My Father loved music. He made the most beautiful musical instruments, and played the pedal steel guitar. As children we were exposed to classical music (I learnt the harp and the violin) country music and Dad's love Hawaiian music. Up until recently he was still composing music on the computer.
With Dad's passing a few weeks ago Joan and I decided to pay tribute to his passion by attending a Bluegrass music festival just an hour or so from Long Prairie.
Held over 4 days the festival is in it's 27th year.
We drove through the green rolling hills to a ranch just out of Avon Minnesota to the district of Richmond. It was quiet and there was no other traffic on the road.... We drove for a considerable time, we laughed thinking we were on the wrong trail.... As we rounded a corner, there it was El Rancho Manana. Hundreds of vehicles dotted the hillside. Camper vans, busses and private cars.
What a treat. We joined about 1000 other enthusiasts and sat in a natural amphitheatre under a canopy of pine trees. The smell of fresh pine from the carpet of pine chips on the ground was just wonderful. The stage was set on one side of the hill and an army of camp chairs was set to view the performance in a semicircle around the perimeter. Fantastic.
I'm sure my Dad was there in spirit. We watched and listened to quite a few bands, some not so well know, but also to groups who are mainliners and well known. What a treat.
There was such a variety of patrons, all ages. We shared time with a biker who had traveled from the cities to experience the show. It was a little gem in my travels, I'm sure lucky.
