Snowy Silos

Standing stately and tall as sentries these old silos have weathered many seasons including Christmases and bluegrass festivals. Every year I say I want to decorate the silos. But so far we haven't come up with a good plan. Maybe one of you can make a suggestion for next year. I've always wanted to place a star on top of one but it would take a ladder much longer than any of ours to accomplish that feat. Maybe we could enlist the help of our local electric co-op.
As you can see from the photos posted here, we have a decent blanket of snow covering the farm today. Yesterday was a lovely snowy day, too. It was the answer to many prayers for a white Christmas. According to the local weather stations, 1969 was the last year we had a decent snowfall on Christmas.
Oh, my.....1969......what a year. I wonder how many of you remember 1969. It was quite a year for us....both happy and sad. It was the year that we graduated from high school; Joe's mother passed away; we started college; Joe began service in the Air National Guard and spent Christmas Day in basic training (what a way to end that year). In 1969 we actually used telephones to talk to people..............not send texts, check e-mail or take photos. And the word "blog" didn't exist in 1969 as far as I know. I suppose I would have thought it to be an alien from "outer space" or something as space exploration was on everyone's mind then. That was the year that Neil Armstrong took his walk on the moon. Now that was quite a spectacle on a little black & white tv.
In 1969 the closest thing I had to a computer was a manual typewriter with that little bell that dinged at the end of each row. ha ha Boy! Have things ever changed!!?! I wonder what kind of changes the upcoming year of 2011 will have in store for us. Let's hope it will be a healthy, prosperous & peaceful year for everyone.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone! The holidays are upon us and I haven't even updated this blog since early fall much less done all my preparations for Christmas. Oh, well - my intentions were good. I guess life just interrupted them a bit.
We have been busy trying to finalize the 2011 lineup and I am happy to say that the mission has been accomplished. Many of the bands scheduled to appear have new projects coming up. Some will be here for the first time and some will be returning to Dumplin Valley where they always receive a warm welcome from the audience. Joe and I studied the surveys filled out by September's crowd and used many of the suggestions to influence our choice of bands. Thank you to all who filled out one of those surveys. They really do give us some insight as to your preferences. We try our best to offer you a quality event. Having said all that I should list the bands so you can make plans to join us September 15-16-17, 2011.
Thursday, Sept. 15 will be the day you can enjoy: Paul Williams, Monroeville, Darrell Webb Band, The Little Roy & Lizzy Show.
Friday, Sept. 16 belongs to: Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Lou Reid & Carolina, The Quebe Sisters Band, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, Jimbo Whaley & Greenbrier.
Saturday, Sept. 17 wraps up the weekend with: Dailey & Vincent, Balsam Range, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Jerry Butler & the Blu-J's, Bluegrass Brothers.
This past year has been a good year overall for the bluegrass community. There are so many talented people out there who are receiving some well deserved recognition and attention for their musical accomplishments. I think this is seen in the airplay that many dj's are giving them on stations other than just the bluegrass stations. We have noticed some of the big country stations playing more bluegrass artist's songs and that is great! Around here you can count on WDVX's Freddy Smith and Mike Kelly to serve up your bluegrass diet. And they do an excellent job of it!
I would also like to mention that 2010 brought many new people to Dumplin Valley. Some came from as far away as the Netherlands; some came back again from the UK (Hi, Barry & Geraldine); some came from New Hampshire (Hi, Ted & Irene)and many more came from all over the USA. We look forward to having you all here again this year plus meeting a bunch of new bluegrass friends.
We are taking reservations for camping and have availability at this time. If you are interested in joining us in 2011, please give us a call (865-397-7942).
I don't know about you but I can hardly believe that 2011 is going to be here in just a few days! 2010 sure did go by quickly.
Our wish for you is that 2011 brings you a blessed year of good health, happiness, prosperity, peace and love.
I don't usually make New Year's Resolutions but this year I am going to resolve to be more attentive to this blog and not wait months on end between postings. Maybe this is a resolution I can keep. At least it doesn't involve me being on a diet!