Or, 364 Days Until Wintergrass 2007
I’ve learned after four years of going to Wintergrass that it just isn’t over until the final band has performed “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”, complete with audience participation, and until George (the emcee) says it’s over.
John always gives a big sigh of relief when they play that song. It means he can finally go home and not listen to banjo music for another year. For the record, I don’t make him go to the whole thing. We get two weekend passes, I sit through every note, he drops in and out when he feels like it, using the “I have to go home and feed the dog now” excuse.
Highlights of the last day? Sunday morning is always the bluegrass gospel show, and only the diehard bluegrass fans, or the ones who got some sleep the night before, show up. Everybody else starts drifting in to the pavilion around noon. Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum gave a fine performance, including an impromptu number called “The Vice President Has A Shotgun, and He Can Shoot Whoever He Wants”, that brought down the house. Mountain Heart had the whole pavilion crowd tapping its feet, and Del McCoury did a long set that was pretty good. He’s a little too much “high lonesome” sounding even for my taste, but puts on a good show.
I have 6642 bluegrass songs lined up on Rhapsody to tide me over for the next year. And I already have tickets for the next festival in July, the Adventure Bluegrass Festival in Stevenson, WA. My favorite bluegrass boys will be there; the US Navy Bluegrass Band, Country Current. And yes, John knows we’re going. It’s an outdoor festival, so he can take a book, or his Ipod, or wander around the Columbia Gorge area.
There was knitting going on yesterday. I got the heel turned and picked up the gusset stitches, and am on my way down the sock foot.
I wasn’t sure I was going to like that picot edge instead of ribbing, but now that I’ve gotten part of the sock done, it looks pretty cute. I have no high hopes of matching the stripes for the second sock, but I like how they’ve turned out on the first one.
Congratulations to all the Olympic Knitters out there! Whether you finished or not is not the point. There’s been some fine knitting going on, worthy of gold medals all around!
Added Later, Almost as an Afterthought:
I almost forgot, I needed to pick the favorite artist of the festival. I loved Uncle Earl the best. They play oldtime music as well as great bluegrass. Their banjo player, Abigail Washburn, also does many of their vocals, and has her own solo album. She also speaks fluent Mandarin. This may be the first time ever that there have been bluegrass songs sung in Mandarin at Wintergrass. If you like old time music, go buy their group album, She Waits For Night, as well as Washburn’s album. Their fiddler, Rayna Gellert, has a solo album out as well, and that one is a keeper also.
Your sock is just adorable!!!!
Hmmm – my daughter-in-law is a native speaker of Mandarin. I wonder if this is a way to get her indoctrinated? I don’t think she’s ever even heard it before. Ah – Will the Circle Be Unbroken!! One of our all-time favorites. When I retire or when my children get closer so I don’t have to take all my vacation time going to see them, maybe we can consider coming down and camping out at my sister’s and doing Wintergrass. Sounds like a blast! Knitting and bluegrass. Sounds like heaven!
I laughed about your husband, that’s so funny. And it’s good he fed the dog, we wouldn’t want the pooch to go hungry.
The first group my husband and I ever listeend to together, and our first “date” ever was a blue-grass typeish group. I don’t think you would classify it as a trud bluegrass group, but anyway, their name was “Blue Mountain” Anywho. Glad you had a nice time.
i have to admit i would probably be keeping your hubby company in his dog feeding expeditions! what no pics this time? last bluegrass festival there was photos of you knitting rogue!
…and to think after all this time (in and around the Navy)…I did not know the USN had a Bluegrass band!!!?
You know, I had always wondered if your husband was right there for every minute 😉
Your sock is simply wonderful!
Yep the dog defintley is a good excuse, I’ll have to remeber that one! Love the candy stripes, look great
I like reading about the bluegrass festival!! I am going to look up and listen to the groups you recommended!!!
Hope all is well!!!!
thanks!
abbey lindsey
Lorette, love your knitting, but thanks for the info on The Church of Bluegrass, I’ve ordered a few albums from the artists you listed in the first post and am eagerly awaiting their arrival, I will order the 2 you just listed in this post. Not a lot of Bluegrass here in my part of Central IL, but I remember listening to my Grandpa’s LP’s and I love the banjo. Thanks for the post, I remember Bluegrass fest 2005 as reviewed in your blog, this years review was awesome.
Your sock is turning out cute. I really like the two-color sock too.
There’s a Bluegrass Festival this weekend in a small community near ours. I think I might go check it out, if it doesn’t rain. (Who new…Lorette, the Bluegrass PR Lady? Maybe, “they” should pay you.)