Mountains of Music Homecoming Draws Visitors From Near and Far
-The following first appeared in The Floyd Press on June 20, 2019.
A line started forming before the Floyd Country Store was scheduled to open its doors Thursday evening. Bluegrass fans came from far and wide to see The Stanley Brothers All-Star Band, a headline event of the 5th Annual Mountains of Music Homecoming along the Crooked Road, Virginia’s 300 mile driving route that connects major heritage music venues, including The Floyd Country Store.
It was a sold-out show, and Dennis and Yvonne Kay were first in line, waiting on the long bench in front of the store. The Kays drove from Kansas for the Mountains of Music week of special concerts and cultural events throughout Southwest Virginia. They had already been to three events, toured the Ralph Stanley museum in Clintwood, VA and were now planning for three nights in Floyd, staying The Hotel Floyd.
“We were going to go to Rocky Mount to see Bill Monroe’s Sons of Bluegrass but the roads are too windy to drive at night,” said Yvonne, who pulled out her phone to show how flat the roads are in Kansas.
Next to the Kays was a group of women who drove from Kentucky to see the show, a tribute to first generation bluegrass greats from Virginia, Carter (1925-1966) and Ralph Stanley (1927-2016), performed by the Stanley Brothers All-Stars, which includes Ralph Stanley’s son Ralph Stanley II, Junior Sisk, Don Rigsby, Dewey Brown, Tommy Brown and Randall Hibbitts.
