Dulcimers, fiddles, flutes and banjos rang out in Loachapoka last weekend during the "Down From the Mountains" festival.
When the Lee County Historical Society arranged the four-day festival, not many people expected several groups of artists from distant areas of America to come celebrate the second annual Lee County Gathering in Loachapoka.
"The Old Time Music Festival was absolutely wonderful," said Deborah McCord, president of the Lee County Historical Society. "We had a big cookout, several old-time music jam sessions, concerts, dances, story telling sittings and many classes for all kinds of instruments."
Celebrated musicians of unusual instruments performed as well as taught classes.
Artists such as Joe Collins, the 2007 National Dulcimer Champion; Marty Hoerr, a Native American music performer and vocalist and Bill Hogan, a sacred harp singer and instructor, brought large crowds.
"We had a total of 300 people throughout the three days," McCord said. "Thursday and Friday were our busiest days. Saturday rained quite a bit, but it didn't stop people from coming and Sunday morning's hymn sing and jam session went well."
After performing "William Tell Overture" on a mountain dulcimer in front of more than 100 people Friday night, many attendees became eager to partake in Collins' dulcimer lesson.
"He is phenomenal," said Deena Rowell. "Everybody was just enthralled when he played music on the dulcimer, he made it sound so good."
Vendors from Michigan, Ohio, and Cumberland Gap, Va., attracted large crowds when they sold instruments, CDs and music books at Lee County's historic museum.
"Our main purpose was education," McCord said. "We were teaching lessons to people of all ages and experience levels in all acoustic instruments. For example, we hosted a hammered dulcimer classes, fiddle lessons, and we had a lady teach Native American folklore in flutes. She taught our children's class on Saturday morning. She was phenomenal."
McCord said the second objective of the festival was to raise money for the Lee County Historical Society.
A popular event, contra dancing--a folk dance similar to the Virginia reel that dates back to the 17th century--was taught and performed at the "old schoolhouse" Saturday evening.
"It was wonderful to see all kinds of friends and families with their children come out and have fun," McCord said. "It was completely clean, no alcohol, just fun dances.
Bass dulcimer and banjo player Bob Taunton performed and instructed classes with his wife, Rose. Saturday night, Taunton's handmade boron, an enormous Irish drum, was sold in the raffle.
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