When I was a young girl, Grandma Etter (Anna Mary) organized bus trips. I always remember her saying the Stephen Foster Story in Bardstown KY was something I should see – that I would really like it. After all these years, we finally went! This year is the 58th season of the outdoor musical of the Stephen Foster Story and I doubt that much has changed since Grandma Etter took the bus trips there. As I sat there, I imagined Grandma & Grandpa Etter sitting in the audience, probably Chuck and Norma Bird, Gert Perkey, and Lena Walker were among those that went with them. As always, she was right – it was something I really enjoyed!
Day 4, Wednesday: Larry’s classes don’t start until 11:25 so he has found a tree and a picnic table in the parking lot and spends some time on the fiddle. He also completed his first project in the stained glass class. We are both struggling with the fiddle but have the knowledge to go home and work on the basics. Dance class is fun! Round, square, Pattycake Polka, Sicilian Circle, Waltz, and a lot more. We have a great teacher and there are 24 classmates ranging in age from 8 – 80.
Day 5, Thursday: We are getting lots of sheet music to take back home to Ohio and practice. The teachers are very understanding that there just isn’t time to practice while taking classes. The instructors concert in the evening was another great performance – they are all so good at what they do.
Day 6, Friday: Final day of classes and my mind was on overload – the dulcimer classes went well, sang the last solo for my vocal class, and by the mid-afternoon fiddle class – well, I just couldn’t absorb anymore. We both had great teachers and will continue to work on getting more notes and fewer squeaks from those strings. Larry spent extra time in the stained glass class finishing his latest project. In the evening, we walked to a neighboring hotel where there was a large jam session going on. KMW 2016 was awesome and we will definitely go back!
Day 7, Saturday: The Bourbon Trail has several stops in/near Bardstown. Before heading back to Ohio, we stopped at the Jim Beam distillery and also at Barton’s Distillery. Barton’s is a smaller distillery with great customer service, they also have chocolate bourbon – grown up chocolate milk!
It was a great vacation, we learned so much. Bardstown is a beautiful town with lots to do and more restaurants than one can sample in a week but we sure tried. Kentucky Music Week is one of the best teaching festivals in the country and also very well organized – 27 years of getting things done right. Larry & I were probably among the younger set there (we don’t get to say that very often!) as most of the people there were retired with time to do the things they have always dreamed of doing – learn to play an instrument. If you want more information, visit www.kentuckymusicweek.com.
