An alien in Berea, Kentucky

After treating the van to a 5,000-mile service at Deal Motors in Asheville, NC and then donking around on back roads for a few hours, I was ready to blow past some Interstate miles and head toward Milwaukee to visit my mother for a few days. Around 6:30 PM I pulled off the freeway into the tourist information center of Berea, KY, the self-proclaimed "folk arts and crafts capital of Kentucky." Lucky for me, Thursday night is the well-attended Berea Bluegrass Jam. How could I pass it up?

I parked the Eurovan along the edge of the town square and popped the top to make dinner as the musicians set up on stage and town folk set up folding chairs under the big tent in the grass. Mostly older farm couples and friendly dogs, I definitely stood out in the crowd. I could have been an alien with my shiny white Eurovan shuttle craft from a distant mother ship.

The Jam consisted of around 20 local musicians of all skill levels sitting in a circle on the porch of an old log cabin in the town square. Each musician took a turn leading a song, passing the mic to their left at the end. They continued around the circle several times for a 2-1/2 hour concert attended by ~80 spectators.

Mostly folks were curious about who I was and how I came to find the town. Three separate very nice older couples offered to let me camp at their farms 10 or 12 miles out of town. In the end, at the suggestion of the Jam festival coordinator, I just camped in the visitor center parking lot. I likely passed up an opportunity to share in a big local farm breakfast in the morning, but I hoped to get an early start the next day.

Instead, I shared my breakfast with a friendly black and white cat who had been introduced to me the night before. "City Kitty" lives in the town square primarily cared for by the visitor center manager, but I was told she truly belongs to the whole city. As I finished closing up my van to leave in the morning, City Kitty somehow convinced me to open up a can of kippered herring and dump half onto a small plate for her. I hadn't planned to stay for breakfast, but I swear, some cats exercise mind control :)

(Photos)

On to Milwaukee next...