About Us

Click Here to watch the video: Marini Made Harps (An Inside Look)

Click Here to watch the video: Marini Made Harps (Our Story)

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The article below was published in a Lancaster Newspaper, "The Intelligencer Journal", on December 24, 2002.

The following article was taken from the MusicMaker's Kits 2002/2003 Winter Catalog

Update—December 2006

It has been four years since the article from the newspaper was printed and we have kept busy since then with many harp programs and producing more harp recordings. Alex still teaches school part time and builds harps the rest of the time going full time during the summer months. Since the time of this article, Alex has developed his own line of Italian harps, and a new line of more affordable harps. A ten-string Davidic harp was also added to the variety of harps that are now available. A new book was just released this fall by Alex titled: “Morning Meditations” and is a real inspiration to Christian musicians.

Dena & Joanna are still at home busy teaching private music lessons and have enjoyed taking their harps on mission trips in the last few years (Belize, Grenada, & Haiti). They just completed their eighth recording this fall titled “This is the Day” and have lots more plans in mind for future CD’s. Joanna’s tendonitis in both hands (which started at the end of 2005), together with a house fire in February 2006 (which forced us to move out of our house for six months), slowed us down for most of 2006. Joanna’s condition improved, so we started our family harp programs again in December 2006.

The other children have grown in their music skills, and enjoy participating in family programs. We have combined a number of instruments with the harps to make for an enjoyable program. Sue continues to home school the four youngest children and enjoys being secretary for the harp business and program manager for the family.

The Marini Family—December, 2006
Left: Anthony (16), Emily (12), Joanna (21), Sue & Alex, Paul (14), Dena (23), Mark (10)

Update—December, 2007

Only a year has passed since the last update, but our family life is very different these days..... mainly due to a double wedding. Dena started a courtship with Nathan Hochstetler from Tennessee in January of 2007 and Joanna started a courtship with Stephen Dindinger from Colorado in April of 2007. By July both couples were ready to take the big step and decided to get married the same day. So on Saturday, September 15, 2007, the girls were married in the Chapel at Garden Spot Village (which was a nice facility close to our home). After the wedding Dena and Nathan spent a week in Virginia and then headed west for three weeks.... they are now living in the New Holland, PA, area.

Joanna and Stephen spent the first two weeks on Union Island in the Caribbean and then came to PA for a week to pack up her things and then headed for Colorado where they are now living.

We started up our family programs this month—losing one musician (Joanna) and gaining another member of the group (Nathan). Dena was able to reorganize our programs, and we have been busy ever since early December. We have also scheduled some time at the studio in mid-January so that when Joanna and Stephen come for a visit we can finish a “family CD” which we had started before the wedding. We hope to do some of our family’s favorites and polish it up before the spring conventions.

Anthony (17) is looking forward to graduating this spring, so that he can pursue other interests... like visiting his sister Joanna and working at a cattle ranch in Colorado, and perhaps making another trip to Tennessee. He continues to work part time farming, driving tractor and looks forward to fall harvest time. He enjoys playing the guitar in our programs and also plays the cello.

Paul (15) is quite skillful in many different areas, like music, painting, and juggling. He sings and plays a number of instruments in the programs like hammered dulcimer, flute, piccolo, pennywhistle, mandolin and guitar. He’s a sophomore in high school and looks forward to completing high school as well.

Emily (13) is in eighth grade and has developed her skills in harp playing and has been hired this year to play for special events. Besides harp, she helps in our programs with singing now (since Joanna is gone) and plays the pennywhistle.

Mark (11) has also progressed in his skills as a musician and enjoys entertaining people. He also plays harp in our programs, as well as the mandolin and pennywhistle. He is in sixth grade and does well in his schoolwork, but would rather be reading a good book on a cozy chair.

Sue continues enjoying her responsibilities as homemaker, home school mom, and secretary to the harp business. There were some adjustments to be made after the older girls were married, but life has returned to a normal routine now.

Alex still teaches at a Mennonite high school half time, and enjoys harp making in his free time.... trying to develop new styles of harps and does some writing any chance he gets. He also started learning the harp himself—after making harps for over ten years, he thought he’d try learning to play them. You’ll often find him quietly playing a tune in the late evening after the children have gone to bed. A sweet way to end the day!

Update: December—2008

Another year has swiftly passed by and we find more changes have come upon us... we are now grandparents! We are happy to announce that our second daughter, Joanna, and her husband Stephen had their first baby (Nicolas Stephen) on Wednesday, October 22nd weighing 6 lbs and 15 oz. Grandma and Aunt Emily arrived in Grand Junction, CO, the night before Nicolas was born and were glad to be a part of the welcoming committee.

Nicolas Stephen Dindinger Born: October 22, 2008 -- 6 pounds, 15 oz.	Joanna, Stephen & baby Nicolas December, 2008

We are also happy to announce that our oldest daughter, Dena, and her husband, Nathan, are expecting their first baby (a boy!) the end of February. They just live 15 minutes from us and have continued to help us in our music ministry. We averaged about 4 to 5 programs a month this past year—but this month alone we had 12 programs; which kept us “harping” around a lot. We’re not sure what our music ministry will be like in 2009, but we plan to continue with whoever is available. Paul and Emily are really progressing in their music abilities and have recently been hired to play at weddings and special events as a harp & flute duet, so there is a lot of potential with them. Mark is also progressing in his music abilities and people who have come to our programs through the years have noticed a big change in his skill level lately.

Anthony (18) is at the end of his high school studies, and looks forward to working some for his brother-in-law, Nathan, in construction and also making harps with his father at the shop. He also has done some farming this past fall, but his most recent adventure was herding cattle in the mountains of Colorado the old fashioned way on horseback. He just loved the wide open lands and the beauty of the mountains. We really appreciate Anthony’s contribution to our harp programs... he plays cello and guitar which adds a special touch to the songs.

Paul (16) just got his driving permit and is looking forward to working this summer for his brother-in-law, Nathan, in construction and then graduating from his high school program here at home in the summer of 2010. He juggles many instruments in our programs.... you’ll see him go from the hammered dulcimer to the mandolin, to a penny whistle, guitar, flute... and then sing. He really enjoys recording music on his computer and putting together home videos.

Emily (14) is now a 9th grader and has really put her heart into her music lately. She continues with harp, but also plays flute, penny whistle, bowed psaltery, and sings with Dena in the programs.

Mark (12) is usually the champion at ping pong here at home, as well as many other games. He impresses people at the programs with his ability to play not only the harp, but the mandolin, penny whistle, and the bowed psaltery. Mark is an active guy, and flies through his 8th grade school work, so he can go outside or play a game.

Alex took on a full time teaching schedule this fall which has been a challenge as harp orders have increased. Recently his ten-string Davidic harp became popular with those using harps for ministry to hospitals, and orders came in for his Roma Rosa harp as well. So this year he has been stretched a bit more, but seems to be on top of it. He looks forward to taking the seniors from his school on another trip to the island of Grenada this spring, and was given the responsibility of organizing the whole event. Sue continues as usual at home giving her energies to home schooling, home making, and the home business. She enjoyed her first trip out west to Colorado to meet her first grandchild, and to spend time with Joanna and Stephen. We are truly grateful to the Lord for good health and strength to continue in the work that God has put before us.... until He comes.

Marini Family—December 23, 2008

From left: Anthony, Emily, Alex, Mark, Sue, and Paul

Update: June—2009

On Sunday, March 1, 2009, at 4:59 p.m. Craig Alexander was born to Nathan & Dena Hochstetler. Dena was hoping to have a home birth, but needed to be transferred to the Reading Hospital, and after 41 hours of labor had the baby C-section. Craig weighed in at 8 pounds and 12 ounces and was 21 inches long. Both mommy and baby are doing fine.

Craig Alexander (1 month old)	The Hochstetler's—March, 2009

At the end of May, we enjoyed a family reunion when Joanna, Stephen, and baby Nicolas came from Colorado for a two-week visit to PA. We took four of those days while they were here, and all of us (including Dena, Nate, and baby Craig) piled into our large 15-passenger van and headed to the Marini reunion in Massachusetts where Great Grandpa Marini got to hold his two new great-grandsons for the first time. It was a special occasion to be at the home where Alex grew up in East Bridgewater and to meet with all the relatives again. While in MA, we enjoyed the ocean and toured Plymouth Plantation and went aboard the Mayflower II before returning back to PA. It was a blessing to be all together again and watch the two cousins interact with each other.

Dena (with Craig), and Joanna (with Nicolas) June 5, 2009	Craig (3 months) with cousin Nicolas (7 months) June 7, 2009

The Marini Family (left), Dindinger Family (center), and Hochstetler Family (right) Photo taken: Sunday, June 7, 2009

Update: December—2009

The month of December is always a busy one for our family with all the music programs that we do, although this year we did not do as many as other years (only 8 events compared to 15 some years). Many of them are company dinners, and we still have a couple more programs next week to wrap up our Christmas season. Then we will be putting our focus on the next event…. we’ve been asked to provide music for the “We Care Prison Ministry” in Alabama during the last week of January which will be something new for us.

Alex continues to make harps in between teaching classes at Faith High School, and this year he was asked to take on the administrative position as principal. So far it has been going well and God has given him the extra grace and wisdom needed for that job. He’s working on a new harp design this month that already seems to show potential (a 38-string Regency style with a Roma Rosa sound chamber) and has a number of customers waiting for it. His waiting list for harps keeps growing… which keeps him and the boys on their toes.

Since Anthony graduated high school, he has been busy with farming, and helping his brother-in-law, Nate, with roofing in between his trips to Tennessee and Colorado. The other children continue on with their home schooling, and Paul will be graduating this coming spring…. which will leave us with two students for next year. When Paul’s not doing school work, you’ll find him at his computer editing photos or creating a new advertisement for someone. He has great interests in photography lately, and enjoys going with a couple friends on “photo shoots.” You can see some of his creativity on face book. He continues to enjoy music and developing his skills on the guitar, flute & dulcimer. Both Anthony & Paul have been active with our church youth in helping with “Clubs” on Wednesdays twice a month, which is an outreach to city children in a local town, and they also go weekly to the city of Reading with another group on Thursdays to help with a youth outreach to city teens.

Emily has enjoyed the opportunities she’s had to volunteer at a local private elementary school where she assists a second grade teacher once a week, and she also has been giving private harp lessons in the home here. She amazes us with her harp & flute skills….after Dena & Joanna got married, she rose to the challenge and filled the needed position. She recently bought herself a piano, and you’ll find her often playing it. Mark has been creative at making his own flies for fishing… now he just has to find a market for them. Mark goes with his other two brothers to the shop on occasion to help his father build harps…. but he’d rather be fishing! He continues to develop his harp playing, and many people who have seen us through the years marvel at his abilities. He has also picked up guitar and enjoys playing some new tunes with his brothers. All the children (including Dena & Joanna) have been working on a new family CD for some time now… and we hope to get it finished soon.

Mom keeps busy behind the scenes juggling her many roles as home maker and secretary to the harp business. It’s a challenge sometimes to teach school, invite customers into the living room to try out harps, and keep the laundry going and meals on the table – but it’s a fulfilling job that I wouldn’t trade for anything. This year I have found great joy in being a grandma and look forward to watching my little grandsons grow. I am inspired as I read in the Bible of Timothy’s grandmother, who transferred her faith to her grandson who lived a life that honored God.

As we look to the beginning of a new year, we wonder what this coming year will bring…. happy times or sad times, financial gain or loss, health or sickness – all we can do is trust in the God who is in control of it all and who gives us the grace and strength to face whatever comes our way. One of my favorite verses from the Bible is: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

The Hochstetler Family—December, 2009	The Dindinger Family—December, 2009

The Marini Family 2009

Update: Summer—2010

Since the last update, we’ve had lots of opportunities as a family to minister with music. In January, we took a trip (with Dena, Nate & baby Craig) in an RV to Alabama to participate in the “We Care Prison Ministry” for a week. It was a wonderful experience for the whole family.

We provided a harp program in four different prisons… they made for some of the best audiences we’ve ever played for (very responsive and appreciative).

This spring we were back to the studio working on a family CD which we hope to be finished by the end of this year.

This CD will be special, as it will have many of our family favorites and will include all the children.

One special event that took place this June was when our family took a trip to Colorado (with Dena, Nate & baby Craig) to see our other daughter Joanna, her husband Stephen and baby Nicolas. We had the privilege to do a harp program for Joanna’s church in Grand Junction, CO, where all the children were together again playing instruments and singing.

Presently this summer, Alex is busy catching up on harp orders and the boys have been regularly coming to the shop to help. Alex continues to make harps at the wood shop at the school where he teaches, but we are looking into starting a new shop location in the town of Blue Ball so that the boys can work full time on harps this fall and winter. Pray for us.

Update: December – 2010

Since the last update, we opened up a new Marini Made Harps shop in the town of Blue Ball this August. We’re renting a small area in back of the Blue Ball Machine Company. It was a big project installing new equipment, and moving harp stuff from the school where Alex was building harps to this new location. It took a number of weeks till we were operational, but now it has really made a difference in productivity… we are moving quicker through our customer list and the boys can come whenever they want to work on harps.

Alex has recently been experimenting with a new “Ultra-Light” harp which is 34-strings and only weighs about 14 pounds (see above picture to the right). Hopefully if it passes the test of strength it will be a popular one at the conventions. We still provide harp programs throughout the year for a variety of events. Dena, and her husband, Nate, continue to help with the programs; and baby Craig usually steals the show with his cute smiles during one of the songs where Emily holds him to play the hand chimes. As the family grows, and the older children find other interests, it is uncertain as to how long we will continue these programs… but we are thankful that we have been together this long. Paul and Emily are now playing duets for special events, and enjoy this type of work. Emily is in her junior year, and looks forward to graduating next year. Mark just started high school, so he has a ways to go yet.

We enjoy watching our grandchildren grow, and Grandma is looking forward to her trip to Colorado in June to welcome Stephen and Joanna’s second child. God has been good to us, and we continue to look to Him for direction in the coming months ahead. Pray for us.

Nathan, Dena & Craig Hochstetler	Stephen, Joanna & Nicolas Dindinger

Update: Summer – August 2011

Some highlights in 2011 so far include… a family reunion in early March. Joanna, Stephen & Nicolas came from Colorado for a week, and we enjoyed having everyone together. After many months of illness, “GG” (Great Grandma), especially enjoyed her St. Patrick’s Day with the grandchildren and “great” grandchildren!

(Left: Alex, Sue, Paul, Nate & Dena with Craig Anthony, Joanna & Stephen with Nicolas In front… “GG” (Sue’s mother), Emily and Mark	Craig (left) with cousin Nicolas

We had our second Christian Harpfest event held on March 18th with special speakers: Eduard Klassen from Canada, and Joanna (Marini) Dindinger from Colorado. We had a number of harpists join us for the day, and then we gave a concert together to a FULL house at Weaverland Mennonite Church in East Earl, PA.

Joanna speaking to a group of harpists at our Christian Harp Fest	Eduard Klassen joins the Harp Workshop for a concert at the Weaverland Menn.Church

On June 6th, Joanna & Stephen gave us another grandson named Genesis Philip who we all call “Geno.” Grandma was able to fly out on July 4th to meet the new grandchild and to help out for a week.

Grandma with baby Geno	Stephen, Joanna, Nicolas & baby Geno

We’ve been working on the family CD, and all the recording is finished… now the cover design, copyrights, and final editing need to be completed. We are sure looking forward to finishing this project (which started before the girls got married over 4 years ago!). We will let you know (with a new update) when this recording is available.

Alex and the boys continue to produce quality harps at our new shop. He enjoys creating new designs, and lately he’s been developing a new minstrel harp which just sits on your lap comfortably, without needing a stool. Sue just started learning harp using the Bass Minstrel with the new stand, and Alex also enjoys relaxing in his recliner chair playing hymns on his new “Lap Minstrel” harp.

Alex working on a Roma Rosa Harp	Alex looks sunburned after working with Padauk wood

Seems like a new season of life is upon us with young adults involved in a variety of ministries, and grandchildren visiting often… so we continue to look to the Lord to guide our family’s future.

Update – December 2011

Alex keeps busy teaching school in the mornings and then going to the harp shop afternoons. He continues to create new harps that just dazzle the industry! Check out his new “LAP” harp displayed on the harp page! We have enough harp orders to keep Alex & all the boys busy at the shop.

Joanna is a busy mom staying after two active boys these days and we are also anticipating another grandchild…. Dena’s little girl this February—pink for a change!

Anthony (21) has many different skills… and worked at farming this summer part time, and remodeling this fall with his brother-in-law, Nate, part time; and this winter he’s helping make harps at the shop. For adventure, he loves going white-water rafting out west. He also enjoys playing tennis with his brothers and volleyball with friends.

Paul (19) has been working at the shop making harps, but most of his focus has gone into theater this year. He’s been in two different Christian shows (one in August and another this December). He loves singing, acting, and performing with a variety of instruments. He’s also very involved in a variety of children’s ministries and camps. Tennis has also become popular with him and his brothers, so they try to fit that in.

Emily (17) is a senior this year, and also got her permit. She’s looking forward to completing the hours required so she can get her license soon. She’s involved in Christian theater also, and is involved with a variety of ministries to city children.

Mark (15) is growing taller and taller each month! Mark’s got 2-1/2 more years of schooling before he graduates… but he has lots of interests to keep him going—tennis, fishing, volleyball and ping pong (just to name a few!). He also helps with making harps at the shop in the afternoons sometimes.

Sue’s life is filled with lots of activities… and you’ll find her schooling Mark & Emily in the mornings, secretarial stuff for our harp business like showing harps in the living room to a customer…. or at the computer answering customer questions…. then later she’s in the kitchen making supper—never a dull moment!

The Marini Family—December, 2011

We are “still” working on the family CD, and hope to have it released soon after all the paperwork is done. This has been a VERY long project!

So, needless to say, our lives are VERY full, and VERY blessed!

Nate & Dena with Craig	Stephen & Joanna with Nico & Geno

Update—March 2012

We are happy to announce the birth of our granddaughter: Dosei RuthAnn (pronounced: "Daw-say") who was born to Dena & Nate on Tuesday, February 28th weighing 7 lbs. 4 oz. Her big brother, Craig, turned 3 years old two days after her birth, and loves to hold her and kiss her face. We are enjoying this little bundle of "pink" and praise the Lord for a good delivery and a healthy baby and mommy!

Dosei RuthAnn (4 days old)	The Hochstetler Family

Update—Summer 2012

Alex continues to work on harps at our shop in Blue Ball full time during the summer months. At the end of August, he’ll go back to teaching part time at Faith Mennonite High School and continuing at the harp shop. Anthony helps out building harps in between farming and traveling, and Paul also helps make harps in between working part time for a fencing company and his ministry opportunities for city children. Mark has worked at the shop making harps this summer, but will be back to schooling at home the end of August.

Alex cutting out a harp on the band saw.	Anthony in the finish room.
Mark constructing the sound chamber of a studio harp.	Paul putting finish on a LAP harp.

In early June we enjoyed a visit from Joanna & Stephen with their boys Nico & Geno for two weeks. We took them, along with Dena & Nate and their two children Craig & Dosei on a trip to New England to visit family. We rented a cabin on a beautiful lake and spent time with relatives.

The view of the lake from our cabin in Plymouth, MA.	Craig & Nico holding the fish that Mark just caught.
Vacation at the cabin on the lake. Emily (holding Dosei), Mark with Craig, Geno and Nico	We all enjoyed our time at the ocean near Cape Cod.

We were glad that Joanna and family were here to help us celebrate Emily’s graduation from high school. We had a nice ceremony with PHAA at the Forum in Harrisburg on June 16th and then later that evening had a private ceremony and party at the Welsh Mt. Park.

A family photo taken at Emily's graduation party on June 16th.
From left: Paul, Mark, Nate & Dena (with Dosei & Craig), Emily, Sue & Alex
Joanna & Stephen with Geno & Nico, Anthony

Update—December 2012

Alex continues to build harps morning and late afternoons between his Health, Woodshop, and New Testament Survey classes at a local Mennonite High School. He is thankful that despite the declining economy, our harp business is thriving. Here’s some pictures of Alex working at the shop on a harp from start to finish…

Alex cutting out a harp	Alex stringing a harp

Sue continues to juggle her responsibilities of homemaking, home schooling, caring for her elderly mom, and secretary to the harp business... and she often has customers here to visit our showroom (which is our livingroom!)...

If Anthony (22) isn’t traveling, farming or rafting down a river he’s usually making harps too. He was invited to join a construction crew in Colorado the last couple months, so he’s enjoyed spending time with his sister, Joanna. He’ll be back home next month, but he hopes to return to the northeastern part of Colorado this summer for the annual cattle drive. This month he took a trip with some friends to CA to do white water rafting. Here's a picture of Anthony in a special raft called "Creature Craft" which can handle any type of water...

Anthony rafting the North Fork of the Payette River	The "Creature Craft" can handle this Class 5 river!

Paul (20) worked part time for a fencing company this past summer and fall, along with making a few harps. He’s been very busy with children’s ministries, and is helping with the production of a play this month titled: “Jesus, a Walk of Love” at a local theater. He’ll be joining Sight & Sound’s Conservatory next month, which will consist of being a full-time student attending classes, and being a part of their cast for a year.

Emily (18) has been involved in lots of children’s ministry activities… such as Good News Clubs twice a week (which are held at local public schools in the area), and “Tuesday Church” which reaches out to city children in the evening once a week. She plays harp for two local nursing homes once a month, and hopes to increase that in the new year. She is looking forward to her trip in January (with six others from our church) to Kenya, Africa.

Mark (16) got his drivers’ permit, and gets behind the wheel every chance he gets. This is his junior year of schooling, and he is looking forward to graduating next year in the spring. When he has extra time he’s usually fishing, or playing tennis… or sometimes at the shop making harps. He also joins Paul & Emily in the children ministries on Monday afternoons & Tuesday evenings. This past year Mark took up a few culinary classes, so sometimes we get treated to a special lunch or supper here in the “test kitchen” at home!

There’s never a dull moment around home here… it’s more like an airport, with youth taking off and landing throughout the day. Trying to keep track of everyone’s schedule is a real challenge sometimes! Life is full and overflowing!

Our married children are doing very well. Here are some recent pictures of them…

Dena & Nathan Hochstetler Family Dosei, 9 months + Craig 3 ½	Joanna & Stephen Dindinger Family Geno 1 ½ + Nico, 4

Update—January 2013

Sue's mom turned 80 years old on January 5th, and lived ten more days till she passed away on Tuesday, January 15th. She had got the flu a couple weeks before which turned into bronchitis and it was really hard on her weak heart. She was born in Rhode Island, married there, and will be buried there next to her husband. She moved to PA eleven years ago to be near her grandchildren, and had lived next door to the Marini's. As you can see by her smile in the picture below, her grandchildren and great grandchildren brought her much joy through the years, and we are glad that she was able to spend these years with them.

Update—August 2013

Alex is back to school this week, with a lighter schedule than normal (he’s only teaching a few woodshop classes this year). He’ll be able to devote more time now to making harps (he’s about six months behind).

Since many of the children were traveling this summer (Anthony, Emily & Mark drove to CO to visit their sister Joanna for the summer), Sue spent her time writing an instruction manual for the 10-String Davidic Harp. It turned into a bigger project than anticipated, but hopefully it will be helpful to the many customers who have been waiting for a book like this. With it almost completed, we hope to bring it to the printers in early September.

Anthony was offered a job in CO this summer, so now he is living out West; and Emily decided to stay and help her sister Joanna until she has her baby in October. Mark flew back to PA in mid-August so he could join his parents on a trip to New England to visit family.

We made two trips to Massachusetts to visit family this summer… one in early June and another in mid-August. Alex’s dad (now 87) needs more attention, so he and his siblings are trying to figure out ways to help. While in the New England states, we enjoyed seeing the ocean again…

A beach in Charlestown, RI	Newport, RI
Dosei enjoying the beach sand	Craig enjoying the rocks at the ocean

Paul started in January at Sight & Sound’s Conservatory, so he has a busy schedule this year… he has classes in the morning, and then he’s performing in the shows in the afternoon & evenings (with only Sundays & Mondays off). He loves what he is doing, and hopes to continue working there next year after school is finished in December—he just auditioned for their production of “Moses” which starts in February of 2014.

Paul at school – Sight & Sound	Paul gives the family a tour before the show of “Noah” at Sight & Sound

This is Mark’s last year of home schooling… he’s a senior now, and the last one to graduate—so this is Sue’s last year of home schooling (after 28 years!), and she graduates too! God is good, and we're looking forward to more grandchildren coming!... one this fall (Joanna), and another one next spring (Dena)—that will make six grandchildren for us! We enjoy our family, and we are very busy serving Him with all the gifts and skills that He has given us.

Update—December 2013

Alex keeps busy making harps… we have a continual flow of interest, and customers continue to be added to our waiting list. We’ve done some house-hunting this past spring; looking at possible places that would allow us to have our harp shop on the same property as our home, but nothing has turned up. Thankfully we don’t have to move, so we can just take our time looking around and waiting for the right time and the right one.

With all the kids busy this summer (Mark & Emily went to be with Joanna & Anthony in Colorado for July & August), Sue managed to write a book… an instruction manual on how to play our 10-string Davidic harp. It was a lot of work over a few months, but she had lots of help from family and friends. It’s listed on our website in case you’d want to see it. She also wrote a couple more Christmas books for this harp as well, and is now working on another book of ten hymns. She just got back from a one-week trip to Colorado to visit Joanna and to meet the newest grandson, Angelo.

Anthony was home for the Thanksgiving holiday for three weeks, and returned back to Colorado early December. He’s enjoying his new home (living with Joel Bishop’s family) in the Grand Junction area. His favorite pastime now is learning Spanish in preparation for his upcoming trip to South America (Chili) next month.

Paul just graduated last week from his studies at Sight & Sound Conservatory, and enjoyed his experience this year very much. Although he did not get a part in the Moses show, he hopes to work part-time for S&S in the coming year, along with making harps again for his father.

Since Joanna was having complications with her pregnancy this summer, Emily decided to stay in Colorado till after the baby was born (little Angelo was born to Stephen & Joanna early October). We’re also looking forward to welcoming another grandchild to Dena this coming April.

The Dindinger Family   Stephen & Joanna, Angelo, Nico & Geno	The Hochstetler Family Nathan & Dena, Craig & Dosei

Our family CD is finally finished… and like good wine, it took many years to get to this point. (We started it before the girls got married 7 years ago!) All the children helped on this one, and it includes many of our family’s favorites (some Christmas songs too). You can see more details about this CD if you go to the “Recordings” section of this website (it’s featured on the top right corner of that page).

We also started a Facebook page where we can let family and friends know about new harps, CDs, and books that are available—you can go to the top of the harp page on this website and click onto the link, or go to Facebook’s website and type in Marini Made Harps and “like” us to get our updates.

Once again we see God’s faithfulness to us as another year comes to a close, and we look forward to seeing what He has for us as the New Year unfolds.

From left: Mark, Emily, Alex & Sue, Paul, Anthony

Update—August, 2014

The popular word around here lately is “graduated”—Mark (our 6th child) graduated high school this past June… and after 28 years of home schooling, we’re DONE! Joanna (and baby Angelo) came for this special event, and we enjoyed having all six children around…

From left… Anthony, Dena, Paul, Joanna, Mark, Emily, Sue & Alex

Sue is now a full time secretary to the harp business, and she enjoys connecting with customers from all over the world. Alex also retired from teaching (he had been teaching classes part time at Faith Mennonite High School for the last 25 years), so he’s full time at making harps. We have LOTS of harps on order right now, so there’s never a dull moment around here.

	…We welcomed a new grandson to the family: Tyler Randell, born to Dena & Nate on May 4th which makes six grandchildren now!
Nate with Tyler, Dena, Dosei,& Craig	Stephen, Geno, Nico, Angelo & Joanna

Anthony’s home right now for a couple months doing farming, but he’s often in Colorado enjoying life in the west. He had the opportunity to travel to Chili this past January & February on a rafting trip…

Anthony (left) on a special “Creature Craft” on the Rio Baker River in Chili (South America)

Paul has been at the shop helping make harps this year, but he has a number of side jobs as well. He's been involved in a number of shows with two small acting companies (Servant Stage Company and Piercing Word), and he was hired by Opus Project Films for a project for Veritas Press filming a Bible Course for home school curriculum...

Paul (as the brother) with actor/friend Natalie (as his sister)	A typical day filming

Emily’s keeping busy playing harp for a variety of events, and she started making cases for our harps. This past February we bought an industrial sewing machine to give her an “in-house” job opportunity…

Emily’s “in-home” job making harp cases

After Mark graduated he took a few weeks off this summer to travel with Anthony & Emily to Colorado where he enjoyed some rafting, camping and fishing adventures. Now he’s working for his brother-in-law, Nate, with the home remodeling business, and sometimes he’s in the shop making harps.

We look forward to the weeks and months ahead as we continue to enjoy the work God has given us to do.

Update – December, 2014

Early in September we had a visit from Joanna & Stephen and their boys. Sure was lively with the six grandchildren playing together...

From left… Craig holding Tyler, Nicholas, Geno holding Angelo, and Dosei

We had an opportunity mid-September to travel as a family (along with Dena & Nate and family) to Turkey. We spent ten days traveling with a Turkish friend of ours who first took us to Istanbul for three days and introduced us to many of his friends… then he took us to his home town of Antioch for a week, and then to his wife’s home town of Gaziantep. We met so many wonderful people who showed us true hospitality and treated us like royalty. We will never forget the wonderful time we had with them.

Istanbul, Turkey… standing in front of the Hogia Sophia

Another annual Christmas concert was organized for our harp friends as part of the Harp Workshop on Dec. 5th at the Garden Spot Retirement Village. This has become a tradition here in this area, and the residents look forward to this each year…

Annual Christmas Concert at Garden Spot Village on Friday, December 5th

Anthony returned to Colorado beginning of November, but he’ll be back in January to help out making harps at the shop this winter. Paul helps at the shop making harps part time, but he’s also very busy with Servant Stage Company and Piercing Word. Emily has been making cases for our harps in between running around doing shows with Paul for the Servant Stage Company. Mark has been working for his brother-in-law Nate part time, and also helping at the shop to make harps. Both Paul & Mark volunteer on Monday afternoons to help with Good News Clubs at the New Holland Elementary School, and they are also involved with Tuesday church (an outreach to Lancaster city children) on Tuesday evenings.

Good News Club at New Holland Elementary	Tuesday Church in Lancaster

It sure seemed different for Alex not to return to school this fall, and for Sue not to have to get curriculum ready for another year of home schooling. We thought it was very unique that both of us retired the same year from teaching! The harp business is keeping both of us very busy.

As we look ahead to a new year, we trust that the Lord will give direction as we continue to look for a home that will allow us to have the harp shop on the same property. We look forward to see what He has in store for us in the coming year.

Dena & Nathan Hochstetler Dosei, Craig, and Tyler	Stephen & Joanna Dindinger Nico, Geno, & Angelo

Update – August, 2015

We moved! For a couple of years we’ve been looking for a place that we could have the harp shop on the same property as our home. In late February a friend told us of a place less than two miles from us that had a shop already there, and that the owners were going to put it on the market soon. So we contacted them, took a look around, and made an offer… they accepted, and we bought it directly from them in early May. We then put our house up for sale by owner and sold it to the first person that came to see it and signed papers last day of May. We moved to the new place in early June, and then moved the harp shop over early July. So our summer has been filled with packing and unpacking boxes.

Our new address is: 704 Wallace Road, New Holland, PA 17557

At the end of July, we were exhibitors at the New Jersey Harp festival and sold ten harps at that event! Since then we’ve been getting a steady stream of orders, so Alex and the boys are scrambling to finish setting up the new shop so they can catch up on the orders.

Alex & Sue at the Somerset New Jersey Harpfest – July 25, 2015

In mid-August Joanna & Stephen & boys came for a visit. We went to a cabin for three days with Dena & Nate and their children as well. It was fun watching all the grandchildren playing together…

From left: Nicolas, Tyler, Dosei, Angelo, Geno, and Craig

It’s always a joy to be together as family and enjoy good food, lively discussions and watching the children interacting with each other.

We thank God for all His blessings to us!

Update – December, 2015

In September, we had the pleasure of having Eduard & Christine Klassen come for a visit. Eduard is a Paraguayan harpist from Canada that travels the world giving concerts and blessing many with his music.

We gave Eduard & Christine a tour of our new shop…

…and then we enjoyed watching Eduard try out our harps.

In early October we took a trip as a family to Massachusetts to celebrate with Alex’s dad for his 90th birthday. It was great to have all the relatives together for this special occasion…

Dominic Marini                   Alex (right) with his siblings and his dad

November brought some exciting news – Emily is engaged! Josh Aziza proposed on November 14th on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, and she said yes! So we won’t be bored this winter as we plan for a May wedding…

Josh & Emily

Early in December, we organized a harp concert for a local retirement community. There were 19 harps, 2 flutes, a trumpet and French horn and a packed audience. We’ve been doing this for the past 15 years, and residents said this one was the best ever. It was a very special event…

Harp Concert on December 4, 2015, at Garden Spot Village in New Holland, PA

We are feeling at home now in our new place, and Alex is enjoying his short commute to work (41 steps to the shop!). We have lots of harps on order so Alex, Anthony & Paul are kept busy…

Alex stringing up a harp
Paul making a few Hallel Harps	Anthony sanding Bass Minstrel Harps
Emily sews the padded cases for the harps that they make which keeps her stepping.

Mark started a new construction job this past summer for a shed building company about 15 minutes from here. He enjoys the new change and working with a crew of guys.

Reflecting back over the year, we are grateful for all that God has blessed us with… family, a new home, a thriving home business, and good health. We look forward to what God has for us in 2016!

Update – December, 2016

This past year has been good in many ways, and challenging in other ways. Harp orders continued to come in, and we have shipped a number of small harps to Singapore this year, as well as Malaysia, Canada, Australia, Israel and some in the U.S. as well. Keeps us stepping!

The springtime was busy as we were getting ready for the big day… Emily’s wedding—Sunday, May 22, 2016. The wedding was outdoors in a vineyard near the Susquehanna River. Emily had a nice day (despite some raindrops!). We had some amazing musicians and vocalists that made this wedding special. She is now “Mrs.” Josh Aziza and is now enjoying her new role as a wife. They live about a half hour away from us near Lancaster city. We enjoyed a visit from Joanna & Stephen and their three boys when they came for Emily’s wedding. It’s always great to have the gang all together again.

Dena & Nate’s family moved to Lancaster this summer, so they are not too far from Emily & Josh. They’re enjoying their new place on three acres of land just outside the city, and closer to Nate’s job.

Something new for us was Alex facing Lyme’s Disease! About a week before Emily’s wedding he started feeling really sick, but we didn’t know what was wrong. By the end of May he wasn’t getting over it, so he had blood tests done that revealed a serious case of Lyme’s. So the doctor put him on daily IV treatments right away, and he noticed a big difference in a day or two. His blood results are not good yet, so after doing those treatments for three months, he’s now just getting a shot once a week. He’s feeling fairly normal, and has been back to making harps full time, but he needs extra naps.

The boys keep pretty busy… Anthony likes making harps part-time because he can make his own schedule and travel out west now and then. Paul has many talents in addition to making harps…so he’s much in demand by The Servant Stage Company or Piercing Word. Earlier this month he was involved with LBS (Lancaster Bible School) for city children. He took a trip in September to Europe, and enjoyed visiting countries like Norway, Amsterdam, Belgium, and London. Mark also is back to making harps in the shop, so production is moving ahead. Sue continues to enjoy her role as secretary to the harp business… chatting with customers from all over the world is lots of fun. We look forward to what God has for us in 2017!

In early December a reporter from the Lancaster newspaper came to our shop to do an interview about our harp business and published it in a Sunday LNP issue (see below)...

Update – December, 2017

It has been a full year for us with many challenges and blessings. Alex was finally “cured” of Lyme disease (after 10 months of expensive treatments). He was just finishing up the last of his treatments when our son, Paul, developed the same thing! So Paul has been doing the same type of treatments since May. We will be very glad when this is all history and behind us.

An exciting event for Sue was attending the birth of our 7th grandchild: Jesse Lee Aziza was born on August 16, 2017, to Josh & Emily (his parents call him Yishai, which is Hebrew for Jesse) …

Grandma enjoying baby Jesse	Josh & Emily & baby Jesse in Colorado, Oct. 2017

Emily has adjusted nicely to motherhood, and she continues to play harp for a variety of events and makes padded harp cases for us (converting her garage into a sewing center!).

Anthony is living at home most of the time making harps part-time, and travels to Colorado now and then. This month he decided to pack up some harps to take on a trip west to stop at interested harp teachers along the way. He hopes to do more of this in the spring.

Paul is also still living at home and making harps part-time as well as doing some theater and ministry work. It has been a half year of treatments for Lyme Disease for him so far, and we are sure hoping that he is cured before he begins the new year. He’s excited to be returning to Sight & Sound Theater in 2018 as a cast member in their new show: “Jesus.” His primary role is the prodigal son and other ensemble roles, and he’ll be understudy and back up for Lazarus and several disciples.

Mark also lives at home and makes harps part-time and recently applied for a part-time job as a chef at a local restaurant. He’s hoping he can get paid for doing what he loves to do! He stays busy with lots of activities like tennis, volleyball and fishing. We often use Mark as our model when advertising new harps (see picture below).

Anthony takes harps on trip west	Paul with his daily green smoothie	Mark showing our 22-Travel Harp

Dena is a very busy home schooling mom these days, and is involved with a local home school co-op helping teach classes now and then. Joanna is also a busy home schooling mom and has her own home business making body creams and soaps. You can check what she has available on FaceBook at: Natural Beauty Products by Joanna. Here are recent family pictures…

Nathan & Dena with Tyler, Craig & Dosei	Stephen & Joanna with Angelo, Geno, and Nic

Alex continues making harps full time, and has created a couple new harps this year. The 22-string Travel Harp seems to have “taken off” quite well. It was specially designed with airline overhead compartments in mind so that harpists who want to travel will have something they can easily take along on a trip. He’s also developed a “Kingdom Harp” which he hopes to market through retail stores in other countries.

Sue continues to enjoy her secretarial work for the harp business, answering many emails and calls from interested customers from all over the world. Keeps her busy full time!

As another year comes to a close, we reflect with gratefulness on the many blessings God has given us.

Update – December, 2018

We just had our annual harp concert on the 7th of December at Garden Spot Village in New Holland, with 27 harps (the most we’ve had thus far!). I told the audience that we were short one harp (because in Revelation 5:8 it says that God has 28 harps around His throne!). We were also privileged to have a guest harpist come from Canada (Paraguayan harpist Eduard Klassen).

Eduard Klassen (pictured left) joins us for the annual harp concert on Dec.7th

It’s been a good year with Lyme disease behind us now… both Alex and Paul are done with treatments and are in good health. Sue struggles with high blood pressure, and visited the ER a couple times, but has it under control with some medication.

We had a nice family gathering in September (Joanna & family came from CO), and we were able to celebrate Alex’s special birthday (he’s officially a senior citizen now—65!).

Celebrating Alex’s 65th birthday with our children and grandchildren.

Shortly after the picture was taken (above) with all our grandchildren, we were blessed with the birth of another grandchild… Anaya Juliette on October 26th to Dena & Nate.

Anaya Juliette was born on October 26th to Dena & Nate.

The harp business is doing well, and Alex keeps busy with making harps for customers all over the world. Sue continues as secretary to the business and enjoys this season of life with grown children and grandchildren.

The boys are still living at home… Anthony and Mark continue to help Alex in the shop making harps, and Paul enjoys being part of the cast at Sight & Sound Theater.

We thank God for His many blessings to us, and look forward to another year in the harp-making business.

Update – December, 2019

The harp business is busy as ever, with orders consistent… which keeps us all very busy. There’s never a dull moment. In May, Alex and I took a few harps to the “Harp Gathering” in Ohio, and we also went to the CHAP homeschool convention in June, and also attended the annual Somerset Harp Festival in Parsippany, NJ, this past July. We usually do quite well at these events, and it generates more business for us.

May: The Harp Gathering in Ohio	June: CHAP Convention in PA	July: The NJ Harpfest

We just had our annual harp Christmas concert on Dec. 6th at Garden Spot Village. It’s an opportunity for young and old, beginner and advanced harpists, to come together to provide heavenly music for the residents at this retirement home. It was special to us to see not only our children, but our grandchildren participate
in this event…

23 Harps at Garden Spot Village	Grandson Craig playing cello with Uncle Tony	Dosei singing for family special

We took some time this past March to take a family trip to Williamsburg, VA, with Dena’s family and Emily’s family. During that trip we learned that Emily was expecting another child… and on Thursday, November 28th (Thanksgiving Day!) little Madelynn Rose was born!

Josh & Emily with Yishai and baby Madelynn	Big Brother holding baby sister Madelynn

We look forward with anticipation to this coming spring when Joanna and her family move back East. Lord willing they are planning on purchasing a bed & breakfast not too far from us and having it as a family business called “The Harper’s Inn.” Once this happens, we will announce it on our Facebook page… so stay tuned!

Stephen & Joanna, with Geno, Nic & Angelo	Nate & Dena, with Craig, Tyler, Anaya & Dosei

We are again thankful for all God’s blessings to us, and look forward to what He has for us in the coming
new year ahead.

Update – December, 2020

As I just looked over my last update from December, 2019, who would ever think that life would drastically change since then. Many of us have been affected by this pandemic… some of us just a bit, while others are devastated. We have a close friend who just buried her husband this month due to Covid complications. For the Marini’s there were no harp conventions to attend (everything was online this year). Our harp business slowed down some last spring (April), but then it picked up again and we are behind on orders right now. Our son, Paul, who is an actor on stage at Sight & Sound Theater, stopped for a few months (March to July), then they opened at half capacity…but just a couple weeks ago they shut down again. When Paul was home during the first shut down, he put together a video about our family’s harp business. You can view this 4-minute video on YouTube by typing into the search: Marini Made Harps (An inside look). Paul got sick in October, and tested positive for Covid. Sue & Mark got sick too with similar symptoms, but didn’t get tested (Alex & Anthony just got sore throats). So we are grateful to end this year on a healthy note.

One positive highlight of our year was when Joanna and Stephen and boys moved back to PA from CO this July. They are currently renting a basement apartment from our daughter Emily until they purchase their own home. We certainly appreciate being all together again (all 20 of us!), and have enjoyed a number of family gatherings since their arrival.

All six of the children just did a Christmas music program together on December 23rd at the Honeybrook Community Church where Emily & Josh attend. It’s been over 14 years since they’ve done music together here in PA, and it was a special evening. If you would like to watch it, just go to YouTube and type into the search: HBCC Christmas Worship Service – December 23, 2020 (note: the Marini’s start playing around 15 minutes into the video).

Life is sure different now, and we look ahead with wonder and anticipation of what the Lord plans to do with our nation… yet we trust that He will work all things together for good!

Have a Happy, Healthy New Year! -The Marini Family

Update – December, 2021

It was a surprise present to find out on Christmas that our youngest daughter, Emily, is expecting another child in July. That will make ten grandchildren for us! It was a special Christmas Day celebration to be all together for the holiday, and to have all our children playing their instruments together and singing carols. It has been especially difficult this December because both Alex and I got sick with Covid pretty bad, and couldn’t do very much for weeks. Now we are slowly getting back on our feet and trying to catch up. Our customer list is long right now, and we have over 80 harps that need to be made.

One of the main highlights of the year was Alex building special harps for next year’s Sight & Sound’s show, “David,” which he was just able to complete end of November before we got sick with Covid. It’s a special design (unlike a regular harp with a row of single strings). This harp (pictured on right) has strings grouped together in chords (to make it easier for the actors to play while singing). Our son Paul (pictured on right playing this harp) will be in the show as one of the backup Davids and was asked to make the music arrangements for the harps in the show, and he will be overseeing the care and maintenance of all the special harps.

Another highlight this year was our son Mark was asked to make a 10-string harp for a series called “The Chosen” (which is an on-line TV series all about the life of Jesus and His disciples). We were able to get it off to them in May and they used it right away in the last episode of Season 2.

Mark’s busy working full time for us making only the 26 and 28-Bass LAP Harps. We had such a surge of interest in these harps this summer, that we had to reach out to a local company to do the spray finish for us, and another company that has a CNC machine to cut parts for us.

Joanna & Stephen purchased a “fixer upper” home outside of Reading this summer, and have been working at remodeling it for months. They just moved in last week (just before Christmas), and we are happy for them to finally have their own place nearby. It’s only about a half hour away from us, so we will look forward to being together at their place on New Year’s Eve.

We have so much to be thankful for this year… family, friends, a good church and a thriving harp business. We look forward to better health in the new year.

Update – December, 2022

Alex continues to be very busy making harps, and this year our focus was on a new design… a Chord Harp! In 2021 we made a few Chord Harps for the show, DAVID, at Sight & Sound theater, and they were such a special part of the show that some people expressed an interest in having one. So we decided that we would try to make our own version of a Chord Harp (pictured left).

We are excited about the potential of this unique harp because it is lots easier to play than a regular harp and can be used by beginner or advanced musicians. I (Sue) have been busy this year creating song cards that clip onto the harp, making it very easy to pick up the harp and play it right away.

Our boys are keeping very busy…

Anthony makes harps for us part time. He still enjoys rafting with the special “Creature Craft” boats, and has done some training and demos for fire departments at various locations in the US. He also enjoys swing dance, and has been teaching classes. This December he played cello (pictured on right) for a local Christmas show by Servant Stage called “A Christmas Carol” and accompanied his sister, Emily, (who played the harp).

Paul was very busy this year at Sight & Sound theater as one of the four actors who played David for this year’s show, “DAVID.” He was also the harp tech (tuning and maintenance of the four special harps his father made - pictured left). He served as a liaison/ mentor for the Sight & Sound Conservatory this year, and he’s the worship pastor at his church (Harbor Fellowship).

Paul, pictured left, as a young David in the first half of the show, and pictured right as an older David in the second half.

Mark (pictured below) continues to make harps for us part time, and he’s also a tennis coach at a local tennis club. He has students of all ages, and has found teaching children both challenging and rewarding. It has been very educational for him working with a variety of personalities.

In June, our son-in-law, Stephen (married to our 2nd daughter, Joanna), joined us at the shop making harps. We are delighted that he enjoys making harps, and he has been a real asset to our little family business. He started off making 10-string harps, then 16-string, he’s now making the 22-Travel Harps, and will soon graduate to the 24-string Lute Harp. He quickly picked up the harp making skills, and has made many happy customers for us.

Sophia Renee was born to our daughter, Emily and her husband, Josh, on July 2, 2022. (Sue, pictured on left, holding her soon after she was born). It was a delight for me to be at her birth to welcome our 10th grandchild, and her siblings were so happy to come and greet her at the birth center as well.

We are blessed to have all our children and grandchildren living nearby, and enjoy our family gatherings. When all of us are together there are 21 total, so sometimes we meet in nice weather at a park, or use the fellowship hall at our church. There’s usually lots of fun, food, music, games… and laughs!

God is so good, and we are grateful for the many blessings He has given our family. We look forward to serving Him in the coming new year!

Holiday Blessings, The Marini Family

Here are recent pictures of the girls and their families…

Dena & Nate with Craig, Dosei, Tyler & Anaya

Joanna & Stephen with Nic, Geno & Angelo

Emily & Josh with Yishai, Madylnn, and baby Sophia

Update – December, 2023

Paul, with the Bass Chord Harp

We continue to build more and more harps, and this year Alex developed a new model… the 24-string Therapy LAP Harp (which is about 5 pounds). I’m sure it will be a good selling harp, since there are many customers who want a light-weight harp to do special music in hospitals, nursing homes, and for hospice.

We gained another harp maker this year… our son, Paul, who decided to take a break from the theater and make harps for us this year. His big project was creating the Bass Chord Harp and producing some instructional videos about it on YouTube. He was able to complete this project early June before the plane crash that happened end of June.

The second week of June, we were all together as a family at an Air B&B for a few days in the State College, PA, area. From there Anthony and Paul left for a rafting trip to Colorado… a trip that would be a life-changing experience. After rafting a few days, some friends suggested renting a small plane and flying through the Black Canyon. The licensed pilot was not familiar with the air currents of the canyon, and the plane went down… hitting trees and crashing to the ground. Anthony was thrown from the plane on impact, and Paul (along with the pilot and other friend) were able to escape the burning plane. It was a miracle that all four survived, but all were brought to the hospital. Anthony escaped with only 4 broken ribs, both knees cut, and minor cuts, but Paul (and the other two girls) had 2nd & 3rd degree burns and needed surgery. After two weeks, they were released from the hospital and drove home to recover. We are grateful to God for sparing their lives.

In the plane just before the crash	The plane an hour after the crash
The Four Survivors (a week later at the hospital) From left: Junia Anthony Rachel (the pilot) Paul

Paul, Stephen, Alex, Sue, Anthony & Mark

We enjoyed our time at the New Jersey Somerset Harp festival this past July, and all the boys (including Stephen) joined in the event. It’s usually a good opportunity where customers can come and try a number of harps from a wide variety of harp companies. It’s a three-day event that leaves us very tired at the end, but we find it well worth the effort. Alex enjoys meeting other harp makers and getting new ideas to make our harps even better. There’s lots of tuning to be done, so it was helpful to have all the guys help out this year.

We celebrated Thanksgiving last month all together at the Daniel Boone Homestead in Birdsboro, PA, and some dressed up for the occasion …

We are very thankful for the many blessings God has given to us, for preserving life and for providing for us abundantly. We look forward to what He has for us in the coming new year.

Update – December, 2024

We’ve been working on developing a new website the past few months. Paul has spent many hours working with a company in the UK, and we’re hoping to have it up and running soon. Hopefully it will make it easier for our customers to order harps, and minimize Sue’s workload. We hope that it will also make for an easier transition as we pass on the harp business to the next generation.

This May, June & July, Alex and the boys went to a few conventions with harps. On May 16th Alex & Anthony went to The Harp Gathering in Ohio… and on June 14th Alex, Mark, & Stephen were demonstrating harps at the annual CHAP convention. July 18-20th found all the boys taking turns helping Alex at the NJ Harpfest. And finally, in September, Alex took some harps to the annual Scottish Highland Games in Western PA.

This June & July found Sue with a number of health challenges. She had a bad case of Shingles (which lasted six weeks) and took a long time to recover from. She also had cataract surgery end of July and again in August, which helped with her vision, but there’s still room for improvement.

In mid-August, Joanna & Stephen & boys moved to Tennessee to be near Stephen’s family, and because of health concerns for their youngest son. We miss Stephen’s help in the woodshop, but he is anxious to build a harp shop on his new property in Tennessee.

Our three boys enjoyed a trip end of September to Newport, Rhode Island, to visit their uncle and aunt and enjoyed playing tennis at the Tennis Hall of Fame on grass courts with their uncle. They also spent a week on Martha’s Vineyard with them, and enjoyed a relaxing time at a place on the water.

Dena & Nate just bought a nice 17-acre property, and plan to move to Nottingham, PA, so we're all pitching in to help paint and do outside work before they move in the end of this month.

We anticipate another grandchild this coming spring… Josh & Emily are having another baby girl in March. That will make 11 grandchildren for us! We are counting our blessings!