Tag: museums

A Minute In Wilkesboro with the Kruger Brothers

Posted on by Editor

Welcome to “A Minute In …” — a BGS feature that turns our favorite artists into hometown reporters. In our latest column, the Kruger Brothers take us on a tour of Wilkesboro, North Carolina, from a courthouse to a courtyard.

We make our home in Wilkesboro, the county seat of Wilkes County, North Carolina. This county is known as “the heart of American folk music.” Wilkes County lies the northern area of the Yadkin Valley, on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We were drawn here by the music, and then fell in love with the people and the beautiful landscape.

Blue Ridge Parkway. Photo credit: RD Hill Photography

BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY: This is a very diverse region of the Blue Ridge. Of course, we love the sounds of roots music and the many festivals in the area. When we’re not playing music, we enjoy the apple orchards and vineyards in the area. There are so many recreational opportunities, such as W. Kerr Scott Reservoir’s camping, boating, bird watching, hiking, and mountain biking trails. The Yadkin River runs between the towns of Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro, offering miles of rippling water for kayaking and canoeing. This area is also popular for trout fishing.

Carolina in the Fall. Photo credit: Wilkes Chamber of Commerce

CAROLINA IN THE FALL MUSIC AND FOOD FESTIVAL: We are proud to host this annual event which features some of the world’s best folk, bluegrass, and roots artists. As Uwe sings in his song, “… in the hills of Carolina, folks have opened up the door and, for the first time in my life, I’m not a stranger anymore.” There are no strangers here as we get together for two days of food, music, and more. Food trucks from around the region bring their unique offerings and compete for the Food Truck Championship trophy. Regional vineyards and craft breweries provide a taste of the area’s best beverages. Also included are the North Carolina Banjo Championship (a favorite for Jens, of course), the Chad Lovetts Memorial Trail Run and Ride which supports the American Cancer Society, and a silent auction supporting an afterschool music program. The festival also includes Contra and clogging dance classes, artist workshops, and nightly jam sessions at the Yadkin Valley Event Center.

Doc Watson Mural. Photo credit: Kruger Brothers

DOC WATSON MURAL: When Doc Watson passed unexpectedly in 2012, the world lost an amazing and inspiring talent, our community lost a hero, and we lost a treasured personal friend. We were pleased when students in the Wilkes Art Gallery’s annual Summer Honors Art Program participated in the creation of this mural depicting Doc along with Stone Mountain, the Yadkin River, and W. Kerr Scott Lake. Doc would’ve loved this program which pairs professional artists with talented, local high school students to create works of public art. The brightly colored mural was designed by local artist Wes Gregory and covers the entire east façade of Royall Custom Framing, a building located at the corner of Main and Bridge Streets.

Early morning MerleFest main stage. Photo credit: Kruger Brothers

MERLEFEST: And speaking of Doc … ! Our friend continues to be honored annually on the last weekend of April at the festival created to remember Doc’s son, Merle. The four-day MerleFest, on the campus of Wilkes Community College, features music from all over the world, and we are always honored to play this special festival. It was, after all, playing MerleFest that first introduced us to this town that we now so proudly call home. The history of performers since 1988 reads like a “who’s who” of the entire world of music. Uwe took the early morning photo on the first day of MerleFest this year, hours before the gates opened. There was an air of anticipation in the misty morning light, with rows of chairs so neatly placed in expectation of the crowds to come. It is one of the premier music festivals in the country, yet MerleFest still retains that special feeling of a family reunion for fans and for those of us who perform.

Wilkes Heritage Museum. Photo credit: Kruger Brothers

WILKES HERITAGE MUSEUM: The Old Wilkes County Courthouse, built in 1902, has been restored and houses the Heritage Museum for Wilkes County History. It is a beautiful example of classical revival structures. Inside is a rare collection of artifacts and images that tell stories of early settlers, military history, industry, agriculture, and so much more about the history of our town and county. Behind this building is the old Wilkes County Jail, now a museum, as well. It is one of the few remaining mid-19th century jails. One of its inmates was Tom Dula or Dooley, famous for the 1866 murder of Laura Foster, and made more famous by the old North Carolina folk song “Tom Dooley.”

Open air market. Photo credit: Kruger Brothers

OPEN AIR MARKET: Downtown Wilkesboro is enjoying a revitalization project that includes a new performance stage in the Open Air Market. The Wilkesboro Open Air Market is held on Fridays, from May through September, providing local and regional farmers and artisans the opportunity to sell fresh farm products and handcrafted items. There is also live music throughout the market season. The stage will be used for many of the festivals and events in town, and we’re looking forward to playing here.

Raffaldini Vineyards. Photo credit: Wilkes Chamber of Commerce

RAFFALDINI VINEYARDS: This is a favorite escape just outside of Wilkesboro in Rondo, North Carolina. Raffaldini Vineyards & Winery is a surprising winery that will make you feel as if you’ve stepped out of the Yadkin Valley and right into Tuscany. They have delicious wines made from authentic Italian varietals. The 102-acre estate is surrounded by the serenity of the Yadkin Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The patio is a perfect place to enjoy lunch, a glass of wine, and the picturesque countryside. It is also an ideal place to relax and reconnect with our lovely wives when we are not on the road.

Traveler: Your Guide to Washington D.C.

Posted on by Editor

If you’re not swearing off our nation’s capital until 2020, we’re here to help you avoid the tourist traps in Washington, D.C. Full of free museums, bustling nightlife, ethnic eats, and a diverse population, Washington D.C. offers reaffirmation of the fabric of our nation in a time of division.

Getting There

The airport situation might be the hardest part about getting to Washington, D.C. since the District itself is a no-fly zone for all commercial airlines. With all of the airports on the outskirts, you’ll want to choose carefully the closest one to your accommodations. Ronald Reagan/DCA has Metro access and is the closest to the city center, Dulles is a 40-minute ride to town, and Baltimore/Washington International is close to an hour away from D.C. proper, but is accessible via city bus. Getting around with no car is doable with a Metro pass, ride sharing, or your own two feet.

Accommodations

From bed and breakfasts in Georgetown to Airbnbs in DuPont Circle to swanky hotels overlooking the White House lawn, there is no shortage of spots to crash in D.C. The Kalorama Guest House is a cozy euro-style B&B right off the metro and two blocks from the National Zoo. Airbnb has plenty of options, averaging $190 per night. And, if you’re feeling fancy (and planning way in advance), check out a room in the Hay-Adams, overlooking the White House.

Eats & Drinks

Photo: View from the W bar, Photo credit: Saahil Agrawal

D.C.’s multicultural make-up makes for comprehensive dinner plate fare. They’ve got a killer high-brow food scene, but the hidden ethnic gems are what make D.C. so tasty. If you want to eat Greek with the local Greeks, head to Mykonos for Imam Baildi and the most authentic tzatziki in town. Neapolitan pizza made by Italians in Arlington at Pupatella was voted best pizza in the state of Virginia and is right down the road. Other must-trys include Japanese donburi from Donburi in Adams Morgan and Latin eats from El Pollo Sabrosa.

The D.C. crowd is a work hard, play hard kinda crew, so there are also plenty of places to wet your whistle. The rent is too high, so dive bars are aplenty, as are the complete opposite — exclusive clubs. Bar Pilar is on 14th Street and is Hemingway-themed. ChurchKey is a beer lover’s delight, collaborating with breweries like Sun King Brewery and 3 Stars Brewing Company on exclusive brews. Head to the top of the W for drinks with a view of the Treasury and the White House, plus you can play Where’s Waldo? to find the security personnel on top of the White House.

Sight Seeing

D.C. has the obvious political sights that are popular for a reason. There’s nothing like walking the monuments that circle the Tidal Basin on the West End of the National Mall at night, taking a selfie in front of the White House, or perusing the National Archives, but there are some off-the-beaten path spots that are worth the deviation from throngs of tourists.

Music

Photo: Black Cat, photo by: Josephine Wood

D.C.’s got plenty of live music venues. Catch indie bands at Black Cat, bluegrass and Americana at Gypsy Sally’s, and a wide variety of other touring bands at the 9:30 Club, where they make their famous 9:30 cupcakes for artists and for sale to the public.

As for record stores, two Sundays of every year, collectors wrap around E Street to get first dibs on DC Record Fair’s vinyl fare at Penn Social. Grab some Emmylou from Red Onion Records or get nitro cold brew and peruse new and used records at Songbyrd Music House.

Books

Photo: Politics & Prose

Go book shopping and get a hearty breakfast at Politics & Prose. Be sure to check out their events lineup because they host notable people like Trevor Noah, Bernie Sanders, and Bob Boilen often, plus they have killer deals on used books.

Museums

Photo: National Gallery, Photo credit: Josephine Wood

The National Portrait Gallery is one of the more obscure Smithsonians, but is well worth the visit, particularly their “In the Groove” series of Herman Leonard’s jazz photography.

In the age of media skepticism, the Newseum offers a timely look back at the history of media in the U.S., including a 50th anniversary exhibit on the history of the Civil Rights movement, photography of immigrants and a history of rock ‘n’ roll and politics’ intersection. It’s not a Smithsonian Museum, so it costs $25, but is worth the cash.

The National Gallery boasts the most comprehensive art collection, which allows a wide range of visitors — art lovers or not — the chance to connect with different styles. Plan to spend a large chunk of time exploring, or target one genre or time period to meander through.

The National Museum of African-American History and Culture is the newest Smithsonian and tickets are tougher to come by, though still free. It’s worth the wait. The museum is a walk through the history of African-Americans in the United States, including Civil Rights history, slavery, music, art, and much more. You’ll learn more than you did in any history class, but plan at least half-a-day to spend wandering the museum, because there is a lot to take in at this five-story, emotionally taxing museum. Get ticket details here.

This one’s not exactly a hidden gem, but taking a stroll at the Georgetown Waterfront, along the Potomac River, is a great place to enjoy a sunny day. There are biking and walking paths, as well as plenty of stores and restaurants to pop in along the way. Plus, Georgetown is pretty much the most charming spot in D.C.

Lede photo credit: freestock.ca ♡ dare to share beauty via Foter.com / CC BY

Traveler: Your Guide to Unique Music Museums

Posted on by Editor

When it comes to visiting music museums, there are the usual suspects: The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, the Grammy Museum, and the International Bluegrass Music Museum. While they are definitely fine institutions, there are also a number of lesser-known collections that are slightly off the beaten path but worth discovering.

Woody Guthrie Folk Music Center

Photo courtesy of the Woody Guthrie Folk Music Center

Though Pampa is a small town in the Texas Panhandle, far from the state’s music centers, it holds an important spot in American music history because it is the place that Woody Guthrie moved to as a teenager and where he got in his first guitar. In 1991, several community leaders created the Woody Guthrie Folk Music Center, which is located in the old Harris Drug Store where Guthrie worked as a youth. While not as fancy as Tulsa’s recently opened Woody Guthrie Center, Pampa’s museum — currently open by appointment only — has a homespun charm that reflects Guthrie’s common man values. On display are Guthrie-related newspaper articles, old photos, and even an over-sized version of his “This Guitar Kills Fascists” guitar. Michael Sinks, the Center’s director, says Nora Guthrie is working on an exhibit for them. They also promote Guthrie’s legacy through public song circles on Friday nights and an annual concert in October (to mark Woody’s passing) that cowboy balladeer Don Edwards is headlining this year.

Woody Guthrie Folk Music Center
320 S. Cuyler, Pampa, TX, 79065
Free admission; donations welcome
Open by appointment only. Call 806-664-0824 or email [email protected]

The Bluegrass Bus Museum

Photo courtesy of Danny Clark

After seeing Flatt & Scruggs perform on the Beverly Hillbillies, a young Don Clark became a lifelong bluegrass fan and dreamed about having a Martha White touring bus like Flatt & Scruggs had. After buying a bus like the duo’s, Clark filled it with his various bluegrass and country mementos and created the Bluegrass Bus Museum in the early 1990s. When you step inside the bus, you’ll be walking on vintage Grand Ole Opry carpeting. Clark’s eclectic array of Americana includes Lester Flatt’s old mailbox sign, antique Martha White mic stands, and a Bill Monroe’s stage suit. A centerpiece is the bus door that is covered with autographs from hundreds of musicians. After years of traveling all across America, the aging bus now only hits the road 5-10 times a year around the Nashville area, where Clark and his son Danny now reside. If you want to check out the museum, you can contact Danny through their website to arrange a visit. He is also keeping bluegrass history alive by posting on their YouTube channel a number of archival live performances that his father videotaped at festivals back in the day.

Bluegrass Bus Museum
To make an appointment, email [email protected] or phone 615-497-6731

Fur Peace Ranch

Photo credit: Scotty Hall

Why can you find a treasure trove of memorabilia for Haight-Ashbury’s golden age some 2,000 miles from San Francisco in southeastern Ohio’s rural countryside? Because this is where is Jorma Kaukonen (of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna fame) and his wife Vanessa have their Fur Peace Ranch. Their ranch is best known for its long-running guitar camp and popular concert series, but Jorma and Vanessa decided a few years ago to transform an old silo into a '60s-centric museum named the Psylodelic Gallery as a way to share the many items he saved — along with offering a personal look into that historic era. Kaukonen’s original Fillmore posters adorn the walls. The typewriter heard on his famous bootleg recording with Janis Joplin is on display, as are period outfits like the one his bandmate Jack Casady wore at Woodstock. The gallery also hosts temporary exhibits, with the most recent one presenting Jerry Garcia paintings. If that isn’t enough of a flashback for you, there’s a Brotherhood of Light-designed liquid light show to further enhance the '60s vibe.

Fur Peace Ranch
39495 St. Clair Rd., Pomeroy, Ohio 45769
1 pm – 5 pm, Wednesday-Friday and during concerts
Free admission; donations welcome

Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park

Photo credit: John Fletcher

Way down along the Suwannee River is a natural place to find a memorial to the man who penned the famous lyric: “way down upon the Swanee River.” (He took spelling liberties to suit his melody.) Located about an hour west of Jacksonville, in White Springs, Florida, this museum salutes the Pennsylvania-born songwriter, who apparently never actually visited the Suwannee River. On view are eight original dioramas inspired by Foster’s songs, along with a number of 19th-century pianos, including the one that he played. It’s hard to miss another main attraction — the 97-tubular bell carillon tower that plays Foster’s music throughout the day. The park, which also serves as Florida's official folk culture center, hosts the annual Florida Folk Festival and the Stephen Foster Old-Time Music Weekend. Sadly, the replica paddle steamers no longer travel the river as they once did.

Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center
11016 Lillian Saunders Drive / US HWY 41 North
White Springs, FL 32096
Park is open from 8 am to sunset
Museum and Tower are open 9 am – 5 pm daily
Admission Fee: $5 per vehicle. Limit 2-8 people per vehicle.
$4 Single Occupant Vehicle.
386-397-4331 / 386-397-4408 for tours

U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum

Photo courtesy of Paintsville Tourism Commission

While U.S. Route 23 stretches nearly 1,500 miles from Michigan to Florida, it is the 150 or so miles that runs through eastern Kentucky that has contributed so much to the music world that it has been officially named “The Country Music Highway.” Loretta Lynn, Tom T. Hall, Ricky Skaggs, the Judds, Billy Ray Cyrus, Dwight Yoakam, and Chris Stapleton — who have all called this area home — are among those honored at the U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum in Paintsville, Kentucky. Each of the 13 inductees have their individual exhibit, displaying personal items, such as a couple of Loretta dresses, a vintage Skaggs guitar, and a pair of Stapleton’s boots. As Paintsville’s executive director of tourism, Jeremiah Parsons, notes, all of these performers haven’t been afraid to be different and create their own unique style. If you visit on a Thursday, stick around for their Front Porch Picking night; maybe some of the region’s musical magic will rub off on you.

US 23 Country Music Highway Museum‬
100 Stave Branch Road, Paintsville, KY 41256
9 am – 5 pm Monday-Saturday; 12:30 pm – 5 pm Sunday
Admission: $4
606-297-1469‬

The Big House

Photo courtesy of the Big House Museum

Mention “The Big House” in Macon, Georgia, and it means only one thing — the place where the Allman Brothers called home in the early ‘70s as they rose to stardom. In 2009, the old Grand Tudor mansion opened as the Allman Brothers Band Museum. Visiting it is like walking through the coolest music-themed house ever. Some rooms, like Duane’s Room and the “Casbah” Music Room, resemble how they looked when the band lived there. The Living Room and Old Dining Room, meanwhile, now present a wealth of Allman artifacts — Where else will you see Cher and Gregg Allman’s pool table? — and the walk-in closet is lined with posters and photos instead of clothes. The “Fillmore East Room,” where the group used to jam, is stocked quite appropriately with their old instruments. There’s even a room that salutes their roadies! Besides its central role in Allman Brothers history, the Big House also is where latter-day Allmans Warren Haynes and Allen Woody lived in 1994 when they put together their own band Gov’t Mule.

The Big House Museum
2321 Vineville Ave, Macon, GA 31204
11 am – 6 pm Thursday through Sunday
Admission: $10 adults, $4 children 3-10
478-741-5551

Lede photo courtesy of the Big House Museum