Welcome to the Walnut Hill Gazette. The month of May sees the site reaching over 68,180 visitors, the average being around 1,000 visits per month. During 2007, we broke an attendance record with 26,442 viewers. Many of these folks are young people from the large art communities in cyberspace, where we have built portal pages such as those at deviantART and Renderosity, to name a few.

This year also marked the Second Annual Poor Man's Pipe Organ Convention held at the Granada Theatre in Old Town Kern, Bakersfield, Kern County, California. This history making event, free to anyone interested in a hands on session with a real pipe organ in a real theatre, was not to be missed. As we process the large collection of media obtained during the event, we shall post it in the days ahead.

May is a tumultous month for the folks in Rocket Town. Major changes are afoot. We now have a community of three at Casa Todd, including hinself, his wonderful lady, and myself. The residence was crowded upon my arrival 15 months ago, is even more crowded now with the addition of Walnut Hill's equipment and my belongings, and we have many items on the tarmac still waiting to be placed inside the house.

We are also experiencing some problems with our Main Data Server. The track ball and keyboard are worn out and we are having difficulty finding replacements due to funding and availability of replacement parts. Many folks have sent in donations to the Relocation Fund PayPal account and we sincerly appreciate these contributions and are grateful to those who made them. Repairs have been made to the existing equipment as of May 25th, but the gear will need to be replaced, as these repairs are only a stop gap measure to keep things running.

Updates to the website will thus be slow in coming. We have lots of redecorating to do on the way to settling things in. Please bear with us during this hectic time. Our first five years are now behind us. Walnut Hill has accomplished its primary mission, and that was to bring the Mighty King of Instruments, the Theatre Pipe Organ, to the masses. After the break is over, look for the company to expand into new territory as we return to the studio with the Sub Urban Cowboys.

I want to thank each and every person who visits this site during this Spring Season and beyond. Without you, our loyal patrons, there would be no Walnut Hill. We are indeed making a difference in the Land of the King, preserving a wonderful and important slice of American and World History. God bless one and all.

Richard Mogridge
Webmaster/Executive Producer
Walnut Hill Productions
Ridgecrest, California

The Allen Organ Company has just released a new Digital Theatre Organ, the Walt Strony STR-4. Walt Strony posted this at the Theatre Organ Home Page mailing list and would like to share it with everyone. We quote him below in blue text:

Hello Everyone!

The room was full of sales representatives from around the world, and I'm happy to say that the organ was a hit.

So many of you have been asking about it, and it may be a while before the official brochures and ads are seen - so, I thought I'd send you a couple of photos I took during rehearsal. These are not professional shots - but they at least prove that the organ does exist!

Walt Strony

Saturday, October 24, 2008, at 8:00 P.M. a program will be held at the Byrd Theatre in Richmond, Virginia, featuring John Baratta accompanying the silent movie classic "Phantom of the Opera" on the Mighty Wurlitzer. Tickets will only be available at the Box Office.

For a glimpse at the original 4/17 Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ, an original installation in the Byrd Theatre, visit this link on YouTube where Jack Moelmann is playing the prelude to their regular movie.

The Poorman's Pipe Organ Convention was held on the First weekend in May, Saturday and Sunday, May 3rd and 4th. Organist who wanted to try their hand at playing a short silent movie were welcome to do so. Jim Spohn provided them with a DVD of the short film each one played so they could practice and get familiar with the movie.

If you have ever dreamed of playing a silent movie on a four manual Mighty Theatre Pipe Organ in a real working theater, was your chance This was a dream come true for all who love the King of Instruments. The Walnut Hill Production team was there with recorders and cameras to cover this historic event.

Jim Spohn, owner of the Granada Theatre in Old Town Kern told us, "I play movies all the time and you can't be any worse than I am." He was kind enough to send a DVD to me containing the short silent film entitled The Paper Hanger's Helper starring Buster Keaton and other silent film greats.

Admission to the Convention was free. The doors opened at 9AM on Saturday and the Mighty Robert Morton Theatre Pipe Organ was available from until 5PM on Sunday. We took sleeping bags and stayed over at the theatre. Lucy's famous Juicy Cheeseburgers and lots of other delectable goodies and beverages were sold in the consession stand. We had the time of our lives listening to and playing that Mighty Theatre Pipe Organ!

The figures below represent the approximate daily hit count for the site since going online on April 2nd of 2004. Counter checks begin around ten in the morning and end around ten in the evening, Pacific Daylight Savings Time. Currently, that total stands at over 68,180 happy campers in the Land of the King!

05/01/2008 - 66,957 05/02/2008 - 67,024 05/03/2008 - 67,079 05/04/2008 - 67,121 05/05/2008 - 67,180 05/06/2008 - 67,213 05/07/2008 - 67,253 05/08/2008 - 67,289 05/09/2008 - 67,341 05/10/2008 - 67,379

05/11/2008 - 67,413 05/12/2008 - 67,441 05/13/2008 - 67,472 05/14/2008 - 67,502 05/15/2008 - 67,533 05/16/2008 - 67,538 05/17/2008 - 67,572 05/18/2008 - 67,621 05/19/2008 - 67,668 05/20/2008 - 67,703 05/31/2008 -

05/21/2008 - 67,749 05/22/2008 - 67,794 05/23/2008 - 67,847 05/24/2008 - 67,883 05/25/2008 - 67,904 05/26/2008 - 67,936 05/27/2008 - 68,021 05/28/2008 - 68,084 05/29/2008 - 68,131 05/30/2008 - 68,182

---

Slow Dog's Place on deviantART

---

Slow Dog's Place on YouTube

There are now 24 videos featuring the Mighty Conn 650 Analogue Electronic Theatre Organ now available for audition at The Slow Dog's Place on YouTube. Click here to view them all. Stay tuned for more in the days ahead.

Walnut Hill Productions is still in somewhat of a bind from a business perspective. Household and personal expenses are taking a hefty slice out of the money Doc gets, as he is disabled and on a limited income. Replacing his personal property and the musical equipment lost after the relocation from Tennessee early in 2007, along with aquiring and maintaining a new residence, is continuing to be quite expensive and is by no means completed. We cannot determine how long we will be at our current location. Permanent office and residentual space is needed for this tiny entity in the High Desert.

Most of the company's original equipment was left in Tennessee due to the high cost of shipping. These items must eventually be replaced. Many have been. Below is a partial listing of the items we need for the studio in order to get back to the recording sessions Doc would like to complete, including albums from the Sub Urban Cowboys and Doc at the Mighty MidiTzer.

Doc and Tom Hoehn have created a Pay Pal account for easily and securely receiving contributions from all who want to see this relocation take place, which will allow Walnut Hill to make major strides forward for the King of Instruments.

Below is a listing of those who have genorously contributed funds and items to date:

Name Tom Hoehn Gareth Howells Jim Reid Cyrus Roton William Spalding Larry Chamberlin Kent Allman Fred Willis Joseph Loewy Ronald Shreve Dan Rowland Eleanor Winnemore Earl Hurty Edward Burnett

Amount $ 50.00 $ 50.00 $300.00 $500.00 $100.00 $100.00 $100.00 $200.00 $ 50.00 $ 25.00 $ 50.00 $100.00 $ 35.00 $ 50.00

Method PayPal PayPal PayPal Check PayPal Check PayPal PayPal PayPal PayPal PayPal Check Check PayPal

Name Bob Upward Paul Kealy Fred Willis Mister Todd

Item Zoom H4 Conn 650 A/V Gear Office

Description Recorder Organ Studio Residence

These most kind and generous folks have earned memberships in the Walnut Hill Organ Club and will be notified of their membership status when the club goes official. We have decided to push forward with the organization while awaiting an ATOS charter. We will post our progress in the Gazette during the fledgeling phase of this project.

The first thing to do is find ten ATOS members who want the charter. When the chapter is official and viable as a public entity, Club members will receive printed certificates and membership cards, plus access to the WHOC online community via direct email notifications. This is just a small token of appreciation for all who are making the Walnut Hill website possible and freely available for the world to enjoy.

Funds received to date: $1,710.00

There are other pledges pending. Anyone can contribute as much or as little as they see fit by clicking the "Make a Donation" button above. You can also send checks via standard mail to the following address, should you choose to not use the Pay Pal account. Please make checks payable to Richard Mogridge, with the words "Relocation Fund" in the memo line. The address is:

If you have questions about the relocation fund, you can call the Bone Doctor at the Walnut Hill Office of Operations to learn more.

That telephone number is 1-727-230-2610.

All contributors will get recognized at the site should they choose, or they can remain anonymous, simply by letting the Bone Doctor know their preferences via email.

This is a major move forward for Walnut Hill Productions, one of the fastest growing TPO sites on the internet. Become a part of history by making your donation today. Please help us to continue the work we are doing as we continue to grow, adding new features and more services such as broadcasting audio and video for all to enjoy. You'll be glad you did.

We are thanking you in advance for your generosity and support in this grand endevour.

• Richard Mogridge - The Control Room
  All about recording the King of Instruments
• Tom Hoehn - Console Up!
  How to play the Mighty Theatre Pipe Organ
• Per Olof Schultz - Skandia WurliTzer
  The last WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ in Sweden
• Russ Ashworth - Mighty MidiTzer
  Playing the Theatre Organ virtualy every day!
• Jim Reid - Hauptwerk
  Martyn Dyde's highly accurate virtual organ from Crumhorn Labs

Download MidiTzer Version 0.88

Did you ever imagine you could put a Theatre Pipe Organ inside your computer? Well, now you can, with the Mighty MidiTzer by Jim Henry and Crew Glazjev. Best of all, it is absolutely free!

Just click the picture to the left to get started on your way to playing the Style 216 2/10 Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ virtually every day!

Listen to the Mighty MidiTzer!

Below are some cuts from various Featured Artists here at Walnut Hill that will give you an idea of what the Mighty MidiTzer sounds like.

1. The Bone Doctor - Higher Ground
2. Tom Hoehn - Crazy
3. Gerhard Kletchowitz - Little Orphan Annie
4. Frank Vanaman - The One I Love