Merlefest, Bluegrass Festival

I'm taking a break from writing and rewriting and revising (whew!) and I'm attending a Bluegrass Festival near my home. Click here and see what Merlefest is all about, and then come on over and join us. It's not too late. Last night I sang along with Randy Travis, me and probably 20,000 others. Music was our common bond.

The Neighbors, from a photo on their website



In the afternoon, I attended one session by a local group, The Neighbors. They could be my neighbors, your neighbors. Music makes them universal neighbors.

Bluegrass music was a part of Pilot Mountain School, too, the children's heritage. One former student told me about the man who lived across from the school. Every day he would sit on his front porch after lunch and play the banjo. When the teacher opened the windows on those hot, stuffy days, the children heard the music. They couldn't work, supposedly. Finally the teacher adjusted her schedule. The class returned to the room immediately after lunch. As soon as the afternoon concert began, they went outside to play, but many of them chose instead to sit on the grassy bank and listen. This was a true lesson in music appreciation.

Catch of the day,

Gretchen