Birthday and Vandalia

48°f/9°C, clear. Such beautiful Spring weather we're having!

The weather was perfect for Vandalia this year. We have attended when it was searingly hot, and when it poured rain, but no one could have asked for a nicer day than yesterday. With the temperature never getting above 68f, it was perfect for an outdoor festival. This is Larry's birthday weekend, so Vandalia was part of his celebration of his 74th trip around his star.

This group of young men were playing and singing oldtime gospel music. Here they are singing "I'll Fly Away".

Where does the name Vandalia come from, you might wonder? For a while, some people referred to West Virginia as Vandalia. During the early days of European settlement in America, a plan was proposed to create a new colony to be called Vandalia, which would have included most of current West Virginia. The name was drawn from the ancient tribe the Vandals, with whom the Queen of England at the time of this proposed plan claimed heritage. So it was basically a ploy to get royal backing for the new colony. However, about that time the American Revolution broke out, putting an end to any future British colonies.

Vandalia wasn't the only thing happening in Charleston yesterday. There has been a week-long national bike road race going on all week, the 2025 USA Pro Cycling National Road Race Championship. It has brought in thousands of people, and snarled traffic something awful, but it also brings in about 24 million dollars so no one is complaining! The State Track and Field finals were also in town, so it was a very busy weekend in Charleston. 

But the traffic and congestion seemed far away at Vandalia.

The Vandalia Gathering was the brainchild of Kent Sullivan, longtime director of the arts and culture division of state government.  It has been a mecca for musicians, who gather on the Capitol grounds in jam sessions under the trees, perform onstage, and enter contests for banjo, mandolin, deliver, flat pick guitar, fiddle, and more. Old-time music differs from bluegrass in that the tunes are, well, old. I am no expert on this but I would say that the playing style, although similar to bluegrass, is also different, as is the singing style. Old-time doesn't use any electric instruments either.

Square dancers in the Great Hall of the Cultural Center. Mack Samples, a longtime friend is in the center with his back to my camera. At 86vyears old, Mack continues to dance, play fiddle and guitar in his band The Samples Brothers,  write and grow a garden. He's quite a guy. We differ politically,  but that's okay. 

He threw me a wave as he moved through the set.

This young fiddler was practicing before the youth fiddle contest, being backed up by Jesse Milnes,  a stellar player of multiple instruments.

We forgot to bring our folding chairs, so after a few hours I was pretty worn out, and we were hungry.  We decided to leave the festival and find a restaurant downtown where we could sit down and enjoy Part 2 of the birthday celebration. As we walked to our car, part of the race came zipping by.

My son tells me that this crowd of bikers in a race is called a pelaton (not sure if I spelled that correctly).

Getting downtown proved to be impossible, with so many streets blocked for the race, and so many people in town for it. We ended up at a restaurant called Soho's in the farmers market, and it proved to be an excellent choice. We chose a table outside, overlooking the market. Perfect, and the food was delicious. Part 2 of the birthday celebration was complete.

My pizza bread was so big I gave half to Larry.

He ordered a fritatta, and thought it was excellent. I tried a few bites, and agreed.

The minestrone soup was to die for. We shared this big bowl.

We returned to the festival for a while but finally called it a day and headed home. Feet up, wine and beer and an episode of Grantchester finished off a fine day.

Today the birthday boy was treated to breakfast by our son Derek, and guess what? I got to have breakfast too! It was brunch really, as it was 11am before we ate, but it was a nice leisurely start to our day. I had not yet given Larry his main gift (I got him a nice cap at Vandalia) but tok him to the store to choose the power tool of his choice. He chose a new circular saw as his was pretty ancient. A stop at the grocery store, my first time there in a month!, and we came home. I made an apple pie which is now baking, and Larry is working on repairing a dresser. Even on his birthday he won't take it too easy!

Tonight we'll roast hot dogs over the firepit again and make a salad, then maybe we will have some of that pie with ice cream, and I think that will finish up this year's celebration.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

A Wild Week

 Last week was certainly one for the books. Lots of travel, lots of changes in plans, and lots of interesting things to see and do. Here's a quick look at the week:

Monday: Unpacked from the family reunion, caught up a little on laundry and housework and gardens and packed again for a trip to Texas with my youngest son. Went to my booth to do a little tidy-up and collect my mid-month check. It was a good one :) The lumber arrived for the subfloor of the new cabin room. I picked cherries and Larry harvested the first broccoli.

Tuesday: on the road early, driving across Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and on to Little Rock, Arkansas. At Little Rock, my son had a sudden change in plans that meant he would not be going on to Texas. So rather than driving on to Dallas the next day, we came right back home. It was a long trip, but the sight of the sun setting in Arkansas was almost worth the drive. Never have I seen such a huge, beautiful sun and sunset. To top it off, a stunt plane began flying loops as the red sun was setting and mist rose from the huge, flat fields. Incredible. And incredibly, no pics because I was driving and my camera was in the back seat.

We stayed at a really nice hotel, thanks to Derek who used some of his frequent flyer points to book us a room. The view from our room was beautiful. We were on the 13th floor--I thought hotels didn't have them?

This odd photo was one I took from our window. I have no idea what happened when I snapped it, but I kinda like it. I would have liked to explore Little Rock--it seemed to be a vibrant, busy place with lots to see.

Wednesday: we made the return trek through Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati and on to home. The Mississippi River at Memphis was gorgeous and I really wanted to stop a while and look around but we had no time for that. We did stop at a Waffle House where our waitress' name was Porsche. Grits, eggs, bacon for me and grilled chicken and eggs for Tommy was a bright spot in the morning--especially served with such Southern humor and down-home friendliness. I loved the black lady who came in with a basket of handcrafted flowers, singing and smiling. We were home before midnight and believe me, I slept like a baby.

Thursday: home to regroup. Tommy got a call for a job interview in Dallas! So guess what? No, we didn't drive back down. He booked a flight out of Columbus, Ohio for Friday. I caught up on email, did laundry, cleaned up the porch and deck, painted the porch rockers and cabinet and worked in my flower gardens while Larry mowed grass. Then we all went to bed early for a 4:00 am wake-up.

Friday: we were up and out by 4:30 am, headed to Columbus on Larry's birthday. We got there at 7:30am, dropped Tommy at the airport, then found a Waffle House for breakfast. This one was not the southern-comfort place of Arkansas, but still cheerful and friendly. I have to say, though, someone needs to teach them to make grits. We left in search of a thrift store I'd visited last December that ranked in my mind as one of the best ever. Run by Volunteers of America, their prices are good and the range of items for sale is stunning. We had a little trouble finding it, but a stop at a yard sale (and some good finds there!) got us directions.

We shopped a bit, then headed out of town--in the wrong direction. A look at the map showed another route we could take, though, a "back way" through small towns and farm country. We decided to give it a try. It was a beautiful trip, past fields of corn, old farmhouses, tiny towns and villages, through the woodsy paradise of Hocking Hills and into the college town of Athens, Ohio where we finally found the usual route again.

We arrived in Ripley at last (the town closest to where I live) and were just in time to scout the "Ripley On Sale" event at the courthouse. We scored there too, lots of bargains. It was beastly hot, so we didn't stay long. And who should we see there but our little great-granddaughter and her mommy! We talked a bit then headed to a Mexican restaurant for Larry's birthday dinner, then home to feed the animals. That should have been the end of the day, but it didn't stop there.

We got back in the car and headed to Charleston because, folks, it was Vandalia weekend! Vandalia is the annual gathering of state musicians and artists on the lawns of the state Capitol. There are contests for fiddlers, banjos, etc, a liar's contest, cake walk, music jams everywhere, dancing of all kinds, our friends Ron and Wendy there with their birds---this is the showcase of our state's culture. Friday night was the concert and awarding of the Vandalia Award and we knew our friends Mike and Tim Bing and their brother Dave were this year's recipients. We didn't want to miss that! We walked into the theater just as the Bings were given the award--what timing. Then we enjoyed an hour of some of the best music and poetry as the staff and students of Allegheny Echoes took the stage. Following them the Augusta Heritage Center presented their staff and students to highlight the 5 weeks of classes offered every summer at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, WV.

The surprise of the night for us was when Larry's cousin, Junior Holstein, was brought onstage to play fiddle. Junior is one of the last of his generation of fiddlers and knows many old-time tunes that are not known to younger musicians.

He played two tunes; my favorite was "Mockingbird" in which he played birdcalls as part of the melody of the tune. We got a chance to talk to Junior a bit after the show. What a night. Bed was welcome when we finally got home around midnight.

Saturday: Up early to go to town to finish looking at the big sale at the courthouse and buy some plants from the Master Gardeners there, breakfast at the Downtowner, a visit with great-granddaughter again, grocery store, home to unload, then back to Vandalia. We enjoyed the music and dancing for a bit and I took the two children of some friends for a tour of the state Capitol building, including a look at the "bloodstain" and the tale of how it supposedly got there. It surely looks like a torso, doesn't it?

I used to be a security guard at the Capitol so I knew many ins and outs of the building and I do believe we explored them all! We rejoined Larry and the children's parents, then headed out to our house for a hotdog roast over the firepit, salads, melon, good conversation, on the deck and stories and songs on the porch. It was the perfect end to the day.

Sunday: We went nowhere! Laundry, dishes, garden work, lawn mowing, and general catching up was the order of the day. Derek and his girls came over for a cookout in the evening. We enjoyed fresh peas, lettuce and broccoli from our garden with the grilled chicken and vegetables provided by Derek who is a master on the grill.

Monday: All day at home again, this time working hard in my flowerbeds again and cleaning house. I also did some storytelling work. Larry started work on the sub-floor for the new room.

So, that was our week. There were little time for blogging for sure. I hope to make up for that by blogging daily again for a while and I want to catch up with all of you to see what you've been up to as well. This week will be much slower, with focus on the building project, developing stories and gathering produce from the gardens. It's time to pull the peas and plant cucumbers already. More about the garden in another post.

Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Drumroll Please: The Giveaway!

And now....the CSN Stores Giveaway to celebrate my anniversary today!

102 of you commented this week, making you eligible for my giveaway. I have enjoyed reading all of your posts and thoughts. What a community this is--supporting, funny, thoughtful, and sharing. Thank you all for visiting.

I used the Random Generator to select the winner (boy, does that thing work great!) and the winner was number 94--Nance! Congratulations!

Please send me your email address, Nance and I will hook you up with CSN so you can claim your prize. Please be sure to let us all know what you selected from all the great things available at CSN.

Next I need to go outside and hug my honey, who is on the tractor plowing the ground for the pumpkin patch.

I promise, though, that our anniversary won't be all work. We'll be at the Vandalia Gathering later today to listen to good old-time music and see friends; maybe dinner out and then back to the Gathering for the evening concert. This will be a good day. Then tomorrow? I'm telling stories at Vandalia and judging the West Virginia State Liars Contest. Come on down!

News to Share

I've been slogging away on some applications and proposals today; very tiring day. But there is a little news on the storytelling front:

My CD Beyond the Grave will be listed with the West Virginia Book Company soon, allowing a much wider distribution and publicity. I will drop some off tomorrow and it should be listed on their website soon. I'm excited about this, and relieved. Promotion is time-consuming; while I will still be promoting and selling my CD wherever possible, it helps to have this larger outlet for sales. I will still be selling them myself, of course.

AND I have been asked to be a judge for the West Virginia Liars Contest! It's held during the Vandalia Gathering; this year it is on Sunday, May 30 at the Cultural Center in Charleston. I will have performance time onstage prior to the contest. If you attend Vandalia, please stop by and say hello. And get in the contest! It's fun and you just might win. The contest rules are here.

Did I mention earlier that I will be doing a workshop on using the old ballads as a frame for writing original stories at the WV Writers Conference in June? And also one on blogging--now that one will be easy! The ballad one is an idea I've had for a while, and there are actually several authors who have done this very thing. Sharyn McCrumb, for instance, writes the Ballad series featuring her character Nora Bonesteel, who is based on one of the old balladsingers from North Carolina. And Jane Yolen's Tam Lin come to mind, along with any written story of Robin Hood, who was a figure in ballads before he was in stories. I am reading my friend and fellow storyteller Gail De Vos' new book Stories from Songs: Ballads as Literary Fictions for Young Adults which is sure to be a good source of ideas for this session. Gail's book won a Storytelling World award this year, and small wonder. It's well researched and thorough.

Time to stop writing and start reading. Mr. Poe's biography is calling me, and I'm tired of thinking for now. Brain break!

The Day After

The Charleston Sunday paper had a good article about the storytellers at Vandalia yesterday. Click here to read it. No pictures of storytelling with the article, and the title says "storytime," reminiscent of library programs for preschoolers, but the text of the article is good.

What a great day we had. More pics later today.

And I got to meet Cathy and her husband! She's a follower and I had never met her in person, which is true of most of my readers, yet I feel I know all of you like friends. Meeting Cathy was just that--like meeting an old friend. (Be sure to pay her a visit at her blog, Whippoorwill Wood).

Vandalia Gathering!

The biggest celebration of traditional mountain arts in West Virginia happens this weekend at the State Capitol in Charleston: The Vandalia Gathering. Old-time music, musician competitions, dancing, crafts, and storytelling will all be on tap for a weekend of good fun. There will be good food too. I'm ready for the homemade ice cream myself.

On Saturday, I will be at the storytelling tent and performing with other members of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild on stage in the Cultural Center from 12:30-1:30pm. We will have storytelling and children's activities at our tent--something for everyone. Please stop by to say hello, listen to a story and enjoy this beautiful festival. Here are some photos from last year's festival: (For more from last year, click here)







A very good time! I hope you can join us.

Planting, Picking and Jamming

The morning started with a task to be completed: planting tomatoes. So Larry did that while I...



did this...ummm. Good strawberry preserves.

Aaron and Jaime and kids arrived, so while the guys went off to mow and begin the clean-up at Derek's, us womenfolks took off for Vandalia Gathering at the Capitol in Charleston.

Vendor tents lined the circle in the shady circle drive of the building

and musicians were everywhere, playing in jam sessions under the trees
or competing in fiddle, banjo, flatpick guitar, and other contests



while in the singing tent we sang the old songs with Kate Long, Becky Kimmons and others.

Irish step-dancers perform the sword dance in the great hall of the Cultural Center,

and outside our friend Wendy Perrone sat with her Golden Eagle Spirit

We took a little detour through the halls of the Capitol. The Governor wasn't in.

Looking up one of the spiral staircases on either side of the rotunda is a little dizzying.

The second floor, towards the 'well' in the center of the rotunda. Michaela loved the echo chamber and the sound of her feet on the marble floors.

The two floors, looking like a reflection.

As the shadows lengthened, we settled under the trees to listen to Odie and friends picking some fine bluegrass. Everywhere was music--Old-time, Celtic, square dance, singing and bluegrass. You could move from place to place to listen to one pick-up group after another, a musical smorgasbord.

Then it was time to head home to the guys, the fire pit and good memories of a very good day.