Just when you think you have it all under control…you don’t.

 

You’ll remember our last episode in which the string band grumbled and groused about the callous treatment we were receiving at the hands of the obtuse powers that be in Fresno by their laxity in not hiring us for their event.  We were in high dudgeon exhorting the villagers to storm Kearney Mansion with pitchforks and torches to lay waste to the property and populace.  Well…the higher the dudgeon, the harder the fall.  We received a polite call from the Fresno organizers to the effect that they hadn’t contacted us sooner because of scheduling difficulties.  We groveled and fawned appropriately then started packing our bags.  California, here we come.

 

In keeping with our theme of disinformation, our performances at the Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival were not in the town of Latrobe as we announced but in nearby Greensburg, PA.  Luckily, for us, we took a jaunt to see the countryside between Altoona and Pittsburgh a few days before the event and were able to fumble our way through the bustling metropolis of Latrobe to the equally bustly sprawl of Greensburg and thence to the bucolic tranquility of the Twin Lakes recreation area.  We had a good time playing to enthusiastic audiences in unseasonably cool weather.

 

The Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival was the culmination of a week and a half road trip that started at Pamplin Park, Virginia.  An excellent facility and a fun living history weekend.  When we finished on Sunday afternoon, we raced north to Fredericksburg and put on an evening concert on the lawn of Chatham Manor.  This time, after many years of broiling in the residual heat radiating from the brick wall we normally stand in front of, the park ranger decided to try having us play in the cool shade of the many lovely oak trees on the property.  We wept unashamedly with tears of joy.

 

The next stop on our hegira was to our old stomping grounds of Hollidaysburg, PA.  Nestled comfortably in one of the many pastoral valleys we refreshed our selves with the hospitality provided by our hosts, the Wells.  Their many kindnesses to the string band are of biblical proportions.  Once again, as in years past, we did a concert in their mid-19^th century barn.  While there we managed a visit to the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site.  A treat for any history enthusiast.