Consonance 2006 has come and gone, and has left many wonderful memories in its wake for the 183 folks who attended. The "guest chemistry" was unbelievable this year; Bill & Gretchen, Christo, Marty and the four Puzzlers not only gave great concerts, but they also seemed to be everywhere at all times, contributing their considerable talents, enthusiasm and lots of energy to the general proceedings. Circles were lively and diverse; workshops were interesting and well attended, even the *early* ones. Once again, our Blond Mistress of Programming came through with a schedule that provided something for everybody -- even people who, though they didn't realize it, had always longed to hear a saw/theremin duet or be stuck in a hotel elevator for half an hour.

This year we were graced by the presence of a professional video crew from Market Street Films. Erin, Darrin, Karen and Jim, who met and talked with many of us, are preparing a Filk documentary in which they hope to convey the unique flavor of our music and the special feeling and rapport within our community; in doing so, they have become filkers and filk fans themselves. They were present at many of the events and circles at Consonance, and taped several hours of private interviews as well. We thank them for their openness, interest and willingness to participate actively in our convention. "We have met the Film-Makers, and they is us!"

On Saturday, a 2 1/2 hour memorial circle was held for Cindy McQuillin, who passed away on January 14th of this year. The concert room was packed, and there were few -- if any -- dry eyes. People sang their most beloved Cindy-songs, songs written in her memory, and the songs of theirs that Cindy had particularly loved and often requested. Several times I felt as though she were sitting there beside me as she had for so many years, listening, appreciating and encouraging us all. One of the high points was a recording made by the German filkers. It was a rich and beautiful choral arrangement of "Ruby Wine" by Juliane Honisch, and I know Cindy would have loved it. Many of Cindy's friends from outside the filk community attended and lent their voices to the circle. She was much loved, and will be much missed.

The Interfilk Auction raised over $3,000 this year, mainly because the art of "wenching" has evolved into a team sport complete with uniforms (!) and precision maneuvers (!!). When there were ladies to be wenched, GOH Bill Roper and guitarist Tony Fabris even joined the fun. (Unfortunately for the ladies, uniforms were not required for the guys.) Kathleen Sloan, her hench-wenches and all the auctioneers are to be commended for an event as fully entertaining as any other at Consonance.

On Sunday the con showed no signs of slowing down. Puzzlebox performed a parents'/kids' concert (that's *two* concerts after only a week of rehearsing together, folks!). The two-fer slots were much sought after, and as always they were diverse and fun to hear. Finally, the ever-popular and boisterous Rock Jam segued into a huge Schroedinger's Con Filk (aka "Dead Dog") which conclusively proved that the Con was still very much alive into the very wee hours of morning. People just didn't seem to want Consonance 2006 to end.

As Chairman of Consonance, I was doubly blessed this year. I had fun *and* was reasonably relaxed for the whole weekend, primarily because of the unflagging help and support of the World's Largest Filk Concom. Heartfelt thanks go to: Alan, who performs miracles with money while the rest of us try to see how much we can spend; Jo, who makes registration look easy and badges look spiffy; Kitty (Info-Purple), who tells us where to go, and who made the CMQ memorial ribbons; Seanan, who knows every filker in the world and manages to warp time so everything fits into her schedule; Kristoph, Mud, Dave and John O, who make the concert music audible and the trains run smoothly and on time; Colleen and Devon, who keep us well fed and caffeinated; John & Mary, who keep the dealers happy; Heather S., who moved mountains of equipment *twice* so we could have an Internet Lounge; Lee, who took on the program book at the last minute and did a great job; Alan, who took on the songbook at the last minute -- and, yes, he did a great job, too; Karl, (Fab Webdude), who maintains our website and makes me write timely Progress Reports; and our logistics crew, Chris O (the Opt In/Opt Out Bracelet Lady), John O, and Lynn, who ferry our guests to and from the hotel, arrange meals at local eateries and procure weird instruments (Lynn), and generally make sure that there are no loose ends for the con to trip over. I would also like to give special thanks to pro tem staff members Alison Stern, Emmy Savitzky, Mary Anne Westfield, Robin Baylor and Beckett Gladney. Their help with the littlest filkers was indispensable this year.

In fact, everything worked so well, I actually *want* to be Chairman again. Nobody quit. Heather Jones volunteered. So... here we go again! All aboard for Consonance 2007 -- "Bringin' It All Back Home." Hope to see you there!