Two Different Fiddlers' Conventions

It's been a few years since I wrote here, so I guess it's about time to do so. I was biking today on the greenway in Mt. Airy and rode by the fairgrounds. There is a Fiddlers' Convention here this weekend, and the grounds were full of campers and fiddlers. I was reminded of a different fiddlers' convention I used to go to. I actually went four years in a row (1972-1975). It was in Union Grove. As I rode by the one today I noticed a lot of differences. Today the field was full of vehicles - campers, RV's, trucks, cars, and then the tents where groups were sitting in camp chairs playing music. As I rode by you could hear different songs from the different campsites. But it just looked really crowded with hardly any space to walk around.

So the one in Union Grove was totally different. There were no vehicles at all, just tents. Everyone carried in their own stuff. AND there were no camp chairs back then. I know, hard to believe, right? People would either sit on the ground or on a blanket. There was a lot of cut wood to be had also, plus you could find some downed trees in the woods close by and drag some logs to your campsite. I don't really remember music being played at the campsites. What I do remember is everyone was smoking marijuana. You could walk down lanes/roads between rows of tents, and EVERYBODY would invite you to come smoke a joint with them. And these people came from all over. I remember reading in the paper back then that they estimated 150,000 people were there. The event took place in a huge field with rolling hills, and tents were just everywhere as far as you could see. So with the campfires and the pot there was always a haze of smoke hanging over the festivities. There was a big tent somewhere with a stage for the musicians, but each time I walked by it there was hardly anyone there. The crowd seemed to just be there for the partying. And it wasn't wild, just peaceful. I never saw any alcohol, just the drugs.

I don't mean to glorify this or anything, it's just a perspective on the differences as I was riding my bike this morning.