Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival
October 2015
In September Judy and I journeyed
to Winfield, KS for the 44th annual Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival. The town population doubles for
four days as many of the assembled enthusiasts settle in the tree-lined
campgrounds nestled in the oxbow of the Walnut River.
People-hauling
tractors collect day-trippers from the parking lots, and the sounds of fiddles,
banjos, and mandolins resonate.
Four stages at the Cowley County Fairgrounds offer nonstop performances
starting at 9 in the morning ending after midnight. Thirty-four acts are staggered throughout the weekend along
with amateurs vying for top honors in one of seven contests. Dozens of campground jam sessions
proffer opportunities for players of all abilities. The abundance of unheralded, but gifted musicians, amazed
and entertained. The crowd was
festive, and, apparently in tribute to last year's World Series appearance,
those wearing Royal's attire outnumbered those with tee-shirts proclaiming,
"Paddle Faster I Hear Banjo."
While rushing
from one venue to another, I noticed a pretty young woman in a wheel chair, one
with canted wheels like those used by athletes. I didn't want to stare, but I did gaze furtively. She had a little girl, about three I'd
guess, sitting in her lap, but she didn't have a lap. She had no legs and only a vestige of stubs. She appeared too young to have been a
victim of the Thalidomide disaster dating back to the 1960's. Whatever the origins of her misfortune,
she carried herself with a quiet dignity, and one couldn't help but admire her
grit. And we continued on our way
to the mountain dulcimer contest.
Later we were
sitting in the bleachers of Stage III awaiting the performance of a Scottish
band, The Tannahill Weavers, as they were setting up. My mind wandered aimlessly wherein I pondered that the
Winfield High School teams should have been named the Wipers. What a missed opportunity! Then I saw something that touched me to
my core. The young lady who
earlier caught my attention was wheeling our way, once again with the little
girl sitting in front of her.
It rained hard
earlier in the afternoon. As her
wheelchair reached a grassy surface, the wheels slipped and started to sink
into the soft earth. Then the
little girl hopped off and started running forward but immediately circled
around and began to push her Mother's wheelchair. She was consciously building up speed to insure she would be
of the greatest assistance. It
appeared the little tyke had done this before. Together they managed to reach drier ground and settled in
for the rousing performance featuring pipes, fife, fiddle, and four strong
voices.
And she was joined
by a second woman, also legless and wheel chair bound, presumably her identical
twin.
And I was
reminded of the ancient proverb, "I cried because I had no shoes, and then
I met a man who had no feet."
Other stuff
The first draft
of Book II is now about 80% complete.
I'm chasing stories that have taken me to Wickenburg (AZ), Gig Harbor
(WA), Lakin (KS), New Orleans, and soon to Mexico. It would please me greatly if people enjoy reading the stories
as much as I have had seeking them out.
I'll keep you posted.
NNAOPP
continues to plug along. Sales
have now eclipsed 1,450. I'm now
down to the last 6 copies in my fulfillment center and will soon be ordering a
sixth printing, 25 more. It's not
too soon to start thinking about those stocking stuffers.
That's it from
here. All the best.
Chuck
Charles A. Wells, Jr.
3317 W. 68th Street
Shawnee Mission, KS 66208
816 289-1924
Author of: Nude Nuns and Other Peculiar People
Follow my blog at: http://www.nudenuns.blogspot.com
Available at:
Rainy Day Books, 2706 W. 53rd Street, Fairway, KS
Sanibel Island
Bookshop, 1571 Periwinkle, Sanibel, FL
Twisted Sisters Eclectic Gifts and Floral, Albany, MO
Bruce Smith Drug Store, Prairie Village,
KS
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