Mountain Adventures: Returning through Hillsville VA

It seems we keep finding ourselves in Hillsville VA which is not a bad place to be.  And, we all have to be somewhere.  If you tracked the posting titles you might notice we went as far north as Cooperstown NY and then headed back south over the July 4th weekend.  Being a savvy traveler the question could be "Are they crazy?"  Truth is, yes we are.  However, this time we were called back to Florida and selected the route that would be the fastest, having the fewest traffic incidents, and offering power packed stops.

The first Saturday jam
in Galax VA

From the campground, Matthew's Carrollwood, it is a short ride into Galax VA where you might encounter an old-time jam.  We didn't exactly happen into the jam as our camping neighbor and friend "Billy" shared this would be the first Saturday jam.

Our friend Billy far right, in yellow.
Bill below on far left, in orange.

From there we headed up to the Blue Ridge Music Center which celebrates the music, history, and musicians of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The center houses an interactive history lesson with beautiful displays and actual musical instruments.  Most days there is a free mid-day concert featuring traditional music performed by local musicians.  

Summer wild-flowers
Blue Ridge Music Center

The Blue Ridge Parkway straddles Virginia and North Carolina in this area so expect to find heritage music from both states.  Really, does music know there is a legal boundary?  My experience says music drifts and adapts thus you will find tunes that are almost identical with different names and many variants of one tune.  The music was passed on through oral tradition and our ears do not always catch each note, phrase, or word correctly.  Thus we have variants of the same tune.  
Surrounding the Blue Ridge Music Center one finds many variations of the ancient fiddle and banjo music of Virginia and North Carolina. This music can be traced to the meeting of the African banjo and the European fiddle in the Tidewater before our nation was created. Here also are found older ballads and religious music that reach deeply into the American past. http://www.blueridgemusiccenter.org/museum.htm

Billy on the High Meadow Trail

There are multiple hiking trails along the parkway and including two trails at the Nature Center a 2.2 loop and a 1.35 one-way trail.  There is a promise of Catawba rhododendron displays in May along with summer wild-flowers.  To my delight, the Catawba rhododendron were still around on July 5th!  Another special treat.

Catawba Rhododendron in full display
at the Blue Ridge Music Center

As luck would have it, this Saturday is a Summer Evening Concert. It will be a popular concert so people arrived early, 5:30ish, and by 6 PM the grassy amphitheater area was beginning to fill for the 7 PM show.

Getting set for the evening show

And the show was more than worth the ticket price.  There were two bands the Mountain Park Old Time Band (North Carolina) and the New Ballard's Branch Bogtrotters (Virginia).  It was easy to hear the contrast in styles from each side of the mountain.  For these bands, the Mountain Park emphasized the banjo with fiddle support which was the reverse with the Bogtrotters.  Both groups are dance bands and in this area it means clogging or square dancing with an occasional waltz.  Tonight was clogging with the occasional waltz.

Finale with both bands...
 and all dancers on the floor

Sunday morning as we headed down I-77 towards home I reflected on our last stop in the mountains with the music that speaks to both Bill and me.  It was a fitting cap on a wonderful month of music, hiking, and friends.  

Great hike, great jam, great concert!
Ready for the next trip!