Southern Illinois Steel Guitar Show 2013…
revisiting, for 3 days of great picking.
Last year I found this show to have the best sound of all shows I have been at in the last few years, and chances are I will come to the same conclusion this year.
Here follows a small selection of pictures taken during the 3 day show.
Leona Williams singing with Mike Sweeney.
The one and only Joe Wright.
Russ Hicks and the winner of the SIP Song Contest.
good time and good music.
Rose Sinclair.
Ron Williams.
Sorry for not naming everyone that appears on stage in my pictures. I don't know them all and am not good with names.
For all I know some who had no business being there may have
sneaked up onto that stage while I was busy listening to some particularly
nice playing and/or singing.
Good thing I wasn't in charge of anything here, as it probably would have
become a big mess if I were…
The official schedule (copied from the SIP website) is presented in the addendum, and, as far as I can tell, that one is not entirely correct and/or complete either. As usual not everything goes exactly as planned at such shows, but they seemed to have it well under control all the way anyway.
bottom line.
As many of the smaller shows I've been visiting the last few years,
the annual steel guitar show in Mt. Vernon, IL, has a purpose beyond
providing a stage for great artists.
This year the team behind the show presented a check with the amount of
$2500.- to the support group for Shriners Children's Hospital.
I got what I came for: great music performed well in a great venue. That some of the money spent there goes to help someone in need, makes the entire experience even better.
This show was not in my travel plans this year, but I managed to squeeze it in right at the end of my stay in the US anyway. Good thing I did, as I would have regretted not being there.
Left an hour or so before the show ended on Saturday night. Takes time to drive from Southern Illinois down to Central Florida, and with only a couple of days left till my plane headed for Europe there was no time to lose. Luckily roads were good, traffic fairly light and car in top condition, so the trip down went fine.
sincerely 
Hageland 17.may.2013
last rev: 19.may.2013
side notes.
Holiday Inn, Mt. Vernon, IL.
Nice place with a good, warm and relaxed atmosphere. The right kind of place for such an arrangement in my opinion.
glimpses.
getting stuff.
Finally, after searching for proper steel picks (picks made of steel rather than of brass and/or other soft materials) for years, I got hold of a couple of sets at this show. Many thanks to those who helped me find the real thing.
That few if any other steel guitar players use steel picks – they find
them a bit too unforgiving and hard‐sounding, doesn't bother me the
least. 
I have slowly been wearing down and repolishing up my old steel pick
set over 25 years. That is a long time for a set of picks no matter
what material they are made of, so it is good to find replacements.
