STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS BY ROGER DEMMENT AND CAROL WALLER

The sounds of Christmas are greeting  passengers arriving at Friedman Memorial Airport this holiday season. And, non, it’s not piped-in music.

On Thursday 10 musicians formed a semi-circle in the airport lobby next to the fireplace. A few wore Santa hats. One wore souped-up Christmas stockings. And all wore articles of green and red as they sang “Angels We Have Heard on high,” “Feliz Navidad” and “God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen,” while playing violin, guitars and a keyboard.

Jerry Drake, Christine Demment and Heidi Bynum were among those playing.

The musicians making spirits bright included Ted Macklin, Karen Luke and Taul Paul on guitar, Walt Denekas on bass, Heidi Bynum, Jerry Drake and Christine Demment on violin and Mark Eisinger on keyboard.

Others who have joined them at other holiday pop-ups include Louisa Moats on guitar, Wendy Collins and her sister Debbie Commons on guitar, Janet Houts on accordion, Liz Talley on cello and Paul Kaiser on guitar and harmonica

Arriving passengers who delighted in their music had the opportunity to show it by pitching a few dollars into a hat with the donations earmarked for The Hunger Coalition.

“We started this last year and somebody put out a hat, and I said, ‘We’re not collecting money for us,’ ” said Christine Demment. “So, we changed it to collect donations for the food bank.

Jerry Drake, Christine Demment and Janet Houts had a tune-up on Christmas tunes before their holiday appearances.

“People came off the plane bedraggled and tired, and they smiled and sang along. We even had little children dance, and people reached into their pockets and pulled out change. We raised $400 for The Hunger Coalition last year and we hope to replicate or even improve on our donations this year.”

The group had its origin in a Traditional Music Jam that Christine Demment started in the fall of 2023 on Saturday afternoons at The Community Library.

The lively musical gathering, which plays traditional Celtic, Scottish and Irish reels and folk ballads has grown into regular gatherings at both The Community Library and at The Senior Connection in Hailey.

Last winter some of the musicians decided to play Christmas music at The Senior Connection, The Cove of Cascadia and Friedman Memorial Airport.

Karen Lukes and Liz Talley practice at The Community Library.

They’ve already performed at The Senior Connection and Cove of Cascadia this year.  They have made two appearances at the airport and they plan on playing again from 12:30 to 3 p.m. today and Tuesday, Dec. 23, before returning on Saturday, Dec. 27.

“It’s a lot of fun and people at all of the locations enjoy the music,” said Demment. 

The Hunger Coalition is also grateful to be the recipient of the donations, said Kristin McMahan, the organization’s communications manager.

“It’s incredible that they do this for us,” she said. “That’s one of the most beautiful parts of the season is seeing everybody use their talents to give back and make life better for one another.”

Sixteen jammers showed up for this jam session prior to their holiday concerts.

The Hunger Coalition saw its busiest October on record and, even though the SNAP disruptions have been resolved, the organization is still seeing high numbers of people, McMahon said.

“We gave out 773 Thanksgiving baskets this year; we gave out 708 last year.”

WANT TO JAM?

Musicians of all types and abilities are welcome to jam at the Traditional Music Jam. One woman brings a Cajon box that she sits on and beats out a rhythm. Others bring mandolins, flutes, cellos, ukuleles, tin whistles, tambourines and musical spoons.

“One of those who joined us was on the board of the Sun Valley Music Festival and he said, if he was going to do that, he’d better take up an instrument. So, he did,” said Christine Demment, who founded the group. “Another woman with a banjo said she was just starting, and that’s okay—we want people to feel welcomed and try it out.

“It’s a community. It’s a gathering. It’s sharing and spreading the joy of music.”

The jammers meet from 3 to 5 p.m. the second and fourth Saturdays at The Community Library in Ketchum. They also meet at The Senior Connection. There is no cost to participate.

“A lot of the music we play came to this country 200 years ago,” said Demment. “In New England, where I spend my summers in New Hampshire, we have a lot of jams that support contra dances and English country dances. The Pacific Northwest also has a lot of this kind of traditional music, including the National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest in Weiser, Idaho.”