This year's MBSI Mid-Am Chapter Band Organ Rally is shaping up to be
fantastic.  At last count 40-plus large band organs will attend!  There
will also be a large number of monkey organs.

The rally will be in Mill Race Park in Columbus, Indiana.  This town is
home to Zaharakos Confectionary, which is a vintage ice cream parlor
that has all its original decor plus its fantastic original Welte
Style 3 Orchestrion!

MMD'ers, you do not have to be registered or be an MBSI member to see
the organs or Zaharakos Confectionary.  Just come to the park on
Friday, July 29th or Saturday, July 30th.  Walk around and enjoy!

There will be organs on display manufactured by Artizan, Wurlitzer,
North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works, Stinson, Molinari, Bruder,
Ruth, and Steenput.  "Whatput," you say?  Yes, Jim Krughoff is going
to bring his large 97-key Steenput Concert Fairground Organ.  With
756 pipes, it is a monster.  He will be featuring master arranger
Wayne Holton's new arrangement of "Star Wars!

Also this year a large _Mystery Band Organ_ will make its rally debut!
The fairground organ is housed in a custom 45-foot long semi-trailer
and the whole unit draws 60 amperes!

A number of MMD'ers talk about building band organs.  This organ rally
is the best opportunity to compare the pipes and construction styles of
the various organ manufacturers and "talk shop" with the organ owners.

Those Musical Box Society members or member guests who have registered
for the rally with rally organizer, Paul Dyer <pauldyer@juno.com>, will
have a great treat in store!  The rally mart this year is _huge_!  Many
people are participating.  The band organ rally mart is in my opinion
the best mart of the year.

At past band organ rally marts I have bought band organ rolls, original
band organ and nickelodeon catalogs, out-of-print music machine books
such as Reblitz and Bowers, "Treasures of Mechanical Music", band organ
facade carvings, KDV Dutch Street Organ Journals, old Hathaway and
Bowers catalogs, band organ recordings, a rare Seeburg G spare motor
for my G, etc., etc.

Also there are always a number of music boxes, piano rolls, player
piano and orchestrion parts, nickelodeon rolls, and piano art glass,
etc.  for sale!  Registrants also get to go to the open houses which
follow the rally on Sunday, August 1.

One collector who will open up his collection for viewing has an
original Wurlitzer 165, a Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina, a Seeburg H,
a huge Peerless orchestrion, a 62 key Gasparini, a Hupfeld Helios
Orchestrion Model III, a Weber Otero, and much more!

Shut off the computer and come!  See ya there!

Tim Trager
Trager@idt.net