Charleston, WV

We are taking our time and doing a little sight-seeing on the return trip from Evart. Everything we've seen so far has been wet as it seems the storm system that hit northern Michigan on Sunday is determined to follow us back home to Chattanooga.

The Evart Funfest was absolutely worth the long drive to Michigan. I will highly recommend it to anyone interested in hammer dulcimer music at any level. I felt like a 10 year old at Disneyland with so much going on that I couldn't possibly take it all in. If you found shade and shelter, then you also found an impromptu jam session. The instruments weren't always perfectly in tune, but the hearts were.

There was one particular jam session every night that seem to draw the oldest participants at the festival. I stopped by a few times just to breathe it all in. It included just about every instrument you can imagine from autoharps to spoons and a not so recently tuned piano. There was singing and a little dancing ('not too fast mind you'). Some of those who didn't play or sing just closed their eyes and gently clapped wrinkled, sunspotted hands to the metallic thump of the wash tub bass. I believe one of the purposes of music is to bring joy and perspective to our sometimes harried and confused existence. There was joy.

I got to jam with some incredible players and I'll introduce them more formally when I have a chance to get their web site links in place. I'll post more about the trip when I get back to Chattanooga. You can see my pictures from Evart by clicking on the Photographs link. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page. ¶ 6:34 PM