Merlefest

Unbeknownst to her, Laurie Hon has done it again. Laurie has a very pleasant ability to open people up to new things without making them grumble with indifference. Most readily one will notice this trend in the form of sharing music. She likes to find and share good tunes but it doesn’t stop there. Recipes, quick fixes, and even herbal remedies all run across her mental switchboard for trial, review, and then possible circulation. Though he’ll deny it to death, she once convinced Dad to coat his feet in a lavender cream under the promise of a better night's sleep. Laurie gives new things a try with gusto and I find that admirable and fun and sometimes unexpected from someone I know to be more conservative. Ain’t no one around who couldn’t learn a thing or two from Laurie Hon. 

In this instance, she took the lot of us to Merlefest, a festival of bluegrassy musical acts scattered around a college campus with food and shops to supplement downtime between concerts. Laurie has promoted Merlefest to us for years, describing the event with the enthusiasm of a small child in the midst of a Disneyworld experience. We’ve cackled and delighted in her and Don’s slow but steady drift into hippiedom. They do lots of beatnik, bohemian things but they do it so inconspicuously that you aren’t sure just how far gone they might be.

So Mom, Dad, Brett, and I loaded up and set out to Wilksboro NC where we met the Hons and Will and Katie in that big log house we stayed in once before. I was excited for the Hons to get to spend some time with Brett. Don and Laurie met him briefly years ago but we never got to get much past pleasantries. 

I won't bore you with an hour by hour recap. Instead I'll give you facts and tidbits. 

Merlefest is a place you can go, lookin-a-fool, and no one will bat an eye. There are all kinds of people oozing around which makes for sensational people watching. Don spent much of his time taking pictures of humans in various stages of existence. We learned from Laurie that the trick to Merlefest is to get there early to "set up camp" for the day in a good spot near the main stage and then you're free to scamper around to hear all of the other shows taking place anywhere else. There are always a handful of shows playing at once so you're never at a loss for new tunes. The Hons came with folding chairs, tarps, snacks, cushions, blankets, coats, cameras, and Laurie's extremely endearing, printed and sleeved, spreadsheets of the concert schedules at every stage for each day.

Merlefest takes place over four days but the Union's only attended Friday and Saturday. As a fan of twang and the hippie/hillbilly lifestyle I knew that I'd be happy at Merlefest. I also knew that Brett would be happy there because he loves music and relaxing and snacking on things. I worried about Mom and Dad. Mom doesn't go for folk music and Dad doesn't go for sitting still. It's the worst of both worlds. I knew they would politely attend that first day. Sure, they'll try something new, especially if the Hons will be there. I was certain they'd opt out of Saturday's viewing schedule. But that's where Laurie Hon did it again because my folks came back a second day and genuinely enjoyed themselves. She got my folks to do something new. That makes me real proud. Mom felt so comfortable in this new world of carelessness that she laid down for a nap in a grassy field all by herself. This sight had a few of us in stitches.

Here at Merlefest we listened to lots of good tunes, we stomped our feet, had mid-day ice cream, and learned a lot about lots of new bands. The most amusing part of the whole thing was keeping up with Laurie. She blasts out of one concert and hoofs it over to another. She maps out her days, creating a productive timeline of events that hits all of the highlights while still giving her a chance to hear someone new. This is no small feat and if she feels an act is not up to par, well she'll leave your show in an instant and go find the runner up for that time slot. I enjoyed watching her blow past our campsite, backpack, snack, and laminated schedule in hand. She looked so happy. In stark contrast to Laurie, Mr. Chris Union mostly held down the fort at home base, tapping his feet to whoever played on the main stage and taking a few naps in the sun. 

Over to the Brett-Honbarrier love story. I was excited to have my two giddy worlds collide. I watched and listened and eavesdropped in hopes of hearing everyone's true thoughts on everyone. Right away Don said something sassy to Brett and I braced myself. I had forgotten to tell Brett about Big Don Hon. I worried Brett wouldn't know when Don was kidding. Sometimes I don't even know when Don is kidding. I smiled nervously at both of them while Brett processed Don's obtuse remarks. But all was for naught because Brett found Don amusing in a scary kind of way and they had a humorous  exchange about clementines that carried on throughout our short weekend. Brett was perfectly at ease around the family and pulled a few hearty laughs out of my favorite people.

Brett and I spent a lot of time asking Will and Katie about life. We asked them all kinds of personal questions, inquired about finances, and kept them up until 3:00 am while we talked about ourselves. They were very gracious and inspiring about it all and will certainly regret it when Brett and I start calling them to answer life questions. 

I loved our Merlefest visit but I really really loved the company.
In case you're wondering, only one game of Shanghai was played and only by the adults. This was a 'minimal downtime' kind of gathering so there also wasn't too much time for stow-rie telling. I did come home feeling a deficit in this area. I wish we weren't all so dern busy so that we could all get together way more often for way more stories and games. Nevertheless, there are lots of little gems to find during a getaway weekend with friends. One time, when no one was around, Dad and Will shared a silent but mutual Man Hug for no good reason.  Laurie took an Ambien and giggled her way to bed. Don threw clementines at Brett. It's the little things.
"Makes my heart soar like a hawk."