Forty years of music at old Seminary School

Some folks gathered at the old Seminary School recently to celebrate 40 years of county music, dancing and just plain old fellowship and fun for the whole family – no age limit either way.

That has been the formula for all four decades, which probably accounts for the longevity of the tradition. Pat Swofford, and her son-in-law and daughter, Ed and Shelia Rickman, shared the story and philosophy of the Seminary School friends, the musicians – known as “The Country Echoes” – and all those who attend the Saturday night get-togethers.
A Little History
“The Country Echoes observed their 40th anniversary on Saturday, June 18, with a barbeque supper enjoyed by more than 70 people,” Pat Swofford said. “All had a good time listening and dancing to the music. All took a break and ate cake, berry and apple pie, and homemade ice cream.
 “We used to meet at our houses for the music, but soon, so many people were coming, so we started playing at the Kaskaskia Sportsman Club,” she said.
Pat and her late husband, Jim Swofford, started the “Country Echoes” and began playing at the Seminary School house, located south of Hagarstown in June 1971.
Although Jim Swofford and many of the original group have passed on, their families and many friends have kept their spirits alive. Pat said that Ed and Shelia Rickman, and everyone who comes on a regular basis, really help to keep it open and their memories alive.
They have seven to 10 musicians and singers each Saturday night, and only three are original members – Pat Swofford, Shelia (Swofford) Rickman and Jo Ellen Logue.
They miss the original ones, “But we enjoy everyone that comes to dance,” Pat said, and new visitors are always welcome.
Dancing Slow and Easy
Pat said they do not have square dancing anymore, as their callers, Virgil Craig, Lawrence Swofford and Archie Bolyard, have passed on.  “We used to have our ‘Little Echoettes’ square dancers, but they are all grown-up and have kids of their own,” she said. “But the old folks love to dance or just sit and watch and listen to the music.
Ed and Shelia’s Thoughts
Ed Rickman said, “It is a family thing. Children of all ages are welcome. No alcohol or drugs are allowed. There is no charge, and anyone who plays an instrument, is learning to play and needs practice, is welcome to join us.
“Anyone who wants to can sing. We don’t have karaoke, we just have live music. We are pretty fortunate with the group of guys who play here now,” Ed said.
The musicians include Marion Torbeck, Russell Knight, Monte Freeman, Charlie Hull, Makayla Roach, and Edna Rench, Denise Knight and Shelia Rickman sing. Donnie Roach and Bill Lineberry help out.
“We’re pretty fortunate,” Ed said. “They all come down and donate their time.” As does Ed, who plays the guitar.
A loyal member is Dorothy Wyant. “Kind of the backbone of the operation, Dorothy is,” Ed said. “She takes care of the kitchen, and Shelia helps her.”
“This was the first place Maykala ever played in public – she was just 6 years old. She grew up down here,” he said. “Her brother, Dane, plays guitar down here sometimes.”
“We are pretty proud of it, he said.
“It is all free – we don’t collect at the door or anything. We want you to come in and bring your family,” Ed said.
“I’ve been coming down since 1972, and they had been here about a year. My dad played down here,” he said.
Romance Bloomed in Seminary School
Shelia and Ed met at the Seminary School dances when they were young children. Ed’s dad was a well-known, talented, musician, “Slim” Rickman. Shelia’s dad, Jim Swofford, was also a talented musician, so it was almost inevitable that they met.
“I was just about nine years old then,” Shelia said. “I started coming down before my mom died, I was 10 when she died,” Ed said.
“We grew up down here and we knew each other forever. We would go to her house and our dads would play music together, so everything just fell into place,” he said.
Their birthdays are on the dame date. He was 21 and she was 20 when they married.
The School Building…
…brings back memories of an era gone forever. Although they have cleaned, painted, polished and spruced up the old two-room school house, they have left most of it, structure-wise, as it originally was.
They added a partition or two for convenience (for the kitchen), but he pointed out where the old furnace stood and the cloak room, and the old blackboards are still in place on the walls in both rooms. And somehow, it seems appropriate for the ol- fashioned fun and fellowship that takes place within those walls now.
The Harmony is in More Than Just the Music
“I believe one of the reasons it has lasted through the years is that the guys we play down here with, years ago, we used to camp together, then all of us got rid of our campers,” Ed said.
“But we still get together and sit around and have barbeques. Russell started building a house around the corner, so we have been going over there, helping him,” he said. Shelia added, “Everyone knows a little something (about building).”
“I guess that’s the reason we get along so good down here,” Ed said, “because it’s not just the music – we are all friends. They help you out when you are down, if someone gets sick or are in the hospital, they check on you and your family.”
“If someone doesn’t come (to the dance) for a couple of weeks, someone is checking on you, to make sure you are all right,” Shelia said.
And that neighborliness just spills over on others.
Come on Down…
The public is invited to go down to the Seminary School dance on Saturday nights and, “bring your children, even if it is a baby,” Ed said.
However, he warned, “If you bring a baby, you probably won’t get to hold it much, because it will get passed around.”
The kitchen serves sandwiches, snacks and soft drinks.
“When you come down here, you aren’t going to get the five-star music, but you will get a lot of friends – they will be glad to see you. It won’t be how much you go put in the kitty; it will be, ‘How are you doing?’”
Ed has been putting up signs to guide people.
Directions to the Seminary School are:
• From Vandalia: go west on Old Ill. Route 140, take 400 East approximately 4 miles. • From Mulberry Grove: Go east on Old Ill. Route 140 to 400 east, approximately 4 miles.
It is a charming, scenic, drive, going up and down a hilly, woodsy country road and across a creek. The school is on top of a hill.
For more information, you may call Ed at 367-1506 and leave a message.
 

Pat Swofford and her son-in-law, Ed Rickman, are working together to keep alive the Seminary School music gatherings and the late Jim Swofford’s memory.