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As they have done for eight of the past nine years, guitar players and other musicians and singers from states as far away as Washington and Ariona gathered in Vinton.

The annual jam -- originally dubbed the Idiot Jam in honor of Todd Frank of Vinton, whose guitar forum nickname is The Village Idiot -- helps raise money for the Vinton-Shellsburg Dollars for Scholars.

The musicians originally met through online guitar forums.

They joked on Friday evening about telling their wives they were leaving home to spend the weekend with guys they only knew from the Internet, and about Todd telling his wife that he had invited several internet friends to Vinton for the weekend.

The musicians say they stay in touch throughout the year, and those who are traveling in the areas where other forum members live will call to arrange jam sessions.

Minnesota, Michigan and Mississippi were also among the states represented during Friday's event. The musicians gathered at the high school auditorium for the jam before most of them spent most of the weekend with the Franks.

"Our gathering went very well, with picture-perfect weather," said Todd. "The concert went well and ran smoothly. It was well-received but not highly attended. I don't know how much was raised, but I do know we had our own raffle and raised $150."