The Steel Guitar Forum

can't find anything for 2020???

Same here. I sent my dues in January and haven't received my membership card yet. With Martha Randall passing away things have changed. I have been waiting to book a room at the hotel to get the dates. Latest posts say no spring show and no monthly jams this year.

no super show??? this is sad but it seems that's the way all things Steel guitar are going.

Stuart, there's no word on the Super Show yet. I was referring to the spring show usually held in March. Charlie rarely reads the Forum and I'm not sure who does their web page. Maybe Eddie Lane? Last word was the Super Show will be held in July. I just needed the dates. Soon as I have a confirmed date I will post it.

I'm sad to read this. Although I haven't played the last several shows, I hate that a once thriving show, seems to be going down hill. Hard to understand. Someone in charge should let the public know what is going on. Larry

If I have a show would you all come. The last one I had was a flop.

If it had not been for Charlie and Rosemary taking over the organization would have been forced to fold a long time ago. They have put a ridiculous amount of hard work and a fair amount of their own money in to it.

It has not been financially viable for quite some time. The simple fact is that it costs a lot of money to run a club and put on any sort of show at all. The numbers are not there to support it. That shows there is not enough interest. All things must pass.

This should not be construed as any sort of official announcement for the club as I am not affiliated in any way, I just happen to know some things about it. There may be some way to salvage it but don't hold your breath.

Anyone who wants to help the club by pitching in an extra thousand dollars or so, or who has any bright ideas or is willing to work their butt off for nothing but criticism should contact Charlie Steichen.

I have never played at the current location. I always liked the community center. The atmosphere was great there. Charlie and Mary had to overcome some issues to keep the club going and I compliment them for that.
Maybe they should think about a cheaper location such as the VFW or American Legion and get back to inviting more locals again. Just a thought and good luck.

I wasn’t trying to point fingers or blame anyone.
Just surprised to find out what was happening.

Well, I just read the posts about The Ozark Steel Guitar Association. I have been sick for 3 weeks and haven't checked the forum. My last information was that the July Super Show, July 24 and 25 is on the schedule. Also, the Christmas Jam is on the schedule. Yes, bimonthly jams have been canceled and the Spring Show cancelled also. There is one reason for this. There is not enough money in the bank account to pay for for them. I am not an officer..just an advisor but here is what I know.
The association has been running in the red for a number of years. The venue for the shows and rooms for big name players have to be paid for in advance. Plus $500 or so for these big name players to play the shows. Our president has been putting this on his credit card if the money wasn't there and hoping dues would come in and enough paying people would show up to to pay it back. Most of the time that didn't happen. A lot of other steel guitar associations are struggling also. Example..it cost approximately $5000 to $6000 to do the July show when we put on the caliber of show everyone has gotten used to.
I hope people will get behind the association but if they don't I'm afraid it's not going to make it.

Can I ask a stupid question? Why is the Baxter Springs, Kansas Show doing great? That Show starts on Thursday and goes all the way through Sunday, and everyday is packed with players and audience.

More info on the status of the Super Show would be very helpful, if anyone knows anymore. Thanks so much for the information and many thanks to the people putting it on previously.

Note: I checked their Facebook page and it says they will have the Super Show and that is dated 6 Jan of this year from their board.

Thank you Eddie for the info. I hope the show is sustainable. At 70 I can't do much more than attend the events and share information to promote the shows. I bring anyone I can round up along and donate when I can. I do believe that information about activities and club news is a weak link in our organization. I have nothing but good things to say about my experiences with the OSGA Ozark staff and accommodations. While I do live in Missouri, it's 4.5 hours to Branson from home. However I am willing to assist in whatever way I can. Keith Hilton raised an interesting question. How does Kansas do it? I have attended that show since 2013. Had to dig up that information from members, as it was never posted much here on the forum.

Larry, thanks for the post. You are much appreciated my friend. Keith stated that he had a stupid question. Well, Keith is a very good friend of mine and the question he asked is far from being stupid. I wish I had the answer. As I said, I am not a club officer so maybe I should leave this to them. But, I do know that the cost of a place to have the shows in Branson is expensive. Probably much higher than in Baxter Springs but I don't know that for sure. Plus OzSGA has always paid big name players to come in, and their motel rooms. I know we are going to have to cut costs some way to survive. And, in Branson, there are shows going on in the theaters while our steel guitar show is going which
may hurt our crowds. I know it makes it very hard to get musicians for the band. They have to switch off.
The people who run the Baxter Springs show are also very good friends of mine and they should be highly commended for putting on their great show...and being successful. All I know is we are going to have to figure out how to cut costs and get more interest.

Eddie, I know you work as hard as possible to help make the shows a success. I agree with you on Branson being a tough area for the organization to thrive. I love this show and it's been the highlight of my yearly steel guitar fix. I certainly hope things get better in the future and more members attend the Super Show. Thanks for your contribution to the shows.

I don’t mean any disrespect and hate to play the devil’s advocate, I’m throwing my idea out there, but I actually think it’s a good idea not to do the spring show. I think that alone will save some money to put towards the super show in July. I’ve heard it said that if people don’t attend the jam sessions, why would they want to pay to see the same players at the super show. I don’t mean anything bad or disrespectful, but Scotty always had a talent search for people to play to see if they were good enough to play the main time slots. Let’s be honest, in order to sell this thing, we have to have two or three big names and they need to be able to play longer than 25 minutes. That’s one of the reasons why in all the years I’ve played the show, I’ve never asked for a dime. I don’t know who all Charlie pays or how much or if he’s paying locals or close by players, but for the sake of the organization and being able to get top names, Charlie may need to be a little more conservative with the pay. He also needs to be a little more conservative with who play’s the main time slots. I realize that the steel guitar show is fun and you want to give everyone their time to shine, but at the same token, you have to run things like a business and make decisions that’s not always going to suit everyone. I wish I knew more answers to this, but the only thing I can really suggest, is that it has to be something that’s going to spark more interest in other musicians and the current members plus trying to get new members for the association. I enjoy doing the show and want to do all I can to keep it going, but I think some tough decisions are going to have to be made.

I always enjoyed playing the Branson show. Terry Bethel was very kind to me and let me play about every show after my first one in about '98. They were really good shows back in those days.
Jerry

I just received my membership card and a note saying only 27 members had paid in so far. I was shocked by this information. No wonder Charlie has to trim the extra monthly jams. I will be scouting for more members and add some of my family to the roster. I think it's sad we have so many steel players that fail to support the local area clubs. $20 a year is less than our dinner at a fast food restaurant. I believe we can do better than this.

So far no harm done, It seems the jams and the spring show would have been canceled anyway because of covid-19!

We have many great steel players in Missouri and surrounding states that use the show as a connecting weekend. I would say that all give their talent and time to Osga free except for the backup band which makes all players sound good. I wonder how many people would come if we had only the players that donated their time and talents? I think we also need to look at what the Illinois show does with the Shriners. There’s lots of money being donated there. I believe The Baxter show is done this way correct me if I’m wrong. I would love to see the OSGA succeed. Eddie and Charlie your thoughts

OZSGA sorry about that

Bill Dobkins wrote:I have never played at the current location. I always liked the community center. The atmosphere was great there. Charlie and Mary had to overcome some issues to keep the club going and I compliment them for that.
Maybe they should think about a cheaper location such as the VFW or American Legion and get back to inviting more locals again. Just a thought and good luck.

Where can some one send a donation.

Thanks for the thought and interest. Our address is
Ozark Steel Guitar Association
PO Box 2361
Branson West, MO
65737

The board however requests that in lieu of donations to the club at this time, you make donations to your local food pantry. At this time there are a lot of folks needing help. Together we can get through this difficult time.
When things normalize we will gladly accept your help.
KEEP STEELIN
CHARLIE STEICHEN