Loose Leaf Notes

It was the 4th annual Floyd Americana Fest, “a festival in the heart of Floyd, VA that celebrates our eclectic local music, art, and community” the festival’s Facebook page reads.

This year, the stages were spread throughout downtown.

I arrived in time to catch the Lamb Brothers playing Grateful Dead tunes at the Cocoa Mia venue stage.

It’s a sweet new outdoor venue and the trio’s vocal harmonies were also sweet.

Henry Hardt’s Mudcats were playing on the Outer Space stage when I passed by. I caught a couple of other bands there as the afternoon and evening went on because Outer Space is such a great place to hang-out.

Sure enough, there was impromptu bluegrass in the alley at the Floyd Country Store.

I stopped to admire the ceramic art of Betse Dunham on venders row. I love her work!

And visited with my Fit to Be Tied friends.

Of course, I made it to the main stage in the Lineberry Park for some dancing with my friends to Appalachian Space Train.

Could you be loved, Izzy Beasley?! Izzy is my friend from the Little River Poetry Festival who surprised me while we were dancing.

Caught in the act. Thanks Don Cox for capturing this one. I’m usually behind the camera.

I then headed over to the Dogtown Roadhouse for a beer break and a Seph Custer and the Flatbreaks set.

A group of us finished the festival dancing to our friend Ruth’s Time is Art band.  Oh, those little Hawkins boys. What dancers. We could barely keep up.   I don’t have a picture or video, but if you were there, you know what I mean!

And this is just a glimpse of what went on. I’m looking forward to next year! Thanks to the two Jakes, Jake Retting and Jake Rauer for organizing the event.

HERE is a story I wrote for The Floyd Press on the Americana Festival 2021. There is also a picture there of one of the dancing Hawkins boys!