MARCH 1, 2023 www.wintertexantimes.com 16 WINTER TEXAN TIMES Supply &Hardware Mobile Home Special Orders Available Ask about our daily Manager Specials! PETECO, INC. 2911 N. Cesar Chavez Rd. San Juan, TX 78589 956-787-2847 petecotransport@gmail.com We Do Tie-Down Certification SAVE 10% OFF Your Entire Purchase When You Bring In This Ad *Conditions apply, see store for details. Offer expires March 31, 2023. TRANSPORT • Sales & Installations • Vinyl Skirting & Tie Downs • Custom Steps made of Wood & Metal • Door & Windows • Plumbing & Electric • Used Mobile Homes Sales Financing Available petecotransport@gmail.com Ph: (956) 787-2847 or (956) 787-0413 We Buy Mobile Homes 2911 N Cesar Chavez Rd. San Juan, TX 78589 Family Owned & Operated Over 30 Years Kenwood RV Resort in La Feria has a bluegrass jam every Tuesday during the Winter Texan season from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Other bluegrass specific jams in the RGV include Mission West on Mondays 5:30-7:30 p.m., Lamplighter Park in Palmview on Thursday 9-11 a.m., and VIP La Feria RV Park West Thursday 1:303:30 p.m. I enjoyed two music jams in January at Kenwood RV Resort. I give a huge thanks to the Activity Director Cindy Cavazos for scheduling this jam. Each week there were eight musicians on stage with 10 additional musicians who waited their turn to jam on stage. These 18 musicians were great vocalists plus fantastic instrumentalists who performed from memory without the use of any aids such as iPads. Each musician takes their turn at the microphone while inviting other musicians on stage the opportunity to add to their musical selection. The on-stage musicians included Bob Hulett (banjo), Larry Stevenson (mandolin), Gary Rinehart (bass), Roy Light (dobro), Carol Ratli (fiddle), Larry Sish (guitar), Elz Sager (guitar), and Daniel Ratli (guitar). I also met the following jammers: John Campbell (banjo), Judy Campbell (mandolin), Mike Bango (mandolin), Barb Ottman (bass), Gary Ottman (vocals), Carolyn Barrett (mandolin), Mike Hillger (fiddle) and Nancy Hillger (mandolin). Mike Bango started playing music over 40 years ago on the upright bass. He also played drums in high school and learned to play the mandolin only six years ago. An American tradition is alive in the RGV Jammin’ in the RGV with Tony Ozark John Campbell, from Wisconsin, was an older adult when he started playing the banjo. He belongs to the SE Minnesota Bluegrass Association (SEMBA) and performs at the annual Bluegrass Festival in May and August in Houston, Minnesota. Bob Hulett, banjo, from Iowa, has performed with the Gid-R-Done Bluegrass band while a member of both the RGV Bluegrass and Texas Bluegrass Association. His father, who played guitar, and grandfather, who played, banjo, convinced Bob at age four to take up the banjo. Roy Light from Missouri started playing the dobro at age six. He has performed with a River Bluegrass band and the Bluegrass Band in South Central Missouri. Barb Ottman from Minnesota, learned to play the upright bass ‘by ear’ after age 50. Her daughter needed a bass player in her band and purchased a bass for her mom. She learned how to play and then performed in her daughter’s band. Darrell Ottman, vocalist, sang tenor in church choirs and performs with his wife Barb. He has also performed with the Baker Family, Orange Grove band, Cedar Valley Bluegrass band in Iowa and at Bluegrass Festivals in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Carol Ratli took piano and accordion lessons starting at age five and started playing the fiddle in 1999. Daniel Ratli is a self-taught guitarist and started performing in 1999. Gary Rinehart from Kansas, is a self-taught upright bass player and has performed for the last 18 years. He performs at the Rudy Fest in Grayson, Kentucky. Elz Sager, from Missouri, plays guitar and has performed with the R Brand Bluegrass band. He learned to play the guitar in his 20’s motivated by his family who plays the piano, banjo, and fiddle. Larry Stevenson has performed with mandolin and guitar since age 12 and was motivated by his mother, brother and sister who also play instruments. He has performed for the past 23 years with Texarkana Texas Bluegrass band. Larry Sish from West Virginia performs with bass and guitar with the Gid-R-Done Bluegrass band which raises monies for St Jude’s research. He has performed for over 45 years in bluegrass bands and was a DJ in TRI radio for country and bluegrass music. He has also performed with the Marlow Ramblers. As a teenager, he
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