Sunday, June 26, 2011

ROMP 2011 (River of Music Party)

You never know when magical moments will happen. You can’t exactly plan for them, but you can encourage them in your life. Last night was one of those moments.

Late in the afternoon Ed and I drove to Owensboro with friends Paul and Jackie for the Bluegrass Music Festival at Yellow Creek Park. Saturday was the final day of the three-day festival and we got there just as a summer storm was passing through. We parked, donned ponchos and folding chairs, a backpack full of snacks, and headed over to the grassy venue. 



The Professors of Bluegrass were just drying off the stage as we set up our chairs and settled in for the afternoon.  Between acts we wandered up to the food stands for Moonlite Bar-B-Q, and Famous Bistro pita sandwiches.  Ed’s sister, Gay, joined us.

Maybe it was the music, or the food, or the company, or the fireflies, or a combination of them all, but the afternoon turned into a magical summer evening. It seemed so old-fashioned, homespun, and ever-so-slightly surreal.


Every last person in the crowd seemed to be enjoying him/herself. Little girls hula-hooped to the music; a bearded man in overalls clogged to the Carolina Chocolate Drops string band; couples danced in open spots, toddlers ran up and down the aisles followed closely by their grandparents.   


The night wore on and just as dark was coming on, folk-rock legend Emmylou Harris took the stage and performed selections from four decades of her work. 

We stuck around for a few tunes from the Josh Williams Band and then slowly made our way back to the car and our way home. When we pulled into our drive, it was hours past our normal bedtime, but then again, magical moments don’t happen in normal time.

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