On September 26th and 27th Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival was held on the beautiful rolling hills of a 230-acre farm just 20 minutes south of Nashville in Franklin, TN. The festival featured a diverse and renowned lineup of rock and roll, alt-country, bluegrass, jazz, indie, gospel, roots and blues with headline artists such as Willie Nelson, Wilco, Cheryl Crow, Steven Tyler, Dr. John and more. There were six stages including one in a very special family-friendly children's area; Hohner’s Lil' Pilgrim Family Stage.

On September 10, 2015 I provided a Hohner-sponsored Harmonikids session at the Center for Discovery for "developmentally-disabled" athletes, during the national non-profit World T.E.A.M. Sports’ Adventure Team Challenge at New York’s Frost Valley YMCA resort. The wonderful event provides the opportunity for individuals with formidable physical and mental challenges to participate in outdoor sports on land and water in the beautiful Catskill mountains, many for the first time.

By Gary Allegretto

On August 15, 2015 I provided a Hohner-sponsored Harmonikids session to Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) in Denver Colorado at the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of Harmonica (SPAH) Convention. In the session 20 participants were entertained then gifted harmonicas and taught to play four songs. It was a rousing success and all of the kids (along with their big brothers and big sisters) were very enthusiastic and proud of their newly discovered musical ability.

By Gary Allegretto

In a Hohner sponsored session on July 30, 2015 I returned to the Ferris detention facility in Wilmington Delaware; a full-security juvenile facility for boys whose mission is to “provide educational and therapeutic services to adjudicated youth in a safe, staff-secure and gender sensitive environment preparing them for successful re-entry into the community.” Over the years Harmonikids' ongoing programs to assist the youth at Ferris have become among my personal favorites because the participants (many of whom have been neglected, abandoned, and/or abused in their young lives) receive much-needed self esteem and confidence from the experience.

Download your copy of Easy Reeding to find out what is going on at Hohner! In this issue you will learn all about our move to Nashville and what that means for you. We dispell all myths about changes to the Special 20, and announce our amazing new return policy for harmonicas!