A Patriotic Moment!

A Patriotic Moment  Category: Music OCT 2/08 LOUDONVILLE, OH : Shenandoah at the Loudonville Street Fair Shenandoah had a leave time.. Wed night/Thurs morning at 1 am and Mickey Riley, our bus driver, drove the "Hillbilly Hotel" to the charming little town of Loudonville, Ohio. For those of you who don't know...that is the name we affectionately call the bus. We even have a song entitled, "Hillbilly Hotel". Once again, some of us stayed up too late and slept in till around noon Thursday. That's ok..cause' we always have intellectually stimulating conversation in those wee hours. :) At least some of us do. lol I finally climbed out of the bunk and stepped off the bus...in my tee shirt. I was hit with a chilly surprise...it was darn right cold! I knew it would be even colder once the sun went down and that thought..sent shivers through me.. I don't play my best when my fingers are frozen but the show must go on..at least I had a long sleeve shirt with me. The street we were on looked like one right out of a Norman Rockwell painting..and the Fall foliage framed it perfectly. People were milling about in their coats and hats and gloves ..reminders that Winter was just right around the corner...and were looking at me curiously.. as I stood there in my summer attire. Right across the street from where the bus was parked, was the American Legion building and just a stone's throw down the way was the stage. Bleachers were set up for the anticipated crowd. We were all about our own affairs.. playin' the hurry up and wait game..Jimmy Yeary went for a run and came back to the bus describing a beautiful old cemetery he had discovered.. built right on the side of the hills..he said it was something to see. Jim Seales was taking a nap and Mike Folsom, Mike Mcguire, Byron Cumbie, Bart Barlettano and myself watched TV.  Our soundcheck was set for three that afternoon but we ended up loading in a little earlier and getting a head start on the ordeal.. I say ordeal because.. I always have and always will .. hate soundcheck but it is a necessary evil.  After soundcheck..dinner would be served to us in the American Legion building..That was around 5:30.. We were pretty darn hungry... as we had not eaten all day. They ushered us in and served us rib-eye steaks, salad, rolls, baked potatoes and deserts. The steaks were cut and prepared by a local guy and he knew what he was doin' for sure. They also had homemade pies..apple, peach, oatmeal, key lime..you name it! Becky..our good friend and promoter of the Kenton National music festival..in Kenton, Ohio showed up and surprised us. She ended up dining with us at the table. While we were eating, we were introduced to the cook and to several fair board members. Two soldiers just back from Iraq sat at the table with us and were responsible for serving the wonderful meal. Later on that night..on stage..they would be opening up a box that contained an American flag that had been sent to the town from Iraq. One of the soldiers was the former police chief and the other one had been over there...nine times..Wow.. true American heros and patriots.. We were proud to be in their company. After dinner, Jimmy Yeary, MIke McGuire, MIke Folsom and myself were driven to a log cabin nestled in the woods..where we would have just a little over an hour to clean up. On the way there I noticed the cemetery Jimmy had seen earlier in the day on his run. It was beautiful. Once at the cabin..we hustled to get ready by our pick up time at 7:15. It was a very nice, spacious cabin with several bedrooms and baths..our bus driver was asleep in one of the rooms...so we had to keep it down..sometimes that's hard for me..lol We arrived back at the bus around 7:30 and prepared to do our thing..we had a small meet and greet at 7:45. Right before we hit the stage...the two soldiers we had met earlier..were introduced onstage and they opened up the box and took out that American flag that had been sent over from Iraq..they were a shining example of the selfless spirit that defines what our brave men and women are doing to keep us free. These soldiers are constantly putting everything on the line. It was indeed a moving and patriotic moment! We hit the stage at 8 pm and performed to a very healthy-sized crowd..all sporting winter attire..didn't blame them.. it was downright cold to us Tenn and Alabama boys also. I will say that after several songs..I took off my long sleeve shirt..because..believe it or not..I was sweating.. I am quite active when I play. The audience stayed for the whole show and we appreciated that..in spite of the chilly temps and a historic vice-presidential debate on tv. After the show.. pics were taken ..pics were signed...hugs were given and we said our goodbyes to our friend Becky and all of the other folks who were so gracious to us in the fine town of Loudonville. Back on the bus..we watched what was left of the Palin/ Biden debate as we rolled down the highway.. towards the music city of Nashville. We arrived back at the kroger parking lot .. a little after 6 am... knowing that another country music adventure had been had by all. Down the Road...Stan Munsey