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STORIES AND LETTERS FROM THE FESTERS
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Thanks John for making music. Cuz of you We've met some of the best folks in the world!
Priners and Shriners are full of gold! Nuff Said. ~donna
Just for starters.....I wanted to Thank you all
for going the distance. I knew that all people connected by John Prine are good people.
There is some kind of magic in those lyrics that has given us some kind of bond,
glue, window into each other that makes us friends. I knew that some of you were
apprehensive, and came to the shows and the fest anyway. Maybe you were a little
scared, but didn't I tell you that you needn't be, you found out. I am so thankful
to all of you, you do justice to the man and his music. Most of all I want to thank
John for allowing me to invade his life, for letting me in and allowing me to share it.
He's a lucky lucky man, and it has overflowed into our little cups of life
~Reeda
I can't believe how wonderful you all are! I met so many Priners and Prine
Shriners at the 3 WI shows and Crush..fest that I can't say enough. People who appreciate
his music have a certain appreciation for life's little treasures. They don't need to be
coddled or catered to...they are easy going, even natured, sensitive, (and some of them
who live in a town that smells like chocolate are in tune with their feminine sides) I
just can't get over how Mother Nature just stomped all over us and nobody minded...as long
as we were all together, like old friends. It will always amaze me...and I will continue
to instigate these gatherings as long as John continues to instigate these feelings. I
thank you all for being there, for showing up, for sharing your stories, your
personalities, your love for a kind man and his music and for just being the real folks
that you are! See you all soon.......or sooner or later..............Geez, I just want to
hold on to that thumping in my heart and those smiles in head forever!! ~Reeda aka
PMS*red
It's a rainy Sunday morning at Lake Marie and all the shriners have left
for home....All that's left is a Big old Goofy Man, Wearing this Big Old Goofy
Grin....This was a few days of singing and smiling with lots of real wonderful John Prine
Fans and a chance to enjoy old and new friends.....I want to send out a big Thank You to
everyone who came to Lake Marie and the concert with us....What a thrill to hear John say
before he sang our song "Have a Great Time at Lake Marie Shriners" and also what
a thrill to be able to call all of you my Friend!!! From My Heart...THANK YOU ALL.....Love
Ya...Crusher
I've had a couple days to collect my thoughts and smile a bunch so I just wanted to
tell you how wonderful it was having met such really nice people last week....Every place
we went all week had some special time or event that made us smile and laugh and I think
it must have been the company I kept...I will always admire and be thankful for all the
work you do and how it joins so many nice folks together and now that I got to know the
person who does all this work I really am a lucky man to call her a friend cause you are a
Special Lady....Thank You for sharing that week in Wisconsin and I hope you and Terry can
come and visit some weekend...I hope everyday brings you and your family lots of Big Hugs
and many Smiles...God Bless ya....Thanks..XXOO ~Crusher
Hi, First, I would like to thank you for making Sue feel like part of the Prine Shrine
family. I told her people in the midwest were friendly, but it sounds like you made her
feel especially welcome. I have to say I was a bit uneasy about sending her off to meet
people throught the internet. However, any misgivings I might have had were put to rest
after her first phone call. You all have made quite the impression on her. Must be that
John Prine connection you all share. Sue hasn't stopped talking about what wonderful
people she met and what a great time she had. Well, other than that long and lonely drive
to and from Wisconsin. We tried to sell all of her belongings before she returned to
Vermont.. however her cat gave us trouble. Now we don't have any money to set her up in
her new life in Wisconsin! By the way, you made up some really nice Crush fest t-shirts. I
really like the one she brought back for me as a souvenier. Please feel free to e-mail me
if you have any messages you would like to have conveyed to Sue. Sue is starting to
lose her Crushfest glow...she really, really misses all of you. Glad you liked the beer
Sue brought to Wisconsin. I just sent a link to you from the company's website: Magic Hat
Brewery. It is a fun site to visit. Sue has been trying to get in touch with several
people she met at Crushfest...do you have an e-mail address for Bear? I found a couple on
the message boards, but am not sure which one I should use. Sue didn't think Q-Ball had a
computer: do you have an address she could use to write to him? Sue also had me send a
message to Crusher; however, she said he was in the midst of moving. I haven't heard from
him yet, but probably shouldn't expect to until he gets settled. ..Kristi (Sue's middle
(wo)man who has a computer
Now, for a note from Sue:
I hit Niagara Falls as the sun came up Sunday morning. Unfortunately Q-Ball couldn't make
it. Too bad, he's a nice guy. I had a lot of fun, really glad I came. What better way to
spend a few days than to hang out with a bunch of cool people playing, drinking, eating,
singing, (raining) all with something in common. It was great meeting you and
hanging out with you and the whole gang. I think we all might have made some long lasting
friendships . I hope so. She says you can use her as a middle (wo)man until I get my
web tv. (I think she's enjoying all this). [Yes, I am] So please keep in touch.
I'm sure I'll be seeing you again in the not too distant future. Hell, if I
can get to Milwaukee to see John Prine - I can go anywhere! Thanks for putting some
excitement & adventure into my usually dull, normal life. Sue
Reeda, the pics are great! and the memories and smiles flowed! A review? Well, here
goes a try at it: I just love a Kentucky boy in a suit and tie! John had a ball pickin and
grinnin for us, but one thing I noticed and throughly enjoyed was watching Dave playing.
He gets so into his music that his body and instrument appear to become one entity. With
his eyes closed and sexy smile I would become intense watching him and listening to him.
Lots of Priners are gonna have lots of things to say so I'll make this short....The Crush
Fest? Shoot, any friend of Prine is a friend of mine! nuff said...Well done, hotdog bun,
his sister in law is a nun!!! p.s. I'm still packed, we could do this again anytime soon
if ya want!!!! ....wanna do fest here next year? or next time depending on
tour schedule? friend of mine said all the shriners oughta email the casino I work at
(inundate them actually) requesting they book John. We have a new entertainment theatre
that seats about 1200 being built and will be completed this fall. He said if we just e'em
to death and request Oh Boy to communicate with the Grand maybe, just maybe...hmmmm who
knows? John at a casino, bizarre? I don't know...Bonnie Raitt played one, Ringo played,
Robert Cray, Steppenwolf, Stephen Stills, list goes on and on....see ya hunnybunny! ~Donna
A Big Hug To You for opening your front and back door for all of us Big Ole Goofy Guys
and Gals during the Fest. Thanks for the shower, towels, bed, hot water for coffee, nutty
bar when I needed chocolate, chance to do a wheelchair ballet, meeting Edd, watching the
birds in the early a.m., the opportunity to see you in your Fruit of the Looms (haha) and
escpecially the blue umbrella between my legs with the wind in my hair and the smell of
chocolate in the air! You're the Best!!!!! sugar on a donut.. It was so neat
spending time with y'all. It makes an old Priner Proud to know that there is another
generation to get teary eyed in the dark while the man shares his soul with you. I plan on
going to the Indiana show too along with Fannie and Spin (whom you haven't met yet) and
Crusher will be there too! Hope to have a couple of my daughters with me. As time draws
nearer let's work on a meeting place ahead of show for a toast. I also have a great
Picture of y'all that I took that I'd like to share with you. see you soon Thank you so
much Reeda...thanks for being born, and growing up (well, getting older anyway), hearing
Prine music, loving it, getting a computer, learning to use it, creating a shrine, getting
obsessed with it, and making it possible for Priners everywhere to get together and do
really cool things like eat in the rain, sleep in the rain, sing in the rain, dance in the
rain, did I mention drinking in the rain? Just plain ole thanks from the bottoms of my
"still" muddy feet, pal!!!!! Real life bites, lets be groupies! Right Here
John!!!!!!!! ~Donna
And Donna....thanks for just being Donna, I never imagined you were who you were, and
could not have enjoyed the whole thing as much as I did without you. You are truly a gem
in the world of Prine - you put the goofy in the big old world and you add the measure of
treasure that gave us the pleasure. Darnit, and we never did get to have the grits!
Reeda aka PMS*red
I would like to thank you crusher for the nice gathering, of only the best people
anyone could ever meet. It was again so great to be able to put a face with a name!
Inspite of the rain it didn't put a damper on the fun we had. I guess it's very easy to
say, that any I gained many wonderful friends...JOHN just has a great impact on on us all.
If it wasn't for him we wouldn't be meeting each other like we are. Tom and I plan to
attend any more gatherings that happedn to arise. Special thanks to you REEDA...you are
absolutely the best!!!! Big hugs to ya all, I really express how much you all mean to
me!!! These outings are almost more fun than our vacations. Can't wait until the next
one...until then, catch ya guys on Monday nights. Take care...thanks to all of you...for
being the best friends a person could ever have!!! And nice seeing you again...to the
Lawtons. THE BIGGEST PRINESTER HUG~ kathy47
Just wanted to say what a wonderful time I had! Thank you, Crusher, for your giant
heart and willingness to go along with this wacky idea. Please thank Gomer for letting us
use his beautiful meadow and storage shed (which wasn't beautiful, but was a welcome sight
when the skies opened up). And thanks, Reeda, for all the logistical stuff you do behind
the scenes....you're super! The rain merely added a little melodrama to an already amazing
gathering. We improvised, harmonized and socialized....and none of us will forget the
magic that night. I'm afraid if I try to name everyone I'll leave someone out, so let me
just say that I enjoyed meeting each and every one of you. I wish we'd had more time
together, but many of you were gone the next morning and I didn't even get to say goodbye.
I hope we meet again someday, and I'm grateful we can keep it alive through the chat
rooms.... A big Bear hug to each of you!
Just wanted to say thanks. It was a good time albeit too damn fast...can't believe it's
already over!! There were some really neat people there.... : - ) ... silly girl.
Felt such a sadness when we left that place... but I guess that means we will
just have to have another one somewhere else, huh? Thanks again... chat with you
soon, Take care ~Pickles
I made it home alright. I got home around 10:00p Saturday nite. It is now 3:00 Sunday.
I thank you and all my new friends for a great time at CrushFest and for your gentle
concern about my safe return. I will chat with you later. You are good people. ~Mark from
K.C. (aka Ranger Mark)
Thanks Crusher, Red, Everyone involved! Bonnie and I had a great time. Met a lot of
super nice, "real" people. It was an awesome event, we'll remember for our whole
lives. I don't know how to say it other than diehard Prine fans make great company, almost
like family. Hope to do it again some time soon! ~Dave
just wanted to thank you for a great week!!!!!!!!! it was 1 of the best vactions ive
had ! thank you! i have to go now because i have some frozen food in the freezer!!!!
~jikes
Thank you all for a wonderful time. It was too bad we could not stay any longer than
Friday morning. But the short time we spent with all of you will be one of our treasured
memories. That was the first show for both of us. Thank god it was dark in there, twice
when I looked over at Erik we both had tears in our eyes. (If you ever see us again don't
ever tell him I put that out here for all to read) Even though I have no vacation time we
are going to do everything in our power to get to the IN show. Maybe I'll come down with a
good pretend illness on 8-25. Thanks again!!! ~Meghan
Hi! to all... Crusher, glad to hear everyone got off ok. We sure had the best time!
Even the 4 inches of rain Fri night made it memorable! It was so great to meet so many
Prine fans and hang out and tell Prine stories and sing and laugh. As soon as I recover,
I'd sure like to do it again! Crusher, a world of thanks for everything you did, and all
the hard work you put in to make this work. I wish you all the best, and let's keep in
touch! ~Baby Ruth
Just wanted to say thanks again to all you wonderful people for taking in two party
crashing cheeseheads and making them feel welcome. Had a great time. We are both wearing
our brand new JOHN PRINE tee-shirts! (I'm also wearing the dirty shorts I had on last
nite, seems sitting on the wet ground last nite, my bottom absorbed quite a bit of water
and >non of my shorts from last year fit me.) Hope you all were warm and dry,We were
thinking you probably sat up all nite playing >music.........thanks again and have a
wonderful weekend.....Esther and Kyle.
So I'm still learning how to use a computer, give me a break.Crusher,Jike,Babyruth
& Reeda, your nothin' but a bunch of lost dogs.Had a great time at the show (as
usual).Nice meeting all of you.There we were waiting at the Harmony bar for you,& you
were getting hugs & kisses from John.Go figure? Hope you have a great time in LaCrosse
& Milwaukee.Wish we could make the party. Have two or six beers for us. We will be
waiting to hear how the rest of your vacation went. ~Bill and Lynn
Sounds like the 1.25 drinks were fun...is it true that a couple of drinks make you a
better singer...or does it just increase your hearing levels??? I know you had a great
time with the sing alongs.....Too bad about the rain at the crushfest....everything seems
to work out for the best.. At least it seems like it to me..most of the time..Hey I'm
really glad John announced the song for you and finished with have a great time at lake
Marie fest for you shriners...kind of makes it all worth while.. doesn't it??? I know it
would for me!! Not many people get there names mentioned by him... especially on
stage...Anyways to sum it all up....it was a great trip to LaCrosse and I'm so glad that I
got to meet you all...It just puts everything more together (in my mind )of what everybody
is like..How they talk, act and handle themselves.. All and everybody were just awesome to
me and it really make a person feel like they have a place...and I thank you very much for
the warm welcome to the prinesters and will always remember that evening with you guys...I
can't wait until Deb can meet you too...Ok, this is it for tonight I will stay in
touch...to the lucky lady from Iowa..Take care and a million thanks..hope to repay someday
soon....~Terry (Fishman)
I know I'm late, but had to drop in and say what a pleasure it was to see and meet you
all (Crusher, Reeda, Donna, Kathy47, et.al.)! I felt like I was in someone's living room
surrounded by old friends (another kind of chat room, maybe). Anyway, I had a great time,
loved seeing you, cherish my signed t-shirt, and enjoyed meeting John, the security guy.
Hope to drop by more often. Happy to know all of you! ~~marymac
Thanks Everyone... Hello all...It's been about week since John Prine week in
Wisconsin and my smile comes back many times a day thanks to all of you...It was really
great to meet new frinds and see a few old friends (sure missed a few others!!!). I can
still feel Pickles knees knock as she rode off on the old Hog!!! I had a wonderful week
and I wanted to say Thank You to everyone who came to Lake Marie Fest and made it so
special...Reeda...this is all Your Fault...see how dangerous she can be!!! The picture of
us singing David Allen Coe looks Great...Wish you were all here for one more goodbye
Hug....Ride Safe till next time...Love Ya.. ~Crusher 8:47 am Saturday June 19, 1999
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