Event Reports

The weekend of 14-17 March twenty-two ringers gathered in Pittsburgh to attempt fistfuls of quarter peals. They came from Atlanta, Birmingham, Kalamazoo, Minneapolis/St Paul, New York, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Washington, DC. Twenty-three quarters were attempted, with eight different conductors. Of these, seventeen were successful, twelve in tower and five in hand. Two thirds were of surprise major, and the handbell quarters even ranged up to treble bob maximus.

On Saturday, December 8, 2012, ringers from up to 900 miles away converged on New York for a day of ringing in tower and hand, on stages up to royal, cinques, and max.

Ringing/Peal tour of Dallas and Shreveport organized by Ross Finbow. September 28-30 2012

Ringing and Fun on the Butler Tour of the South on I 20 June 21-27

Details of peals and quarters rung in North America that have been reported in September 2010.

Details of peals and quarters peals rung in North America in approximately the last two weeks.

Eight students and eleven helpers gather in Pittsburgh to explore the delights (and pitfalls) of Surprise Major!

Kalamazoo celebrated Jeff Smith's eightieth birthday with a handbell peal in which Jeff rang, and further ringing, in both hand and tower.

The weekend of 16–18 April 2010 seven Toronto ringers, joined by two from elsewhere, journeyed to Pittsburgh for three days of ringing, including practicing Cornwall, ringing one peal, and five quarters.

Rob Bannister and Rick DuPuy ring their first peal together.

The Miami Guild of Change Ringers focuses on Grandsire Doubles during a 4-day training led by Bruce and Eileen Butler. The training comes shortly after a visit from Worcester Catheral ringer Bernard Taylor who helped set the Miami ringers up with a simulator.

A band of Society of Royal Cumberland Youths was recently visiting the Charleston area and provided the opportunities for three of our ringers to have “firsts” in peal ringing:

Eve Gentieu rang her first peal, ringing the treble to plain bob major at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, Steve Collins rang his first peal of treble bob as the treble to Belfast Surprise Major at Stella Maris, and Noah Smith rang his first peal of surprise, ringing the 4^th bell in Cambridge Major at Grace. Congratulations to all three of them.

An unabridged accounting of the Butler tour to South Africa this past summer written by one of the participants along with quarter peal details.

A Round Table discussion of Recruiting & Retention was held at the AGM among seven ringers who began learning five or fewer years ago. In the hope that their perspectives would be most revealing about the current situation in North America, they were encouraged to discuss how they first heard of and came to ringing, what got them back the second time, and what has kept them coming in the years since. They also discussed reasons they thought others who began with them had dropped out. Their comments provide substantial grist for the Recruiting & Retention effort in North America.

Peal of Double Norwich rung to celebrate 25th anniversary of dedication of Kalamazoo College bells.