December 20th and the 27th, Folk Club at the Ship Inn presented two Mad Hatter evenings; the concept was designed to pair-up musicians who do not normally play together. The lineup was determined by random draw (from a hat, of course!) three weeks prior to the event to allow participants to get together in advance and work-up 20 minutes of material; the idea was to avoid, or at least minimize, the possibility of two evenings of impromptu set-list decisions. All the musicians donated their time to this effort and the proceeds went to aid the St. John's Folk Arts Council.

The resulting acts were generally well matched due largely to the fact that most of the participants were Folk Club regulars, familiar with each other's styles and repertoires. This was, perhaps, a little disappointing for people expecting mismatched groups of performers who might not otherwise be on stage together. The music was as good as any night, though: an extension of the open mike sessions (which are sometimes of a mad-hatter nature anyway!), the hat draw did allow some performers to play together for the first time.

The acts included Denis Parker, Andrew Lang & Scott Schilleriff; Michelle Brophy, Jean Hewson & Ted Rowe; Rick West, Frank Maher, and Dave Penny; Dave Panting, Rick West, and Rob Brown; Ted Rowe and Neil Rosenberg; Colin Carrigan, Greg Walsh, Paddy Mackey, Angela Pickett, and Rob Brown. A fine first-time performance was presented by Denis Parker and the "23's", Scott Schilleriff and Andrew Lang, who opened the night. Michelle Brophy, Jean Hewson & Ted Rowe also played an enjoyable set, with instrumental pieces from Michelle and Ted and a delightful traditional Christmas carol from Jean. Rob Brown contributed to the event's success in his role as juggler of the sound equipment.

Mad Hatter Nights were a hit, both as fundraising events and great times. This being the case, it's a safe bet that Folk Club patrons haven't seen the last of the St. John's Folk Arts Council's bonnet trimmed with blue.