The love of music never fades at Quail Hollow

The love of listening to or playing music appears to never go away; moreover, once a music lover, always a music lover seems to apply.

Ask any of the local musicians who play at the Traditional Music Night in The Manor in Hartville, Ohio. They bring their own instruments and play for up to three hours, two nights a month, because they love music and love entertaining their audiences.

During the May 21 event, Linda Zahirsky was playing a banjo and leading one of the groups performing in the Manor House. She helps manage the performance nights.

“We usually have people playing in three or four rooms in the Manor House two Thursday nights a month,” Zahirsky said. “The groups play different types of music, generally bluegrass or traditional music, or a little of this and a little of that.”

The ages of the musicians range from young to middle-aged and retired adults. The type of music each group plays varies, and the types of instruments range from acoustic guitars, banjos and violins to cellos, dulcimers and harmonicas.

Starting back in the 1980s, the events are still going strong today. The public has always been welcome to stop by and listen for a while.

Brad Vincent, president of the Quail Hollow Volunteer Association, said in an email interview, “In 1980, a musician, who is no longer with us, approached the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which operated the state park at that time, requesting to use the manor house as a gathering place for other musicians to get together and play traditional and bluegrass music.

“The musicians who play at this gathering are independent and bring their instruments to jam, so to speak. In 2006 the Quail Hollow Volunteer Association took over the ‘Music Night’ from park staff as a fundraising activity. All in all, it has been taking place for 46 years. The general turnout can vary, but usually there are around 25 musicians and 40 to 45 guests come to each performance.”

Not only do the musicians share their time entertaining, they also help others with impromptu lessons or tips on playing.

Vincent added, “People do come with their instruments and play and sometimes they get together with the musicians for impromptu lessons. A good story is about a family who attended one evening, and their children brought their fiddles. The parents asked the musicians if they could help the children, and the musicians had them come up and play with the band that gathered. It was a touching moment.”

Vincent said the format has remained the same for 46 years, with three rooms used in the Manor House, and people rotate from room to room. At times, enough musicians and people attend that they fill four rooms. Seating is provided for the guests in each room.

It is amazing to watch and listen to how musicians whom others in the group may or may not know can sit down in the band to start playing a song and seamlessly fit into the music without missing a beat.

The Quail Hollow Volunteer Association asks for a $3 donation, which goes to the operating funds for the organization.

Vincent said, “The donation helps us fulfill our mission of maintaining the Manor House and grounds and preserving the historical integrity of the Hollow. Projects like repairing historical fountains, refinishing plank flooring, planting in the rock garden and around the manor house and maid’s quarters, preserving and framing artwork and photographs to display.”

The Traditional Music Nights in the Manor take place on the first and third Thursday of each month from 6-9 p.m. through October. It is a casual atmosphere with acoustic music, including old-time, bluegrass and Celtic tunes.