Bluegrass Ridge

I was told that a good place to go to get a feel for local culture was the Bluegrass Ridge on Saturday nights. Lee told me - "Just head out Old Liberty Road a couple of miles until you see the sign for Rising Meadow Farm at William's Dairy Road. Take a right and go a bit and you'll see a cinder block building that looks like something else. There will be lots of cars - that's the place."

After a long market day like we had today, probably setting a sales record, the idea of staying local for the evening seemed very attractive having been up since 4:30. So I put on my faded jeans and my best CRAFT t-shirt courtesy of Saxelby Cheesemongers and headed out.

I won't kid myself that living and working at Goat Lady Dairy has provided something of an enlightened haven from the 'real world' of rural North Carolina. More than a few friends have expressed concern or at least amusement of my relocating from downtown Manhattan to rural Randolph County in less than a day. Even though Greensboro is 30 minutes away and Chapel Hill about an hour, it IS very country out here. People's lives move with the seasons, they talk about the hay, the animals, the weather and which pickup is working best.

I was driving down the road with Steve yesterday in a beat up pickup truck with a refrigerator strapped upright in the back. We were taking it to our farmer's market stall to replace the one blown away by the tornado. Everyone on Jess Hackett Road knows Bobby's pickup (Bobby is the husband of Carey, the assistant cheese maker at GLD) and they are waving away at us probably wondering who the strange people were in Bobby's pickup. But I've lived in Tennessee, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Iowa and Pennsylvania, enough country to appreciate the flow of things. I felt as if I had finally arrived. I just waved back.

I walked into the Bluegrass Ridge which was indeed nothing more than a cider block shed looking like something else. I was forewarned that someone my age would be assumed to be there to play. I appeared to be nearly the youngest one there, the next youngest being in diapers. Sure enough towards the end of the set, the House Band leader asked me if I was playing. I did my best to indicate that I was not so I safely avoided becoming a honorary member of the Cornbread Revival Band that got up next. After few downbeat sad country songs were played (Long Black Veil) along with a few more upbeat ones (Foggy Bottom Breakdown) a couple of women got up and started dancing. The dance looked familiar but I had to ask what is was - flat foot was the answer. Here is a You Tube of June Carter Cash doing just that. Shortly after that just as dusk was gathering I'm sure I spotted some sheep across the road standing at the fence looking a bit forlorn as if the bouncer wouldn't let them in to see the show.

One of the ladies who was dancing later advised me that I could get the $0.75 peach cobbler for free if I was a musician. The lady at the register then told me things were pretty quiet as there is a large Blue Grass Festival at Snow Camp this weekend about 20 miles from here. I may have to go check it out tomorrow.