Thanks to Chap Petersen for his account of the Old Time Fiddler's Convention in Galax this weekend. Here are excerpts.
Just got back home. We spent two nights at Hungry Mother State Park in Marion, Virginia. Great place for fishing, hiking and spending time with your kids. A special shout-out to the staff who do an unsung job of keeping our state parks natural yet accessible. And the on-site restaurants are superb (local tip: try the potato soup at Hungry Mother).Saturday, after an afternoon fishing, we took Rte 16 south through the rolling farms of Grayson County, then Rte. 58 east to Galax. We drove through downtown Galax and up to Felts Park, where the Fiddler's Convention was well underway.
It was no surprise that George Allen billboards covered all the approaches to Galax. I was surprised to see that Jim Webb signs were well represented both along Rte. 58 and also on Main Street in Galax. You could tell there was a contest.
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It goes without saying that the Convention audience is rural and traditional. Jesus Christ and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are well represented on the tee shirts and jerseys. (But avoid any stereotyping... come November, they'll be sending local Democrat Rick Boucher back to Congress for the 13th straight time).
With that in mind, Senator Allen was working the crowd in blue jeans and boots. He had obviously done this venue many times and looked very comfortable.
However, the Allen campaign was not overly dominant. Less than 1% of the concertgoers were sporting an Allen sticker, even though they were being offered to everyone at the entrance gate. I had at least two passerbys ask where they could get the "Webb" sticker I was wearing. Nothing earth-shaking, just a note.
Governor Tim Kaine was introduced on stage and got a very warm welcome. He has been active in bringing state economic assistance to Galax in the wake of the recent job losses in manufacturing.
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The bottom line: a great time and an important piece of Virginia culture.
By the way, for pics by Todd Smyth, see here. Thanks.
Lowell Feld is Netroots Coordinator for the Jim Webb for US Senate Campaign. The ideas expressed here belong to Lowell Feld alone, and do not necessarily represent those of Jim Webb, his advisors, staff, or supporters.
Blacksburg is Jim Webb country to be sure. A lot of proud signs up. I heard that many of the Webb supporters were off to Galax this week.
I had not been to Blacksburg in 22 years. I was helping a friend move into her new home. The town has really grown, and quite BLUE. Love the fresh air and the mountain views, and all the Democrats. It is a wonder to behold, and a great place to raise a family or just well, hang out and get involved in politics.
GO JIM!
Allen is history...but we will have to work hard for our victory given Allen's warchest and corporate allies all lined up to distor the truth of his record and to distort Jim Webb's message as well!
Buzz...Buzz...
Also, I just heard my young friend Aaron Williams, who is from Blackburg, won the young guitar player event at Galax. Aaron sat in with me in Whitesburg a few weeks ago on mandolin and just burned it up. In fact, I'm gonna use his skills on my new CD. Thanks for this diary..