3 Fox Drive

Born in upstate New York's Adirondack Mountains, Kim, Joel, and Barb Fox were introduced to bluegrass as youngsters by their parents. By the late 1980s, they had established themselves on the northeastern bluegrass circuit. Kim earned the prestigious "Chris Austin Songwriting Competition Award" shortly after its inauguration, and throughout the first half of the 1990s, the group continued to build its reputation.

They signed with California's Sierra Records in 1996 and released two albums. One of Kim's songs, "The Dream," reached #1 on the Bluegrass Unlimited single airplay chart. By 1997, the Fox Family was nominated for the International Bluegrass Music Association's (IBMA) Emerging Artist of the Year award – a springboard for the genre's soon-to-become household name acts.

Now known as 3 Fox Drive, the group is based in Nashville. Kim has been nominated several times as Female Vocalist of the Year for both IBMA and SPGBMA. The group features Kim Fox – lead vocals, guitar; Barb Fox – vocals; Joel Fox – banjo, baritone and lead singer; Jim Reed – mandolin; Mike Anglin – upright or electric bass; and Meghan Lynch – fiddle player and tenor singer.

Meghan won the National Fiddler Championship at age 8, and then again at ages 10, 11, and 12. She recently returned to competition, winning the title again in 2005 and 2006. She also owns 6 California State titles and 1 Minnesota Championship, has release solo works, and operates instructional fiddler camps.

Here's a special tip from Bloated Toe: if you'd like to see for yourself just how good 3 Fox Drive is, try this link – http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/three_fox_drive/artist.jhtml, and you'll be able to view the video "This Little House of Mine." And you'll be hooked as a 3 Fox Drive fan forever. Guaranteed.

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Sheri Amsel

Sheri Amsel, known as the Adirondack Illustrator, has been writing and illustrating books for seventeen years. Her lifelong interest in nature and the outdoors led to degrees in botany and zoology. She went on for a master's degree in anatomy and biomedical illustration, with an internship at the Smithsonian Institute in scientific illustration.

Sheri's work has included writing and illustrating nonfiction science and nature books for children and field guides for adults. She has also been involved in school and library workshops, outdoor education, and nature trail development. She has created murals for museums, outdoor education facilities, and conference centers, and taught anatomy, physiology and biology at three colleges before "retiring" into her studio to work on books.

Sheri owns 30 acres of forest, wetland, and river in the Adirondacks, used as a permanent wildlife preserve and educational nature trail for schools and outdoor enthusiasts. She works out of her home studio in the Adirondack Mountains.

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Bridget Ball

Strong words. Strong melodies. Strong performances. These are what have put Bridget Ball in front of audiences from the Smithsonian to concert halls and festivals, to radios in living rooms and dashboards across the country.

Bridget was born and raised in central New York State. Her music was born and raised there, too, in the tap rooms and taverns, hardware stores and kitchens of a people living and dying, laughing and loving in the crossroads of America. Bridget has eight recordings to her credit, each of which has enjoyed heavy airplay on radio stations nationwide that feature folk/acoustic music.

Artists who have contributed to her recordings include such acoustic innovators as John Sebastian, Cindy Cashdollar (Asleep at the Wheel), Garth Hudson (The Band), Artie Traum, Jay Ungar, Tony Trischka, Steve Riley, and Bill Staines. Bridget also has been featured in several public television documentaries, including "Songs from the Heart of the Adirondacks" and "Christmas in the Adirondacks."

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Note: Bridget Ball is also featured on albums with her husband, Christopher Shaw

A native of Niagara Falls, author Kathy Baumgarten is a member of the Military Writers Society of America, and a staff writer for the AMRA News (American Military Retirees Association). Many North Country readers are very familiar with Kathy's work through her column, Jabberwocky, which appears in the Lake Champlain Weekly.

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Larry Beahan is a physician living near Buffalo. He has been an officer in The Niagara Frontier Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club, a governor of that club, and active in its conservation endeavors. He is Chairman of the Niagara Group of the Sierra Club, a member of the Public Health Committee of the Erie County Medical Society, and Secretary of the Allegany State Park Historical Society.

He has been a National Ski Patrol Mountaineering Instructor, and also races a J24 sailboat. He and his wife Lyn travel considerably. In the Adirondacks, she has a preference for condominiums. He is a freelance writer, published in Adirondac, the Allegany Historian, and the Buffalo News.

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Dan Berggren

Dan Berggren is a native of Minerva, NY in the Adirondacks, about 10 miles west of Schroon Lake. He is recognized as one of the finest songwriters in the Northeast, and has released five recordings of original songs.

Dan is professor emeritus of audio and radio studies at SUNY Fredonia and has received the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching. For his outstanding contributions in several fields, Dan was the recipient of the New York State Outdoor Education Association Art and Literature Award, along with several other honors.

He has been involved in the music scene for more than 30 years. Very popular in venues across New York State, Dan has also performed in Connecticut, Kentucky, Michigan, and Vermont, and in Bulgaria, Romania, and Zimbabwe.

But the Adirondacks are his home, and that is reflected in his music. His mountain roots are revealed in all of his CDs, and he has also frequently teamed with other outstanding Adirondack musicians to produce some work you're sure to love.

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Note: Dan also appears on albums featuring Peggy Lynn and Dan Duggan.

John H. Briant

John Briant was born in Theresa, NY, about 20 miles north of Watertown. He joined the state police in 1953, served as Station Commander from 1960-1963, and spent 14 years with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. He received the coveted "Brummer Award" for bravery, and also earned the US Army Medal of Valor.

He is a published poet and writer of short stories, and is the creator of the Adirondack Detective series of books. He is also a member of the Adirondack Center for Writing based at Paul Smith's College.

John has been published in 13 successive anthologies as a member of a writer's workshop group in the Adirondacks, a program funded by the New York State Council for the Arts.

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Patricia Reiss Brooks

Patricia Reiss Brooks was born in Lake Placid, the youngest of six children. Her father, Julian, is best known as the owner of Santa's Workshop, believed by some to be America's first theme park.

Patricia is a graduate of St. Bernard's Grammar School in Saranac Lake, Lake Placid Central High, and LeMoyne College in Syracuse. She spent much of her youth exploring Adirondack trails on horseback. At age 16 she sold her first article to a nationwide magazine for $3.00. She now has over 500 published articles in regional and national magazines and newspapers.

Today Patti lives on a Morgan Horse Farm in East Lyme, CT., where she and her husband, Bob, have raised and trained hundreds of Morgan Horses. Her novel-in-progress is set in the horse world.

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