Our History

Click here to view a transcription of James Hutson's 1995 interview with Carolyn Russell (PDF).
 

A Brief History of The Living Tradition
Based on text from Patty McCollom, former President of The Living Tradition, with additional updated information.
 

December 21, 1994 was the official launch date for The Living Tradition as a non-profit organization, but the organization actually started 12 years earlier.  In 1982, Carolyn Russell started hosting informal concerts and dances at her home in Garden Grove, California.  Many of us remember going to Carolyn’s house on warm summer evenings to hear talented performers and to do contra dancing on the patio.

Since the informal inception of The Living Tradition in 1982, to this writing in 2019, there have been four Concert Coordinators.  Carolyn Russell was the first Concert Coordinator and Dance Coordinator from 1982 until 1998, when she retired from active involvement in the organization and moved to Lucerne Valley.  At that point, Steve and Michele Dulson took over as Concert Coordinators.  After eleven years, they turned over the Concert Coordinator position to Gary and Terri Trobridge, who had previously assisted as volunteers for a concert series in Texas.  Gary and Terri managed The Living Tradition concerts for seven years from 2010 through 2016.  At the end of 2016, they turned the concert series coordination over to Ron Bloom and Carol Schryver Bloom, who served as Concert Coordinators through 2022.  Patty McCollom served as Concert Coordinator from early until mid 2023.  Michael Frey served as Concert Coordinator from mid 2023 until early 2024.

The first Coordinator was Carolyn Russell, followed by Rich Di Marco.  When Rich moved out of the area, Lynn Ricketts became the third Dance Coordinator until a job transfer took her to Florida in 2016.  Patty McCollom served as the next Dance Coordinator from 2017 until 2022.  Michael Frey served as Dance Coordinator from early until mid 2023.  In mid 2023, Lynn Ricketts assumed the role of Dance Coordinator, again.

An outgrowth of the monthly concerts and dances was the request by local musicians to have a monthly music jam where beginners as well as seasoned pros could make music together in an informal setting.  Jams feature everything from Celtic music to Blues to Old-Time American music.  Two former Jam Coordinators include Emil Olguin and Patty McCollom.  The jams had last been meeting at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Fullerton.  At this time, jams no longer meet on a regular schedule but instead are organized as special events during the year.

Many thanks to all of the volunteers who have worked tirelessly on behalf of The Living Tradition, so we can continue providing high-quality concerts, dances, and jams to our community.

The Living Tradition Timeline