By David Heiller
Music lovers will have a couple of very good options this weekend in our locale.

Bluff Country Gathering in Lanesboro has a concert on Friday and a dance on Saturday, both at 8 p.m. in the community center.

Cushions Peak Campground, 18696 State Highway 16 in Houston, is hosting a bluegrass festival Friday-Sunday.

Iíve been to many bluegrass festivals over the years, although not the Cushionís Peak one. I have no doubt it is a good event, because Iíve never been to one that wasnít. Sure the music quality varies. But it is always real and heartfelt, and that always seems to transcend whether the banjo player is the next Earl Scruggs.

The ambiance of a bluegrass festival is hard to beat too. People welcome you into their circle, to listen or to play. Itís a pretty special scene.

I have been to Bluff Country Gathering four times, and am going again this year. It has a series of workshops on different instruments and styles of old-time music. I think of ìold-timeî music as the grandfather of bluegrass. The movies Oh Brother Where Art Thou and Songcatcher featured old time music.

I sum up ìThe Gatheringî in a word: magical. Iíve never been to it without feeling that. It sounds trite, but the music and the musicians there somehow manage to bring it out at some point.

It happened last year at the concert, when a musician named Dan Gellert was playing a medley on the fiddle called Pateroller/Old Sledge. Dan is a middle-aged man who has devoted his life to learning old fiddle tunes. He pays great attention to the tunes and the old masters that played them so well. Dan manages to capture all their subtleties, which can be intricate indeed, usually more than words can express.

And Dan did just that. He stood on stage, just him and his voice and his amazing fiddle. Toward the end Dan looked at the audience and smiled. His eyes seemed to glow. He knew we were entranced. I dare say that about 200 people were under his spell. It was a musical moment I will never forget.

I could go on, but Iíll risk ruining the magic if I do that. I do encourage you to check The Gathering out. The dance on Saturday is very fun too, with fantastic live music and good callers. No experience required. You donít get a chance to experience a good old-fashioned barn dance often anymore, and thatís exactly what this is.

And if you are adventurous, walk around Sylvan Park and listen to the jamming. It is great too. Old-time music isnít flashy, but it has an underlying power and beauty that is both ancient and profound.

Musical events like this and the one at Cushionís Peak are an important part of my life. I seem to make new friends every year, and old friendships keep getting stronger. Music is the glue that holds it together. I can see people I havenít seen in a year, and when we sit down and share a song, we havenís missed a beat.

So, Lanesboro, Cushionís Peak: take your pick. Two good musical adventures await.

Top of Page

Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475

E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com