Patrons of the arts and letters will fondly recall several (but too few) evenings at Salisbury State University, when a band of talented and gutsy performers, writers, actors, musicians, sound-makers and other creative creatures gathered together to produce Radio Free Delmarva.

Led by the multi-talented (and never still) Van Williamson, and his writing-partner, Jack Purdy, RFD brought to the stage and to the air a wonderful mix of irreverent humour, social commentary, music and sound effects that stodgy old Delmarva sorely needed, and allowed Shore residents to laugh with Van and his friends at all of us, and at America today.

And Van has some interesting friends. Tom Horton, environmental writer and concience of Bay-Area residents, Susan Stamberg, of National Public Radio's All Things Considered, Kelley Rouse, the reticent but gifted news anchor from WMDT-TV, and a host of others joined together for a few hours on Saturday evenings and seemed to say.. "Let's think ! Let's laugh ! Let's have a good time !"

Well, radical thoughts like that can't be allowed to spread across the landscape, and soon, in spite of overwhelming public support and impassioned pleas from ardent RFD fans, the lights went out at Radio Free Delmarva last year.

But, there is happy news.

RFD IS BACK !!!

On April 15, at the Avalon Theater in Easton, Van Williamson, Jack Purdy and their band of irreverent noisemakers took to the stage under the new RFD nomme de plume, RADIO FROM DOWNTOWN. (Van, how DO you come up with these names ?)

In an up-beat but relaxed kind of kinetic frenzy, the players brought back to the stage that wonderful mix of humor, music and just plain fun that marked previous performances.

Van is ring-master of this audio circus, introducing the acts, talking to the audience and "the folks at home" with his best big-time radio voice. He somehow manages to seamlessly blend together a show which includes such disparate elements as National Public Radio's Susan Stamberg, The Bellows Babe, (otherwise known as Brenda Miller / Guerilla Accordionist), Tom Horton, reading a passage from an upcoming book on Smith Island, a rousing set of performances from Big Blow and the Bushwackers, some excellent blues by Chris English, and the special treat for RFD fans, a repeat performance of The Good, the Bad, and the Chicken, an hilarious comedy about the early snake-ranchers on the Eastern Shore of Maryland which Van and his partner in crime Jack Purdy wrote a few years ago.

If you were not as fortunate as we were to attend this performance, not to worry. It will be broadcast in its entirety on Saturday, April 29th, on WESM RADIO, 91.3 FM. Be sure and tune in. It is, as Van likes to say, "Not too far from art."