QUAKER RUN — Sally Marsh’s Hootenanny in the Quaker Amphitheater in Allegany State Park marked its 46th year this summer. Marsh, who will give her last “Hoot” of the season this Thursday, Aug. 31, is shooting for 50 years in 2021, the 100th birthday of the park.
The Hootenannys start each Thursday night at 8, even though people start showing up more than an hour early while Marsh is setting up. She usually ends up starting earlier than 8 p.m.
As people walk up to the Amphitheater from the parking lot, Marsh often greets them with “Hi” and a big hug. Few have been coming for as long as she’s been singing, but many families have been coming for decades. Grandparents bring their grandchildren.
One of the first songs is always “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ’Round the Old Oak Tree.” If you don’t know the words, don’t worry, a karaoke machine projects them on a screen for everyone to see. Until just a few years ago, Marsh passed out songbooks. As it grew dark, they got harder to read.
On this night, Marsh is wearing a red, white and blue American flag blouse and wearing a blue hat with silver stars and blinking blue lights.
The Allegany State Park Historical Society showed it appreciation to a disabled Vietnam veteran again this year by introducing William Moore and his wife, Kathy, of Olean. Moore was selected to receive a free use of a park cabin for a week.
The society also provided the couple with firewood and a $200 gift card. They were camping this week on Gypsy Trail.
Lance Anderson, a Red House town justice, presented Moore with a certificate noting his selection for the award, which is dedicated to Anderson’s late father, a longtime state park ranger.
Marsh calls children sitting on the hill with their parents down to the stage where she gives them small American flags.
“Hang onto them,” she said. “I’m going to call you down again in a few minutes.”
With a number of military veterans in the crowd of about 500 park campers and other visitors, Marsh called them down to the stage to thank them for their service with a song. She invited the children with the flags back down to the stage to present them to the veterans.
Then, as Marsh said, “It’s time for the ‘Chicken Dance!’” Youngsters and their parents ran to the stage, eager to be in the spotlight.
For song after song, Marsh walked up to one of the hundreds of people sitting in benches or lawn chairs on the hill and thrust the wireless microphone in their faces.
Some tried to shy away from the microphone, but most embraced it and started right in signing.
There were two tables of material for which Marsh’s friends were selling raffle tickets. Marsh said the proceeds go to needy families and individuals.
(Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @RMillerOTH)
