The La Honda Voice

It Started at the Cuesta Pool...

Joel and Angela Mansfield met in the 1960s in La Honda. He was  a lifeguard at the pool. She and her family spent summers at their family cabin in Cuesta.  As part of the choir at Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church during the summer, Angela's mother played the organ, Joel played the mandolin and Angela sang.

 

Angela and Joel Mansfield

This year on July 29, 2012, the couple celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary at Our Lady of Refuge with a blessing at Sunday Mass and a barbecue on the church grounds afterwards. Family and friends joined the local church community in celebrating the couple's 40 years together.

Although Joel and Angela Mansfield

Father Charles and the Mansfield choir

 have lived in San Francisco for most of their married life, La Honda has always occupied a special place in their hearts. Besides driving from San Francisco twice a month to provide music for Mass at Our Lady of Refuge, they have spent hours at other times cleaning and polishing, doing general repairs and helping out with fundraisers. Their children, who are now grown and living away from home, "grew up" singing and playing instruments with their parents at Our Lady of Refuge.

Back in 1973 Joel and Angela were asked to play regularly at Our Lady of the Pillar in Half Moon Bay, where they provided music for 17 years on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. But with three children they found their life growing more hectic and time in short supply and so they

The cake was baked and decorated by Angela's sister

decided not to make the weekly drive to Half Moon Bay from San Francisco. For many years now they have "commuted" to La Honda where the whole family and now just the two of them have played and sung at least two Sundays a month. For the past 20 years they have also provided music for the children's liturgy at their local San Franscico parish --the Church of the Epiphany.

Familly and community enjoying the celebration

True to their giving nature, the couple not only supplied the music on this day, they also brought  the food and planned the anniversary celebration--right down to games that were played after lunch.

They may not reside  in La Honda but they have certainly given much to our community.

 

The Face of Local Music - Gary McArthur

Gary at the 2012 La Honda Fair

by craig eddy

It's always a challenge to pick the next person to be interviewed for The Face of Local Music.  This month I decided to feature Gary McArthur because he plays around the area as much if not more than just about anyone.  Gary has been in La Honda for ten years and in that ten years has established himself as a go to player who more than likely will make himself available to play. Gary plays currently with Saxyman and the Ladds, Pel and the Pelicans, and Claddagh. He will sit in with just about anyone, anytime. Gary started out playing flute as he was a big fan of Jethro Tull. He started learning to play at 19. Just about the time he made the move to La Honda he decided to pick up sax.  Didn't take him long before he was jamming with La Honda friends at the Bill Seright jams. I asked how he was able to pick it up so fast.  "Oh, I bought a book" is his reply. His first musical connections in La Honda were Lisa Kelly and David Elias. Gary is smart enough when asked if there is a favorite local musician he likes to play with to say there are too many great local players to pick just one. I asked Gary to tell one memorable gig story good or bad.  He tells of playing a gig in Tapai where a woman yells "play Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree and I'll give you a hunderd bucks!" They conferred and decided to give it a try. Halfway through the first verse Gary left the stage, walked up to the woman, reached into his pocket, took out the 100 dollars and apologized saying they didn't think they could get through the whole song. WhenI asked Gary which of the local venues he likes playing most he claims the San Gregorio Store has great acoustics and the Cafe Cuesta has the great patio and stage setting. Gary can be seen all over the area playing at the local venues. July 28th Gary will be playing with The Remnants at the San Gregorio store at 2pm. Saxyman and the Ladds will be at Applejacks on August 25th.