Monson Jammers award music camp scholarships

    MONSON — The Monson Jammers, who have been playing music in and around the town of Monson for at least 15 years, has raised enough money to provide scholarships to send five local students to Maine Fiddle Camp this summer.

    Bella Santagata (Grade 7) and Shyler Lewis (Grade 8) both reside in Monson. Alex Provost, Aaron Provost and Adam Baird — all 11th graders — live in Dover-Foxcroft.
    The students were notified on May 24 after the Monson Jammers made their decision the previous evening during the regular Friday night Jam.
     Scholarship money is raised by passing a hat during the Friday night jam sessions and also by playing at venues where the Jammers often get paid, in spite of making it clear that they do it just for fun.
    A few weeks ago, the Jammers contacted the music departments in our local schools looking for students who might want to learn to play “traditional instruments by ear.”
    The five students applied before the May 20 deadline. The Jammers agreed that since they were all worthy candidates and that the Jammers had enough money, they would send all of the applicants to the camp this summer.
    The scholarships are worth $250 each.
    Maine Fiddle Camp is held each summer at Camp NEOFA on True’s Pond in Montville.