Something different for Thanksgiving this year

We are trying something different this year, actually we did last year too and froze our buns off. So, no more early morning Turkey Trots for us!

This year we packed up the camper and headed north, not too far north! We are north of Dade City, but south of Brooksville at Sertoma Youth Ranch. They are holding their largest fundraiser, the 35th Annual Thanksgiving Bluegrass Festival. It is 3 days of nothing but Bluegrass music!

We arrived late in the day on Wednesday and got our camper all set up. We spent the remainder of the day wandering around watching and listening to small groups of musicians. They sat in the shade of their RVs picking, grinning, singing and talking as a steady stream of recreational vehicles entered the Thanksgiving Bluegrass Festival at Sertoma Youth Ranch. These ensembles went from one song to the next with the relaxed precision of experienced group, verses the campfire jams they actually were. It is amazing to watch as each player took a turn soloing on an instrumental jam.

 

We woke early on Thanksgiving day to start our crock pot scalloped potatoes. Then we climbed back in bed to listen to the music that wafted from around the campgrounds. At 1pm we enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner full of all the traditional foods. Sertoma Youth Ranch provided the turkey (22 of them), stuffing and gravy. Campers at the festival provided all the remaining side dishes and desserts! These campers are serious about their food! They were lining up early for the buffet line! There was enough to feed an army, good thing because I think there was an army here! After dinner, the campgrounds got quiet. I think the turkey kicked in and everyone was napping! Good thing the music on stage does not start until 4:30!

The first group up was The Grass Cutters. They were awesome! The group was 5 men and they played a mandolin, guitar, bass guitar, banjo and dobro. Mitch, the leader of the band, is also the contractor that built the new pavilion that we are enjoying this music in. He wrote and performed a song inspired by tearing down the old stage and the man that was responsible for building the original pavilion and stage, Gilbert Turner.

Second group up was Darin & Brooke Aldridge. They had a banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle and a stand up bass fiddle. They are playing tomorrow, so we took this opportunity to warm up! We will catch them tomorrow.

There was a tribute to Evan Carl, he was the longtime MC of Bluegrass festivals in Florida, Georgia, Virginia and Kentucky for over 30 years. Evans professional MC work could be seen as the guy who announced the bands, kept the patter going, promoted the upcoming festivals and the vendors selling the food, and sometimes lived out of his car as he traveled the same roads as the musicians, from festival to festival each weekend. He had a smile for everyone, rubbed elbows with the greatest pros in the bluegrass world as they prepared to start their set. Evan always announced each band as if they were the best band in the world, made them feel good as they kicked off their first song. His timing, humor, stories, announcements all came with a friendly voice from a good hearted human being.

Trinity River Band was up next. It is a family band with Dad on the guitar, the eldest sister on mandolin and lead vocals, the twelve year old sister plays the fiddle, their Mom plays the stand up bass fiddle and their only son plays many instruments, including the banjo and dobro.

Newtown drove 12 hours from Lexington Kentucky to entertain us. Sitting near the back of the pavilion, one of the band members looks an awful lot like Rascal Flatts! But, the sound is much more bluegrass.

In for the night, it is getting very chilly out there. Now we are just enjoying the sounds of the campfire sings!