A great many folks are collecting signatures on a petition to have Bill Monroe honored with a commemorative stamp from the US Postal Service.

Peter Thompson, long time host of Bluegrass Signal on KALW in San Francisco, sent along these photos he took at the California Bluegrass Association’s Grass Valley Festival in June. Bluegrass Signal airs Saturdays from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on KALW, and is also broadcast several times each week on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country.

Here’s the report Peter sent along with the photos:

“Here’s Randy Pitts (late of Keith Case, previously of the Freight & Salvage and other venerable organizations) signing the Monroe stamp petition as Laurie Lewis looks on.

Laurie had already signed.

Then Randy watches Kathy Kallick sign the petition in front of the Vern’s Stage, where Kathy & Laurie had just finished a tribute to Vern & Ray.”

We can all get involved in this effort. Anyone can download a copy of the petition, collect signatures, and send them on to the Postal Service. There is a web site with information about this campaign at www.billmonroestamp.org, and here are links to the various resources you need to take part.

• Download the petition
• Contact your Senator
• Contact your Representative
• Get a Monroe Stamp shirt from Grassware

Completed petitions should be mailed to:

Get on board!

UPDATE 10:00 a.m. -  Cindy Baucom sent along this photo of hubby Terry Baucom signing the Bill Monroe Stamp petition at the High Country Bluegrass Festival in Boone, NC in July.

She told us that 10 pages of signatures were collected at the festival.

If you have news and/or photos of any efforts on behalf of the Bill Monroe Stamp campaign, please contact us.

People and organizations all over the US have been circulating petitions and returning them to the manager of stamp services for the USPS. The campaign has picked up steam this year in the hope of seeing the stamp issued in 2012, which will mark the centennial of Bill Monroe’s birth on September 13.

The good news comes in the form of a letter from Terrence McCaffrey, manager of the USPS stamp development office, in response to a set of signed petitions turned in by the Seven Mountains Bluegrass Association in Pennsylvania.

The letter indicates that the Bill Monroe stamp is under consideration for issuance, and that subjects for the 2012 release schedule are now being selected. Now is the time to double down, folks!

You can find all the details to print petitions to be completed, and the addresses where they should be sent, here on The Bluegrass Blog. Take them to a jam or a bluegrass concert, get your family and friends to sign, irritate your neighbors…

If enough bluegrass lovers participate, we’ll all be able to celebrate the founder of bluegrass music with an official US postage stamp in 2012.

Just do it!

When The Infamous Stringdusters were at the Bluegrass Country studios yesterday in DC, Jen Hitt asked them to add their names to the petitions which will be sent to the US Postal Service requesting a commemorative Bill Monroe stamp.

Of course, they happily obliged, giving a big thumbs up to the whole concept.

See how you can become involved in helping ensure that the 100th anniversary of Big Mon’s birth is recognized with his own stamp. It’s easy, it’s fun… and it just may work!

According to the USPS guidelines, such stamps can not be issued until ten years have passed since the person to be honored has died. As such, this campaign launched in 2006 and is heating up now with the goal of seeing the stamp issued in time for the centennial of Monroe’s birth, which will occur on September 13, 2011.

A number of bluegrass artists, organizations, events and personalities are trying to enlist the general bluegrass and Monroe-loving public to get involved in the hopes of swamping the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee with petitions until they cry for mercy!

The Bluegrass Blog enthusiastically joins in this effort, and encourages all our readers to pitch in where they can.

Here are a few suggestions for ways you can help make this happen:

• Bluegrass Associations – make petitions available at meetings, jams and concerts – or consider printing them in your newsletter.
• Bands – take petitions with you to shows, and encourage fans and friends to add their names.
• Radio hosts – post information on the show or station’s web site and encourage listeners to download the petition. You might even find sponsors who would love to have petitions at their business locations in exchange for a mention.
• Festivals – print a bunch of petitions and have a central signing point which you promote from the stage.
• Music teachers – keep petitions in your lesson room and ask students to sign.
• Everyone - contact your elected representatives and ask for their support in this effort.
• Everyone – wear one of the shirts or hoodies from grassware.com with the Monroe stamp image. They make a great conversation starter, and a perfect opening to ask folks to sign the petition you just happen to be carrying with you!

There is a web site with information about this campaign at www.billmonroestamp.org, and here are links to the various resources you need to take part.

Completed petitions should be mailed to:

We have a number of photos of prominent grassers adding their names to the petitions which we will post from time to time, and we encourage anyone who hosts a stamp petition event to send us photos as well.

If we all look for creative ways to generate signatures, we’ll not only succeed in honoring Bill Monroe, but be helping spread the word about bluegrass music in the bargain.

Just do it!