Crazy for Patsy Cline
Fans Will Converge on Winchester for Special Weekend of Activities

By: Star Traylor
The Winchester Star

More than 100 Patsy Cline fans will flock to Winchester Labor Day weekend for the 15th annual Patsy Cline Weekend.

"It’s held Labor Day weekend because it’s a holiday weekend, and there’s an extra day for those fans — travel time," said Judy Sue Huyett-Kempf, manager of the Winchester Frederick County Visitors Center at the Kurtz Building in Winchester.

The fact that Cline’s birthday is the following week on Sept. 8 is a coincidence, she said.

A reception at 6 p.m. Friday at the TraveLodge of Winchester will unite members of the Patsy Cline fan club with Cline’s fans in the community. This will include live music, a silent auction, and a complete dinner at 7 p.m.

Mel Dick, general manager of the Patsy Cline fan club, Always Patsy Cline , said the reception Friday is the largest event of the weekend open to the public. Tickets are $20 and may only be purchased in advance.

Dick said there are 950 members in Always Patsy Cline and about 125, representing 20 states and some other countries, will travel to Winchester for the Patsy Cline Weekend.

Job Cuts Make MCA/Mercury 'More Competitive'

By: RICHARD LAWSON
Staff Writer

More coordinated operations between Universal Music Group's MCA Nashville and Mercury Records took shape yesterday, when nine people lost their jobs.

The changes, which pared the combined staff to 86, come two weeks after Bruce Hinton announced his retirement and Luke Lewis, Mercury's chairman and president of new label Lost Highway, gathered MCA responsibilities under him.

"To be even more competitive in the evolving marketplace and better maximize the efficiency of its operations, MCA Nashville/Mercury Records has redirected some of its resources," the label said in a prepared statement yesterday.

Strindberg at Gaslight

Here's an unlikely combination: August Strindberg, Patsy Cline and Cloris Leachman.

Miss Julie by August Strindberg will be performed Sept. 25-26 by the Southern Writers' Theatre and New Day Productions at the Gaslight Lounge, 167 Eighth Ave. N. in downtown Nashville.

The cast is to feature Shelly Rae Hunter, Amanda Lane and Stephen Powers as Jean. Co-directors Jaz Dorsey and Jennifer Day plan to incorporate some of Patsy Cline's songs into the proceedings; preshow music will be from Leachman's album, recently recorded in Nashville.

The evening is expected to last from 6 to 8 p.m. and will be free to the public, although a large tip jar will be available.

Last night's planning commission meeting ended in a hung jury. After five votes and 2 &1/2 hours of listening to us discussing the pro's and con's, they could not arrive at a decision. The businesses are definitely out, but the Caseys want to add 7 houses in place of the businesses (I expected that). The engineer representing the Caseys stated that the 50' berm and trees will discourage youngsters from entering the cemetery. I told the commission that that plan would be a magnet for kids on bikes and all sorts of activity. As a result, a fence will be constructed between the Casey property and the cemetery.

There are still problems about drainage, availability of water, and, most importantly, entrance onto Westwood Drive. This is now a cul-de-sac with 20 houses. It came to light that the Caseys can, in fact, have an entrance on Papermill Rd. (runs behind the cemetery), but that it will be costly to construct and meet the dept. of highway standards. We all voiced our outrage at the Casey decision to try and save money at the expense of ruining the Westwood Drive neighborhood. Several planning commission members were also put off by this. The entrance on 522 South (Front Royal Pike) will need to be moved closer to the cemetery in order to accomodate a turn-in lane. This will likely result in no houses (probably 4 or 5) being built on the south side of the entrance, since it will be too close to the cemetery.

The final action of the commission was to table the re-zoning request (for the second time) and reconsider it again in 60 days. We made the Winchester Star with the headline in the Area Section, "Planner find no decision possible on Conundrum Estates". You can probably pull it up on the internet and read it blow by blow. I'll let you know of any additional news.

Bob

Planners Find No Decision Possible on 'Conundrum Estates'

By: Tim Allen
The Winchester Star

After five votes, the Frederick County Planning Commission still couldn’t come up with a decision on what to do with a potential rezoning that would allow 70 homes off Front Royal Pike.

Attempts to approve, deny, and approve with various proffers failed.

The commission finally voted Wednesday to table the request after almost 2 and a half hours of discussion.

The proposed development lies on about 30 acres owned by Doris F. Casey adjacent to Shenandoah Memorial Park.

Access to the property next to the cemetery where Patsy Cline is buried was the main issue for the commissioners, as well as residents who live next to the development.

The residents on Westwood Drive are opposed to the new development having access through their neighborhood, and favor access only via U.S. 522 or Papermill Road.

Don't Fall To Pieces: Patsy's Back

By: Edna Gunderson
USA TODAY

Patsy Cline, arguably the greatest female voice in country music, returns in pristine form this fall along with 11 admirers who sing her praises on a tribute album.

A remastered version of Cline's "Greatest Hits," which has sold nearly 10 million copies since its 1967 release, is due from MCA Nashville within the next few months and perhaps as early as October, depending on the outcome of discussions for a companion television special. The label will simultaneously issue "Remembering Patsy Cline," an all-female salute that mirrors the hits collection track for track, starting with Cline singing Walkin' After Midnight, the song she sang to win the Arthur Godfrey talent contest in 1957. Her 1961 vocals have been fused to a blues/rock backing track approved by her widower, Charlie Dick.

Current artists tackle the rest of the set, with Diana Krall covering Crazy, Natalie Cole handling I Fall to Pieces and Norah Jones reviving Why Can't He Be You. Other contributions include Michelle Branch's Strange, Amy Grant's Back in Baby's Arms, Lee Ann Womack's She's Got You and Martina McBride's a cappella Sweet Dreams, also featuring Take 5. The album closes with Leavin' on Your Mind by k.d. lang, who early in her career claimed to channel Cline. The late country legend, who died in a 1963 plane crash, would have turned 70 on September 8.

Leon Kagarise may become a household word among Country/Western and bluegrass fans.

A resident of Maryland, he decided in the late-fifties to record the Country music concerts that were occuring around Maryland at the time.

Leon was a professional sound recordist, and got permission from the performers to set his recording microphone next to the main mike.

Because he did this, we have crystal clear performances of the big Country stars of that era, as well as some of the top bluegrass performers of all time.

Leon also recorded the audio portion of TV shows that were broadcast from the concerts, but were not saved on videotape. Patsy Cline, Roy Clark in a bluegrass solo, and episodes of the Porter Wagoner Show are among his collection.

The tapes, recorded on a professional Ampex tape recorder, sat in his basement for years until a bluegrass enthusiast discovered them and encouraged Leon to let others hear them. He got PBS interested, and now Leon is going to be the subject of an upcoming PBS special.

Loretta Lynn Plans Yard Sale

Country Music Hall of Fame member Loretta Lynn will be selling clothing, furniture, dishes and other items during an old-fashioned yard sale set for Oct. 3-4 at her ranch in Hurricane Mills, TN. The sale will include items that have been kept in storage, including an interior set used in the Butcher Holler, KY scenes featured in the film, "Coal Miner's Daughter." All proceeds from the sale will help finance the restoration of Lynn's plantation home, which is now open for tours. Lynn is not expected to be present during the sale but will perform an Oct. 5 concert at the ranch.