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In Peterborough, friends and fans gather to celebrate 100 years of Bob McQuillen’s music

Todd Bookman
/
NHPR

A musician, a raconteur, a tunewriter and personality unlike any other.

That’s how friends and bandmates of Bob McQuillen, who died in 2014, summed up his legacy during a celebration in Peterborough this weekend honoring his contribution to the contra dance community.

McQuillen, “Mack” or “Mr. Mack” to many, played in celebrated contra dance bands for decades. He was also a soldier, an educator in the Peterborough school system and, to those who knew him, a storyteller with a foul mouth.

 photo of a band performing at the event
Todd Bookman/NHPR
Sarah Bauhan, second from left, helped organize the event. She played music with McQuillen in the Monadnock region for decades.

McQuillen wrote more than 1,500 tunes during his career, and was honored by the National Endowment for the Arts for his contribution to contra dance music.

His melodies, including Amelia, named after the daughter of a bandmate, remain in regulator rotation at music festivals across the country.

Editor’s note: Listen to an audio postcard from this weekend’s event by clicking the "Listen" button above. You can also click here to listen to an interview with McQuillen from NHPR’s archives.

As a general assignment reporter, I pursue breaking news as well as investigative pieces across a range of topics. I’m drawn to stories that are big and timely, as well as those that may appear small but tell us something larger about the state we live in. I also love a good tip, a good character, or a story that involves a boat ride.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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