Ron Rhodes of Plain City waits to play the fiddle during Plain City Public Library’s bluegrass jam on March 6.
(Posted March 14, 2019)
By Michael Williamson, Staff Writer
Making noise is not something people often associate with a public library, but that’s just what visitors are encouraged to do during Plain City Public Library’s bluegrass jam sessions.
On March 6, instrument-toting musicians made their way to the library to join in on the second official jam session, held in the library’s back room.
“I had been thinking of doing an event for those wanting to play guitar,” said Shane Hoffman, the library’s technology services manager. “I read online that there was some interest around playing bluegrass music and thought this might be the thing to do.”
The first official jam kicked off on Jan. 16 and drew a small crowd of players and audience members. With the positive response, Hoffman said he considered doing it more frequently.
“There’s an event similar in Marysville, so we didn’t want to interfere with that,” he said. “So, we settled on doing it twice a month.”
Sessions are held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. the first and third Wednesdays of the month, and musicians are encouraged to participate however they feel comfortable.
“There are no restrictions on instruments or anything. People have brought acoustic guitars, banjos, mandolins, fiddles, ukuleles and even an upright bass,” Hoffman added. “Some of the people who come also bring extra instruments for those interested in playing.”
There is no set structure, set list, or group of musicians. Visitors interested in playing can bring ideas or song suggestions and the group will give them a try.
“We want people to have fun and play music,” Hoffman said. “We like to say it’s ‘all talent or no talent’ and anyone and everyone is welcome.”
The jam sessions are free and open to the public. For details, visit the Plain City Public Library Bluegrass Jam page on Facebook, call (614) 873-4912 or email shoffman@plaincitylib.org.
