Since I am not always able to travel with our little one when my guys head out for an entire day, I don't have pictures from a few of the events, but I'll share about them anyway.
On September 20th, Randy and the boys headed over to Weaverville so the boys could compete in the Weaverville Open Fiddle Contest, hosted by Jim French. They both had a wonderful time jamming with friends, old and new, and competing on banjo, mandolin and fiddle. Cody took fifth place in his category on fiddle, and in the picking division, Jesse took third place on mandolin with Cody following on his heels, taking a fourth on banjo. They always look forward to this small-town competition that draws people from all over to come and compete in its friendly atmosphere. The three of them were blessed to be able to play for the audience prior to the Awards Ceremony and enjoyed not only playing together, but sharing a little on-stage reparte. :o)
About a week later, Cody, Jesse and Randy headed over to Canyonwood Nursing Center and played music for the residents there. It is always a blessing and joy to play for the people in this facility, and we look forward to heading over there again in January.Western Night, held at the end of September at Parkside Chapel in Visalia, California, about six hours from our hometown, was so much fun. The guys came home full of news and tales of meeting the many people there, sharing the gospel through music and talking to them and with them of the Lord. (Unfortunately, our camera batteries died and I haven't been able to obtain any pictures of the event yet.) This group blessed us with their hospitality, and in their generosity of more than covering our expenses to travel down and back for the weekend.
Randy and I planned a special surprise for the boys on the way down to Visalia, and they had no idea until they were on the way that they were first headed to a special concert in Yuba City given by The Isaacs, a fabulous family bluegrass group that we love to listen to and whose songs are heartfelt, genuine and cross-centered. Crossroads Community Church often hosts concerts by excellent bluegrass and Southern gospel groups that don't often make it to the West Coast. We plan to attend more concerts there in the future. After a fabulous, entertaining, and gospel-centered concert, Cody and Jesse had the privelege of meeting several of the members of their group. The generous banjo player let Cody try out his Huber, the type of banjo Cody dreams of owning one day.
Jesse got to meet Sonya Isaacs, lead singer and mandolin player for the group. Sonya signed the back of Jesse's mandolin, right next to where Doyle Lawson signed it at the Father's Day Festival this summer.
At the beginning of October, the Williams family held a celebration honoring their parents 50th wedding anniversary, and we were blessed to be asked to be a part of that special gathering of friends and family. This is the lovely setting where the event was held. The people gathered were so warm and friendly, and were so encouraging about the music Randy and the boys were playing, that it made the whole evening loads of fun. People even did some dancing! Pastor Gene once again graciously filled in on bass so that I could be home with our little one that evening, who is still trying to grow accustomed to crowds, loud music and clapping. :o)
Cody concentrating on a banjo solo at the anniversary party.
Jesse hams it up for the camera.
We had plans to attend the California Bluegrass Association's fall family campout last weekend, but I came down ill, so my thoughtful husband and sons stayed home on Saturday to help take care of me, then headed down very early Sunday morning so that Randy could preach for the church service held by Rich Ferguson and the Christian Bluegrass Association. The boys loved helping lead the worship time, and after the service they had the opportunity to jam with California bluegrassin' folk of all ages.
Randy and the boys will be spending a majority of this weekend in the studio recording our first CD! We are all very excited about this project, and are looking forward to hearing how it turns out when everything it is all pulled together. The following weekend the boys will be competing at the Western Open Fiddle Contest, the largest competition West of the Rockies, we're told. Last year there were several state champions from near and far competing on fiddle, guitar, banjo and mandolin. The boys look forward to playing as well as listening to this excellent gathering of musicians, and just think, only 30 minutes from here! If you have a chance, come out and hear some excellent music and join the fun.
The rest of 2008 we will take a little more slowly, savoring time with friends and family through Thanksgiving and Christmas, though we do have a few music times scheduled and a few other possibilities. We'll be playing at Shasta College for Adoption Awareness month, sharing with a church in Hayward, California the Sunday following Thanksgiving, and playing at a few retirement and rest homes in our area. We are currently scheduling for 2009, and are looking forward to playing at the Cloverdale Fiddle Contest in January as well as at the Child Evangelism Fellowship Banquet in March. (See our schedule for more details on these events.) Keep checking back for schedule updates in the sidebar, and let us know now if there is an upcoming event you would like us to play for!
Blessings,
Philippians 4:8
