SF Folk Music Club Summer Campouts

08/14/2025

Labor Day weekend gathering! SFFMC's last summer weekend gathering for 2025 will be from 1 pm on Friday afternoon August 30 until 2 pm on Monday, September 1. We return once again to Camp Herms, a 20-acre camp high in the El Cerrito hills. Most people come to our Camp Herms events for "day use" and go home to sleep at night, but overnight camping for tents and RVs (no hookups) is also available. Rates are very reasonable: adult: $15/person per day for day use or $25/night for overnights. Kids under 15: $10 for day use, $10 per night. There's no advance registration. Just pay at the event by cash or check.

Here are the workshops scheduled at this point for Labor Day weekend, all on Saturday so far:

Saturday August 30
12:30-2 Slow jam including waltzes led by Karen Chester and Nancy Gendel
2-3:30 Quebecois tune session led by David Brown
3:30-5 Old-time (and more) tune session led by Dinah and Noah Stroe

Anyone can lead a workshop! Workshops can go from 11 am to 6 pm on Saturday and Sunday in these time slots: 11-12:30, 12:30-2, 2-3:30, 3:30-5, 5-6. There can be up to two workshops in each of these time slots. Email me at [email protected] if you're interested in leading one and want to schedule it in advance. Please include subject and time(s) preferred. These will be posted on our website and advertised on the Harmony email list. One workshop per person please. You may also sign up to lead a workshop after you get to camp if there are spots left.

More info is at https://www.sffmc.org/summer-gatherings . I hope to see you there! If you have questions about anything other than workshop scheduling, contact event organizer Hali Hammer at [email protected] .

SFFMC Summer Gatherings SFFMC Summer Gatherings! Since 2021, we have held most of our summer holiday weekend gatherings at Camp Herms, a 20-acre camp high in the El Cerrito hills, on the weekends of Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day. Many have come to our gatherings at Camp Herms, mostly for day u...

06/30/2025

SFFMC's July 4 weekend gathering is less than a week away! We now have several workshops scheduled in addition to the Faith Petric film.

Here's the current schedule:

Saturday July 5
12:30-2 Slow jam including waltz book waltzes led by Karen Chester and Nancy Gendel
3:30-5:30 Special showing of Singing for Justice film about Faith Petric, followed by a sing-along and song circle led by Estelle Freedman of songs Faith sang

Sunday July 6
2-3:30 Rounds singing led by Claire Sherman
3:30-5 Songs from a hat led by Danny Hirsch

The gathering will run from 1 pm on this coming Friday afternoon July 4 until 2 pm on Monday, July 7. We will once again be at Camp Herms, a 20-acre camp high in the El Cerrito hills.

If you're interested in leading a workshop or session on Saturday or Sunday and want to schedule it in advance of the gathering, please contact me at [email protected] with your topic and preferred times. We will try not to schedule these at the same time as the film showing.

For more information about our summer gatherings, see https://www.sffmc.org/summer-gatherings or contact event organizer Hali Hammer at [email protected].

SFFMC Summer Gatherings SFFMC Summer Gatherings! Since 2021, we have held most of our summer holiday weekend gatherings at Camp Herms, a 20-acre camp high in the El Cerrito hills, on the weekends of Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day. Many have come to our gatherings at Camp Herms, mostly for day u...

06/22/2025

SFFMC's 2025 July 4 weekend gathering will run from 1 pm on Friday afternoon July 4 until 2 pm on Monday, July 7. We will once again be at Camp Herms, a 20-acre camp high in the El Cerrito hills.

Special event at this gathering! At 3:30 pm on Saturday July 5, we will have a special showing of Singing for Justice, the one-hour documentary film about singer, activist and longtime SFFMC leader Faith Petric. As a thank you to SFFMC for supporting the film, the directors offer this chance to watch it in person, especially for those who were unable to attend earlier screenings. Co-director Estelle Freedman will lead a few songs from the film, followed by a song circle of songs Faith sang – so bring your favorites! The sing-along is scheduled to go until 5:30 pm.

As usual, we can also schedule workshops and sessions in advance of the gathering. If you're interested in leading one on Saturday or Sunday, please contact Daniel Hersh at [email protected] with your topic and preferred times. We will try not to schedule these at the same time as the film showing.

For more information about our summer gatherings, see https://www.sffmc.org/summer-gatherings or contact event organizer Hali Hammer at [email protected].

SFFMC Summer Gatherings SFFMC Summer Gatherings! Since 2021, we have held most of our summer holiday weekend gatherings at Camp Herms, a 20-acre camp high in the El Cerrito hills, on the weekends of Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day. Many have come to our gatherings at Camp Herms, mostly for day u...

05/22/2025

SFFMC's Memorial Day gathering is this weekend at Cedar Rose Park in Berkeley.

Here's the current list of scheduled events:

Saturday May 24
12:30-2 Slow jam including waltz book waltzes led by Nancy Gendel and Betsy St. Aubin
2-3:30 Roundapalooza led by Linda Hirschhorn
2-3:30 Quebecois tune session led by Kerry Parker and friends
3:30-5 Old-time tune session led by Tony Phillips and friends

Sunday May 25
12:30-2 Mostly a ca****la song circle led by Deborah Sandler
2-3:30 Rounds singing circle led by Claire Sherman
2-3:30 Friendly Irish tune session led by Alina Larson
3:30-5 Sing us your favorite song led by Yvette Tannenbaum
3:30-5 Intro to mountain dulcimer led by DJ Hamouris. Cardboard dulcimers provided for 6-8 people, or bring your own dulcimer

Event organizer Hali Hammer writes, "We'll bring about 15 chairs and a pop-up canopy. If you have more chairs or pop-ups please bring them. We'll only set the canopies up as needed, but it will be good to have them there. We will be able to use the on-site barbecue grills. Ed has briquettes and we have lighter fluid. We will have a pot luck dinner on Saturday starting at 6:00. Please bring something to share if you wish to participate." Donations to help defray the cost of our summer gatherings will be happily accepted.

More info at https://www.sffmc.org/summer-gatherings.

See you there!

05/12/2025

SFFMC's 2025 Memorial Day weekend gathering is coming up very soon at Cedar Rose Park in Berkeley on May 24 and 25! Lots of workshops and sessions have been scheduled. Details at https://www.sffmc.org/summer-gatherings . See you there!

SFFMC Summer Gatherings SFFMC Summer Gatherings! Since 2021, we have held most of our summer holiday weekend gatherings at Camp Herms, a 20-acre camp high in the El Cerrito hills, on the weekends of Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day. Many have come to our gatherings at Camp Herms, mostly for day u...

08/27/2024

Lots of workshops at Camp Herms this weekend - don't miss it!

Saturday 11 am: Slow jam including waltz book waltzes, led by Karen Chester and Nancy Gendel
Saturday 12:30 pm: Old-time tune session, led by Tony Phillips and friends
Saturday 2 pm: Quebecois tune session, led by Kerry Parker and friends
Saturday 2 pm: Labor songs, led by Tom Herriman
Saturday 3:30 pm: Salute to the folk singers of the 50s and early 60s, led by Danny Hirsch

Sunday 11:30 am: Rounds, led by Claire Sherman
Sunday 12:30 pm: Funny songs, led by Ed Hilton
Sunday 2 pm: Mostly a ca****la song circle, led by Margaret Miles
Sunday 3:30 pm: Songs from a hat, led by Danny Hirsch

See you there! Details at https://www.sffmc.org/summer-gatherings .

SFFMC Summer Gatherings SFFMC Summer Gatherings! Since 2021, we have held summer holiday weekend gatherings at Camp Herms, a 20-acre camp high in the El Cerrito hills, on the weekends of Memorial Day, “July 4”, and Labor Day. Many have come to our gatherings at Camp Herms, mostly for day use, an...

08/16/2024

Don't miss SFFMC's Labor Day weekend music gathering! It will run from 1 pm on Friday afternoon August 30 until 2 pm on Monday, September 2 at Camp Herms, a 20-acre camp high in the El Cerrito hills. Most people come for day use, but overnight camping is available too.

Scheduled workshops will be on Saturday and Sunday. Anyone can lead a workshop! Workshops will go from 11 am to 6 pm on Saturday and Sunday. These workshops (all on Saturday so far) have already been scheduled:

Saturday 11 am: Slow jam including waltz book waltzes, led by Karen Chester and Nancy Gendel
Saturday 12:30 pm: Old-time tune session, led by Tony Phillips and friends
Saturday 2 pm: Quebecois tune session, led by Kerry Parker and friends
Saturday 2 pm: Labor songs, led by Tom Herriman
Saturday 3:30 pm: Salute to the folk singers of the 50s and early 60s, led by Danny Hirsch

More info about the event is at https://www.sffmc.org/summer-gatherings .

SFFMC Summer Gatherings SFFMC Summer Gatherings! Since 2021, we have held summer holiday weekend gatherings at Camp Herms, a 20-acre camp high in the El Cerrito hills, on the weekends of Memorial Day, “July 4”, and Labor Day. Many have come to our gatherings at Camp Herms, mostly for day use, an...

06/25/2024

Hope to see you at camp! Come for a day or the whole weekend!

Since 2021, we have held summer holiday weekend gatherings at Camp Herms, a 20-acre camp high in the El Cerrito hills, on the weekends of Memorial Day, “July 4”, and Labor Day. Many have come to our gatherings at Camp Herms, mostly for day use, and they loved it!
In 2024, we will return to Camp Herms for our “July 4” and Labor Day weekend gatherings, which will run from July 5 to 8 and from August 30 to September 2.
More info about our Camp Herms gatherings is below.
DATES:
Our 2024 July 4 weekend event will go from 1 pm on Friday afternoon, July 5 until 2 pm on Monday, July 8. (Those who come early on Friday or stay late on Monday are asked to help with setup/breakdown.)

Our 2024 Labor Day weekend event will go from 1 pm on Friday afternoon August 30 until 2 pm on Monday, September 2.

Directions to Camp Herms: The camp address is 1100 James Place, El Cerrito. From the “Circle” in Berkeley, follow Arlington Blvd. for about 2+ miles. Pass Arlington Park in El Cerrito, about 0.6 miles north of Moeser Lane, then turn right off Arlington Blvd. onto Thors Bay Road, then right into the camp at 1100 James Place. (Or use directions from Google Maps.)

RATES for 2024 are: Adults: $25/night per person. Day use rate for adults: $15/person per day. Kids under 15: $10 for day use, $10 per night.

REGISTRATION: We strongly encourage all who come to camp to be fully vaccinated and boosted for covid-19.

There is no pre-registration or pre-payment. Please bring cash or checks made out to SFFMC. Registration will be inside the Lodge (Main Hall), which is the large building to your left as you enter the gate. Parking for registration is in the parking lot across from the Lodge.

You don’t need to be a club member to attend, but you’re welcome to join before or at camp! Membership forms (new members and renewals) will be available at the registration table and are online at https://www.sffmc.org/join-us .

Please note that changes in our plans for these gatherings might be necessary if the air is unhealthy due to smoke. If that happens, we will put out the word as widely as we can. We encourage you to occasionally check the website for possible changes.

ACTIVITIES: workshops, open mics, and informal singing and playing sessions.

WORKSHOPS: Anyone can lead a workshop. Hour-long workshops will go from 11 am to 6 pm on Saturday and Sunday with some extra time in case they run a bit over: 11-12:30, 12:30-2, 2-3:30, 3:30-5, 5-6. There will be two workshops in each of these time frames. We now set up some workshops in advance of camp. Email Daniel Hersh at [email protected] if you are interested in leading one. Please include subject and time preferred. These will be posted on our website and advertised on the Harmony e-list. One workshop per person please.

You may also sign up to lead a workshop after you get to camp if there are spots left. A sign-up board will be located near registration.

Here are some examples of workshops that were scheduled in the past:
Slow jam including waltz book waltzes; Quebecois tune session; Old-time (and more) tune session; Irish tune session; Animal songs workshop; In Harmony’s Way song circle; Songs of John Prine; Songs of Alan Sherman and Tom Lehrer; Jokes workshop (and more!)

OPEN MICS: Sign up at registration to perform or emcee. No outdoor music after 10:00 pm except at the fire pit.

JAMS: Around camp during the day, at the fire circle at night.

THE LODGE: The Lodge will be a shelter for day use in case of inclement weather or a good place to jam. A disabled access ramp is located at one end of the Lodge deck. The lodge has the following facilities:
• The Main Hall is a large room with a stage. Evening open mics will be held in this room; it is available for other activities at other times.
• The North Room has a capacity of about forty-five and available for jamming or other activities at all times.
• Two restrooms.
• There is an additional, smaller third room by the restrooms which might work for small music gatherings or quiet activities.
• A large kitchen, with large stoves, microwave, refrigerators and a freezer. We can use the plates, pans, silverware and serving utensils. WE MAY USE THE KITCHEN, BUT WE MUST KEEP IT CLEAN. Two propane barbecues are available behind the kitchen.

RV CAMPING: RVs are welcome; they can park in the parking lot across from the Lodge, but no hookups are available.

TENT CAMPING: There is space available for tents in all the following areas:
• The Redwood Grove: a large fairly even lot about the size of a football field on a residential street in the El Cerrito Hills, down a hill from the camp lodge. There is a bathroom building at one end. You may drive in to unload or load, but please move your car to the parking lot as soon as possible. Do not drive on areas with wood chips or you may get stuck.
• The Archery Range: at the back of the Quarry, this is the only tent camping area that’s on the same elevation as the lodge. (One streetlight in the Quarry stays on all night, but it is not by the Archery Range.)
• The Rim Campsites: These six campsites, well up the hill from the lodge, are unimproved and somewhat level areas with no toilet facilities. They are located along the Camp Herms property line and some are quite close to nearby houses.

SPECIAL NEEDS: There will be camping spots available adjacent to the parking lot. Please let us know in advance if you need specific accommodations so we can be prepared to make your stay as comfortable as possible.

NOTES:
• Access to the Rim sites is by either a footpath or a fairly steep unpaved maintenance road. We may not drive on the maintenance road or footpaths.

VERY IMPORTANT: The camp has neighbors along the borders of the camp, so all music after 10:00 p.m. must be inside the Lodge with the windows and doors closed or at the fire pit. Any conversation and activity after 10 pm must be quiet outdoors.

PLEASE NOTE: Since this camp is in a developed area adjacent to streets and houses and it has no gate, it is not a secure location. Neighbors use the camp as a walking area and may wander through while we are there. Because of this, we strongly recommend that instruments and other valuables not be left unattended at camp.

REGULATIONS: Since this is a Boy Scout camp, we must follow their rules, including: no pets, no alcohol, no smoking, no sleeping in the Lodge, outdoor music after 10:00 pm only at the fire pit. All required chores must be done before we leave. A list will be at camp.

CHORES: Attendees are asked to sign up for a chore. Chores include registration, cleanup of Lodge, kitchen, Lodge bathrooms and all campsites, and other duties as needed. We need to clean up the camp before we leave.

Day use attendees who come for more than a few hours will be asked to contribute ½ hour of time per camp.

Overnight campers over 12 years old will need to do at least an hour of duty per camp: registration or cleanup of Lodge, kitchen, Lodge bathrooms and all campsites, and other duties as needed. (Extra hours are appreciated, especially for cleanup.) Please sign up at the registration table right after arriving. If you can’t show up for your chore, leave a note at registration so we can cover the time. Last-day cleanup help is especially needed. You can park in the lot until you are finished with cleanup; just vacate your campsite on time.

Since Camp Herms is not a fully secure location, we ask that you please do not publicize this event outside folk music circles.

Questions about camp? Email Hali Hammer at [email protected] .

Join Us! Join us! Become a member Support folk music in the Bay Area by becoming a member of the San Francisco Folk Music Club! You can now join or renew online! New members are always welcome. Members can attend our Camp Harmony New Year’s camp. If you’d prefer to join or renew by postal mail, ...

05/28/2024

I just got a ticket for the Berkeley showing on June 26..
UPCOMING SCREENINGS!
The 9 Lives of Barbara Dane
Feature-length documentary. Dir. Maureen Gosling

Mendocino Film Festival
Festival Tent
Weds. May 31st, 7:30pm
Film screening will be followed by a concert tributing Barbara Dane with Holly Near, Tammy Hall and Special Guest, Pablo Menéndez, from Cuba!

Special Screening
Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley
Weds, June 26th, 7pm
Q&A with Maureen Gosling, Jed Riffe, and Nina Menéndez after the screening

02/17/2024

Sunday February 18th, 2024 at 5:00 PM PST
On Open Mic America Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/

Here is the lineup for the upcoming show:
Mike Simpson - Saratoga, CA
Joseph Isaacs - Columbia, MD
Marylyn Coffey - Huntsville, AL https://www.startlinglyfreshrecords.c...
Rigo Rodriguez and Rodmon King - Amherst, MA https://rigoartist.com
Kevin Thomas - Garnerville, NY https://kevinthomasmusic.me
Madam Who? - Pittsville, MD http://linktr.ee/madamwho
Hali Hammer - Berkeley, CA https://www.halihammer.com
Steve Andersen - Alameda, CA
Steven Paul Medeiros - Madera, CA https://songwhip.com/stevenpaulmedeiros

Visit OpenMicAmerica.com for more info

Listen to Steven Paul Medeiros on any music platform - Free smart music links by Songwhip

12/11/2023

For those of you who don't get this via email, here's my end of the year letter:

12/10/23
Dear Family, Friends, and “Family”,

It’s been quite a year for our dear planet. Words would not adequately express my despair. But my personal life is good, so that’s what I need to concentrate on. Here’s what’s been happening:
Music, as always, keeps me going. Randy and I have been participating in our Saturday night “hoot” song swap for over three years now! We run the campouts for the SF Folk Music Club the weekends of Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day. We’re on Open Mic America (https://openmicamerica.com) every few months, where we play a few songs and are interviewed about the music. We play once a month for LITA (Love Is the Answer) on Zoom for nursing homes and we have resumed live monthly jams at our home. In July, we played with Jimmy Kelly on the Labor Fest boat ride around SF Bay. We help at the SF Free Folk Festival and perform, do workshops, and serve on the committee that puts together the El Cerrito Free Folk Festival. I’m VP of the SF Folk Music Club – I joke that my job is to keep the president healthy! I sing at a lot of the events for CARA, the California Alliance for Retired Americans. On St. Patrick’s Day we sent 12 buses from all over the state to Kevin McCarthy’s office in Bakersfield to tell him to keep his hands off Medicare and Social Security. I wrote parodies to Irish songs for the occasion, and even got to accompany Bowser from Sha-Na-Na on his song since he hadn’t brought his piano! CARA is a political action group that walks the walk and helps pass legislation on issues that affect the senior and disabled communities. We do a lot of good work and have fun as well.
I ran a parodies workshop at the Great Labor Arts Exchange in Baltimore and performed my song “We Can’t Go Back” in their evening concert. Occupella is occasionally back in action. Bonnie Lockhart and I led a workshop on writing parodies at the “Troublemakers School”, part of Labor Notes and have been at a few actions, though not as many as pre-Covid.
I volunteer at Freight & Salvage and have seen some wonderful shows there, including Graham Nash, Pete Escovedo and Pat Metheny. I’m on the committee that hosts the Berkeley UU Open Mics, and volunteer for the East Bay Pickin’ & Fiddlin’ Potlucks. I did some shows on Zoom with People’s Music Network and sing at Enchanted Moon rituals on the full moon. Every October I go to WoMaMu (Women Making Music), with lots of music, camaraderie, and great food. I sang Christmas songs for a “Loaves and Fishes” meal for the needy last week. Randy and I will be performing at “Christmas for Everyone” in Martinez. Our Caroling party will be on the 19th. We’ll ring in the New Year with a bunch of our friends at “Camp Harmony” in Santa Rosa. I’ve decided not to make any more CDs, so when I write a song, I often make a video and post it on YouTube.

As for non-musical activities, I edit the quarterly newsletter for the Berkeley Retired Teachers Association, am on the People’s Park Council and helped run the Park’s 54th Anniversary Celebration. I meet with a weekly women’s brunch group (I’m one of the youngest ones there!)
Right after July 4 camp I flew up to Portland, stayed a few days and came back with my 9-year-old granddaughter Aryvis. She spent a few weeks, then Randy and I drove her back home, and on the return trip, visited friends along the way. Randy has been enjoying the retired life, trips to Harbin and attending the yearly Monterey and Healdsburg jazz festivals.
Our big event of the year was our trip to Italy and Greece for 3 weeks in May. We spent four days in Rome, then took the train to Naples where we did day trips to Pompeii (the dream destination for both of us since we were kids), Herculaneum and the Amalfi Coast, then flew to Greece where we spent time in Athens, Santorini and Crete. I have plenty of photos and info about the trip on my page if you want to see them.

My daughter Bonnie and my son Adam are both working for Kaiser, and his wife Jenny teaches a combination 2nd /3rd grade class. He also coaches high school sports. Granddaughter Amaiya is in the upstairs room with her girlfriend Lauren. Grandson Isaiah came in for a few weeks from Brooklyn in June and played some shows, one at the prestigious Academy of Sciences in SF. Both he and Amaiya have gotten over a million streams each on Spotify for their music! Khadejha and family (Fiancé David, his nephew Alonzo, and my two great-grandkids) are living in Portland OR. She works at home as a staffing consultant. Aryvis is a wonderful artist and singer and plays volleyball. Uriah just turned 4 and is into dinosaurs. Daizha is dancing in Vegas. Adam’s son Quinten is working as a concierge for the Golden State Warriors and his daughter Keira works in a special needs class for the Mt. Diablo school district.
Randy and I got Covid at the end of September while we were waiting for Kaiser to get the booster. No ongoing after-effects and otherwise we’re in good health.
We’ve been going to too many memorials:
RIP Marilyn Naparst, Sharon Tamm, Nancy Polin, Daniel Ellsberg, Bruce Barthol, David Maloney, Michael Delacour, Eleanor Walden, Barry Olivier, Mel Martynn, Gary Hicks, Eliot Kenin, Reed Fromer, Alex Bagwell, Gus Newport, Ilya Lehrman, Kala Levin, Mark Norberg, Vici Casana.

Songs I’ve written this year: Fly Him Past the Moon (parody for Elon Musk), Battle of the Porta- Potty (a People’s Park story), Dear Friend (for Josh), You Took My Breath Away (for Alex) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28yE97xSGzw, and a lot of parodies for our Kevin McCarthy visit. I’ve also been re-vamping several of my older songs:
Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJLqd3MtH5w
America the Beautiful Revisited https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pShE2zj5YdI
Sister Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJTH4MTJ77Y .

Keep your spirits up and let’s hope for peace in the world this coming year. – Love, Hali

[email protected]
www.halihammer.com

Home Well-versed in an assortment of moods and styles, Hali Hammer is an award winning singer-songwriter who enjoys writing and playing a wide variety of music. She has sung and played for peace and political causes for over four decades, is a founding member of Occupella, and plays originals with T...