Going back to East Virginia

This weekend Appalachian State University held its 2019 Fall Break. This extra long weekend gave me the opportunity to drive home. During my fall break I embarked on an eight hour journey across much of North Carolina and through South Eastern Virginia. My trip to the Eastern Shore of Virginia showed me interesting cities and rural areas that are trapped in time. I drove down Appalachian mountain sides and I rolled over Piedmont hills. On my journey I drove down the J.E.B. Stuart Memorial Highway. As I drove down this road I felt as if I had been transported back in time. Along the highway were small tin shacks, old town stores, and plastic wrapped cotton bales scattered between snowy white cotton fields, ready for harvest. As I drove along the J.E.B Stuart Memorial Highway, I looked at the cotton balls scattering the road and appreciated this time capsule that I was experiencing.

When I finally arrived at my island home I was faced with an out of the ordinary obstacle. Unknown by me, a “Nor’ Eastern” storm, dozens of miles off the coast, has been stalled by a warm front to the south. When I made it to the long straight road through the marsh that connects Chincoteague Island to the Delmarva Peninsula I was greeted by sea water covering the road. Even though the strong storm couldn't be seen by people on the island, it was still pushing a storm surge out of the ocean which covered most of the island. Luckily for Islanders like me, flooding is a normal thing in the cool evenings of Fall. Coming home to a flooded beach town seemed ironic to me because when I was growing up, school would often cancel classes for similar events. 

Besides the almost comical flooding I experienced, I had a wonderful visit home. It was refreshing to spend time with my loving family!

My Visit to Trailhead Records

I consider myself an amateur musician. I have spent the last eleven years of my life studying the banjo and slowly learning how to play it. Where I grew up nobody was interested in Bluegrass music. It was hard for me to grow as a banjo player because I was on my own. Despite all of the troubles I faced, I continued to push myself to be a better musician. I knew one day, when I made friends who are passionate about Bluegrass music, my musical ability would finally blossom. Before I moved to Boone, North Carolina, I had little experience playing with other people. Since moving to Boone I have kindled friendships between many incredible musicians that are my age! I play music with my new found friends as much as I possibly can. Last night we had a wonderful time recording a song in the recording studio in my friend's basement. 

  As I walked into my friends basement, the headquarters for Trailhead Records, I was amazed at the sight of a room filled with cunning-edge recording equipment. Because I had no prior recording experience the room and its contents felt foreign to me. Most of my friends have recorded Bluegrass albums before and they showed me how to run the complex computer programs needed to record. Bluegrass music is hard to record because it relies on perfect timing in inventive solos. The first thing we recorded was a rough version of what we wanted the song to sound like. This rough version had no embellished solos and served as an outline for my friends and I to build upon. 

After hours of recording different instruments such as guitar, mandolin, and vocals, we finally had a decent outline of the song we wanted to create. I recorded the banjo part fairly quickly, even though it took me twelve tries to record a banjo solo I was proud of. The overall experience of recording at Trailhead Records was surreal. I felt like a bonafide Bluegrass Musician. I can't wait to visit TrailHead Records again over the next few months to create a final product that my friends and I can be happy with. 

Saturday Crazy Build Weekend with Watauga Habitat for Humanity.

After searching for weeks to find the perfect organization to volunteer with I finally decided on Watauga County Habitat for Humanity. When I first signed up with the organization I expected it to be fairly small. In my mind I would help the organization build a house over the course of a couple of months. I expected to work hard with a small team to build structures as quickly as we could. I couldn't have been more wrong about Watauga Habitat for Humanity and how they run their organization.

Watauga Habitat for Humanity starts early, 8 O’clock to be exact. Saturday morning myself and a dozen other Appalachian State Students loaded ourselves into a shuttle where we were greeted with doughnuts provided by the Habitat for Humanity team. As we drove up to the job site I noticed many cars and brand new houses dotting the ridgeline. When we finally arrived at the job site I was astonished to see almost one hundred and fifty people scattered around piles of lumber and the level foundation for the new house. I had arrived on a very special day, Habitat for Humanity Crazies Build Weekend. Volunteer construction workers from the entire east coast were present to build the house that Saturday. One of my misconceptions, that it Watauga Habitat for Humanity was a small organization, was proven untrue as soon as I reached the job site. 

They split the large group of volunteers up into three teams. Team one was in charge of painting the siding that would be put on the house after the walls were built. Team two encased the whole job site in scaffolding to make it easier to complete the house. Team three, my personal team, was in charge of hammering nails and erecting walls. Before working with Watauga Habitat for Humanity I expected it would take at least a few weeks to build a house. Thanks to all the help from over a hundred volunteers we were able to build almost the entire house in one weekend! I am amazed at the work that Watauga County Habitat for Humanity does for the community. I am proud that I was able to be a part of such a worthwhile organization  

My IBMA experience on Thursday September 26th.

Bluegrass music is a musical genre that was born in the mountains of North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky. Bluegrass has grown from one band, Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, to a worldwide phenomenon. Millions of people all over the world enjoy and play Bluegrass music. Every year at the end of September, bluegrass is honored by a wondrous week long celebration in downtown Raleigh. The International Bluegrass Music Association award show is one of the most important days of the year for everyone in bluegrass. The award show honors the best bluegrass creations of the year and remembers those that the community has lost. Bluegrass music really is “One big family” as Del McCoury stated at the 2019 award ceremony. 

Bluegrass music is considered by many to be the musicians music. Bluegrass musicians cover a wide range of people. The sheer talent of bluegrassers is passed down through generations. At IBMA children jam with professionals and grey haired masters throughout hallways and corridors. Many of the best musicians are not in the IBMA spotlight but nestled in corners and hallways throughout the conference. The beautiful thing about IBMA is that jammining is allowed anywhere and everywhere. 

This has been my first experience at the International Bluegrass Music Association bluegrass week. As soon as I arrived I felt at home and comfortable. It means so much to me that I am accepted and befriended by such high caliber musicians. Bluegrass music is such an important part of who I am and I'm honored to be a part of this awe inspiring conference that showcases the best Bluegrass music has to offer. IBMA has been on my bucket list since I was a young boy learning how to play the banjo. Now that I am finally here, at the greatest bluegrass week of the year, I want to make every moment count.     

My expirience at a Square Dance in Todd NC.

A square dance is an important community tradition throughout the Southern Appalachian region. They provide a home for Old Time Music and bring people together. Because I grew up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia I had never experienced a square dance. I imagined lines of people spinning, twirling, and pulling off dance moves I could never reproduce. I probably wouldn't have even gone to the dance had it not been for the Random Pub bluegrass jam. When I attended that jam my friend approached me and suggested we attend a dance and potluck in Todd on Friday night. I was apprehensive at first until he convinced me otherwise. I had no idea how to square dance and I was clueless to where the town of Todd even was.

On Friday I couldn't wait to finish my classes. Over the week I had become excited about the dance. In the afternoon I put on my fancy boots and walked out the door to meet my friend. The drive to Todd seemed to take forever through winding mountain roads mostly uphill. Eventually we pulled into a tiny town with old peak-roofed houses. We parked beside an ancient general store with a fallen down barn. We took a short walk up the street and entered a building that might have been a gas station in a former life. When I entered the building I heard the old hardwood floor boards creak a saw mismatched chairs lining the whole perimeter. There was a long table in the center of the room that was covered in ham, chicken, biscuits, jellies, gravy, rice, baked corn, butter beans, and other homemade delicacies. In the corner there were microphones and a double bass played on the floor. The atmosphere of the occasion felt vintage and homey which made me comfortable.

After eating most of the food, many of the people started removing tables and opening up the room. The friend I attended with took his place behind the microphone and began to tune his fiddle. I was surprised how easy it was to find a partner my own age. I didn’t expect very many young people would want to attend a square dance. I told my new found partner that I had never square danced before and she told me she would guide me through the first song. The first dance that was called was a Virginia Reel. I learned that a characteristic dance move of a reel is “peeling” which can somewhat be described as two lines of people follow the leader in a similar shape as the peel of a banana. 

Dancing is hard work, and after an hour I was starting to become tired. By that time I had  made sense of the dance steps also, which made dancing more interesting to me. I was sitting on a chair watching the people twirl by me when I heard my friend called my name. When I looked at his direction he was holding a guitar which he wanted me to play on the next song. I sat down and began playing the chords to various fiddle tunes. It was challenging for me to follow the chord changes at first. But after a quick barrage of numerals whispered in my ear by the bass player I was able to keep up with the band. Playing rhythm guitar at a square dance is similar to meditation because songs are repeated over a long duration of time. We played Squirrel Hunter, Temperance Reel, and other well known fiddle tunes. The time began to fly by and eventually it was time to pack up and say farewell. 

As my friend and I were walking back toward the general store where he had parked his truck he handed me some money. I was surprised and told him I couldn't accept his gift. He laughed at me before he told me it wasn't a gift but more a payment. The people who had set up the dance had insisted that I be paid for my musical contributions. 

I enjoyed my time at the square dance in Todd NC. The people were exceedingly generous, the food was mouth watering, and the music and dance were outrageously fun!

How a bad day turned worse because I didn't look at the Syllabus

I had searched far and wide over the past few weeks trying to find a suitable community partner. In my Google calendar I had written the amount of service hours required in my Rhetorical Analysis class. My notes said I needed to volunteer for eighty hours in the fall semester. This requirement seemed impossible but I was sure I hadn’t made a typo. I trusted my notes and stressed for two weeks over a requirement I thought I would never fulfill. On September 12th I meet with a representative from Watauga County Habitat for Humanity. The representative I met with that day was professional and kind. I asked her what volunteer options are available and she relayed much important information for me but was surprised that I had such a high requirement for volunteer hours. Her conclusion made me reference the class syllabus. When I referenced the syllabus I learned that I had made a terrible mistake. Luckily, the required hours were less than I thought, only thirty! I was relieved when I found out but suddenly I was consumed with embarrassment. I had spent weeks worrying about obtaining eighty volunteer hours. I had made dozens of phone calls to my father where I complained about an imaginary requirement. I had let my own carelessness cause me to go crazy. Hard lessons must be learned to continue personal prosperity. I have learned to be more diligent. I realize the importance of the class syllabus now and i'm going to reference them often. 

I am excited to volunteer with Watauga Habitat for Humanity as a way for me to reach my goal of thirty volunteer hours. The opportunity to volunteer with them is the light at the end of a tunnel. This long day and my own carelessness has disappointed me but the opportunity to work with a nonprofit organization makes me feel more dignified.  Volunteering with Watauga Habitat for Humanity will also bring me satisfaction because I will help those in need. I learned that Watauga Habitat for Humanity has a goal to build an entire house in one weekend. Working with them to achieve this goal will help me build up the thirty volunteer hours required this semester.

I am grateful that my ability to volunteer makes my personal embarrassment a little more bearable. 

My search for a community partner in Boone.

When I enrolled in RC1000 I wasn't aware of the service based nature of the class. On my first day when I learned how important volunteering was on my success in the class it made me worry. Eighty hours seemed like an impossible goal, especially while keeping up with my homework. Even though I was apprehensive I began looking for a community partner that I would genuinely enjoy working with. I knew if I enjoyed my work that I would in turn enjoy RC1000.

 The Blue Ridge Parkway Conservancy was my original plan. I had spoken to one of the organizations representatives a few days before at the Club Expo. I accessed their website and began reading about their mission, vision, and time schedule. I thought the Blue Ridge Parkway Conservancy would be a great match for me because of my experience in construction and maintenance work. Sadly they informed me that they were unable to give me the eighty hours required to fulfill my needs for class. The hunt went on as I began emailing more nonprofit organizations. I received a nasty email from a local soup kitchen informing me that i would have to join a waiting list to volunteer. The impression given by that email overshadowed the appealing website I had studied the hour before. 

Luckily, after speaking to my professor, I found a worthwhile organization which I would enjoy working at. Habitat for Humanity is an organization focused on building houses and providing shelter for the people who need it most in the local community. I reached out to Habitat for Humanity by email. I received a lovely email assuring me that they could provide eighty hours of work for me over the semester. I was told that Saturday hours were available and that the Habitat for Humanity program was in coordination with Appalachian State University. I quickly set up an appointment to go speak with a representative. 

Since the first day of class i have become excited to volunteer my time with a service based organization. I look forward to the challenge this semester.