Nearby Mountain Music

 I've been feeling a little regret over missing our favorite music festivals in Appalachia this summer. We missed Clifftop and Galax due to our big trip, and then on the night we considered going to the Rockingham County Fair to hear fiddler Chance McCoy play with the Old Crow Medicine Band all of our kids boycotted. When we found out that our favorite band, Charlottesville's own Honey Dewdrops were playing at the Mountain Music Festival at Wintergreen, just an hour away high up on the side of the Blue Ridge, we didn't include the kids in the decision-making and we didn't get any chores done first. 

Wintergreen, a ski resort and resort-type condo community, is a festival setting we haven't experienced yet--it's a little more upscale, a little less down-home. The music was perfect. We were treated to the faith-filled tunes of Blue Highway (with an amazing dobro player and incredible songwriter) and enjoyed listened to the jam session led by Pete Vigour.  

This is how our boys feel about these concerts. J feels reserved gratitude, and E holds it together until we give in and take him outside looking for wildlife or festival food.

 Our favorites, of course, were Laura and Kagey. Dan took A to meet them at her request and Laura commented to A that she had been looking out right at her during the first set. A returned, confiding in me "Taylor Swift is not my favorite singer anymore. It's Laura from the Honey Dewdrops." A loves soul-full music and the Dewdrops deliver.

A paid close attention during every song of the second set and sang along to "Silver Lining", "One Kind Word" and "Amaranth." I wonder how old she'll be when we buy her a guitar and I have no doubt she's wondering when she'll make it up onto a similar stage.