, he also worked for three years as a folk artist-in-residence in Kentucky schools. Along with Mark Wilson and Guthrie Meade, he produced a series of recordings of Kentucky fiddle and banjo players for Rounder Records. His awards include a Folk Heritage Award (Governor’s Awards in the Arts, (2004), a Lifetime Achievement Award from Berea College (2022), and the Old Time Music Heritage Award from the Nashville Old Time String Band Association (2026). His own recordings include Johnny Come Along (fiddle tunes), Living in the Promised Land (original songs), Spirits of the Lonesome Hills, and Wild and Free, the latter two with his band Kentucky Wild Horse.

Pete and Ellen Vigour have been residents of Albemarle County, Virginia, for forty years, spending most of their time playing traditional Appalachian music.  Pete plays guitar, fiddle, and banjo, and is a career music teacher. Ellen, now retired from her special education teaching career, enjoys playing her mandolin, calling dances, repairing fiddles, and teaching music at camps and festivals.   Pete and Ellen’s repertoire features old-time fiddle tunes, novelty songs, skits, and many pieces learned from local older players. Pete and Ellen have recorded CD’s with Uncle Henry’s Favorites, Country Ham, and other bands, as well as performing and recording music for historical events around Virginia.  Their favorite hobby is to play and sing with their students and friends.

Paul Kirk is an old-time fiddler, teacher, composer, and multi-instrumentalist whose work bridges history with a living folk tradition. He has been teaching since 1988 and studied music theory, composition, and education at Cleveland State University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in History and Musicology.

Founder of Down the Road Old-Time String Band and composer of more than 500 folk tunes, Paul is known for bringing obscure and rare tunes back into circulation through his Old-Time Tune of the Week series on YouTube. His latest book, Marion Thede and the Fiddlers of Oklahoma: The Fiddle Book, the Musicians and Their Tunes was published by McFarland & Company in 2025.

Talcon Quinn is an Appalachian Folk Artist, Herbalist and Educator deeply committed to rekindling Appalachian Folk Traditions. Generational from Appalachia Ohio, Talcon has been in relationship with plants her entire life. She has completed multiple programs in herbalism, wildcrafting, wilderness survival skills, as well as full spectrum doula work locally, nationally, and abroad. Talcon is deeply committed to the sustainable, ethical harvesting of plants and sharing knowledge in approachable, tangible ways to ensure that these traditional folk practices endure for generations to come.

Lisa Heinz grew up in a family of textile crafters learning at an early age, sewing, crochet, knitting, embroidery, and macramé from her grandmothers, mother, aunts, and other strong women in the family. After several years learning about wool’s place in sustainable textile development, Lisa established Southeast Ohio Fiberworks in 2019 to create a regional fiber hub. She began to formally teach fiberarts in 2022 when she was asked by Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts to teach tapestry weaving to 60 at-risk school children from southeast Ohio. She was asked to do so again in spring of 2026. Lisa expanded her teaching skills to teach adults how to spin yarn on a drop spindle as part of the Cloth to Clothing workshop series at Hocking College in summer of 2026.

Curt is an Appalachian Broom maker from Glouster, Ohio. He has been making brooms for over 20 years. Curt grew up familiar with the art of broom making because his parents grew broom corn for a blind broom maker in Barlett, Ohio. It wasn’t until Curt and his wife Rhonda visited the Backwood Arts Festival and met London, Ohio’s broom maker Jim Penicks, that his interest to try broom making was sparked. Jim agreed to show Curt the basics to broom making and after spending a full day in Jim’s workshop, Curt began crafting brooms on his own. The rest is history, as they say.

The years have marked a slow steady growth in skills and seriousness in Curt’s broom making journey. Lately he has participated in some of the best craft shows in the country as well teaching local and regional workshops most recently at the Augusta Heritage College in Elkins, Wy.

Sam Bartlett is a lifelong collector, illustrator and performer of stunts, games, tricks and maneuvers. He began documenting stunts in 1991 after observing the creative antics of fellow touring musicians. He created the Journal of Stuntology, a zine featuring his intricate cartoon descriptions of collected stunts. Over 15 years, he published 32 issues of the zine, along with two books: Stuntology and The Big Book of Stuntology. Workman Publishing later released a compilation, The Best of Stuntology, in 2008. His latest book, 51 Impossible Stunts Anyone Can Do, was published in 2015. Sam’s interest in experimentation and humor began during childhood in a family where practical jokes and basement-laboratory experiments were part of everyday life. A lifelong touring musician, banjo and mandolin player, Sam has gathered stunt ideas from performers, travelers and dance communities across the country. Through his Stuntology workshops and books, he turns ordinary objects, playful challenges and simple observations into surprising feats anyone can try. He invites participants to discover the humor, creativity and curiosity behind the art of the stunt.