The Poland Historical Society will hold its April meeting on Wednesday, April 20th at 7pm at the District #22 School House along Route 26. Our April meeting will feature a very interesting presentation by Bill Dalbec and Neil James on the history of a violin made in 1878 by J.H.Schellinger of Poland.
Bill Dalbec is a retired facility manager, who collects violins and fiddles, as well as plays and sings in the Don Berry Band String, a Southern Maine bluegrass band. He came upon a J.H.Schellinger violin via an acquaintance and was very impressed by the maker. He and his wife, Janet then began their journey to try and understand J.H. Schellinger’s life and his driving force to perfection as a violin maker. Hopefully during the upcoming lecture and dialog with the Poland community, more information will be acquired and shared on this remarkable individual. A J.H. Schellinger violin will be on display and will be played by Dalbec and local son Neil James of Poland, who now owns the instrument. James has been playing music around the state of Maine for over a decade. He holds a BFA in Theatre from USM with a minor in music.
There will also be an opportunity for attendees at the meeting to also play the instrument. Following the presentation, a business meeting will be held and refreshments will be served. Monthly meetings are free and open to the public. The Poland Historical Society welcomes all those interested to attend.
Neil James with the Schellinger violin
The Schellinger violin