Floyd, VA - another Virginia treasure

Last weekend, we revisited Floyd, Virginia. We had been given a gift of lodging at the Eagles Wings Estate, so we decided to make a weekend of it and connect back up with Fred First and his wife Ann. Fred writes Fragments From Floyd and is getting wider recognition from his performances on NPR and local venues.

Floyd is an out-of-the-way town, at the crossroads of routes 8 and 221 in southwest Virginia, but it has become a home to all sorts of musical events. This group, Sheryl Warner and the Southside Homewreckers, was performing at Oddfellas Cantina. Their music was surprisingly good, as was the food at Oddfellas. We were treated to a powerful blues performance by a gifted singer with flawless support on harmonica and guitar.  I was so taken by their performance that I bought their CD.

The Floyd Country Store, just down the street, has visitors coming from around the world to play, listen, and dance to authentic bluegrass and old time music. I saw several other places in the tiny downtown area that had signs announcing live bluegrass music.

The biggest shock for me was seeing a poster announcing that Leon Russell and his band will be performing at the Sun Music Hall in downtown Floyd on  November 21. Talk about time warp, I hadn't heard anything about Leon in thirty years, and here he is performing with his daughters in Floyd.

Here are a few other highlights of our visit. Eagle's Wings Estate is a restored colonial set on 150 acres with an atmosphere of country elegance. The owner, Betty Lineberry, is a gracious hostess and an unparalleled source of information about the people and events of Floyd. She sets a wonderful breakfast table and her warm hospitality makes every trip to Floyd a treat.

Oddfellas Cantina is a restaurant that would be right at home in Santa Cruz, Pacific Grove, or Woodside, California. The fact that it graces Floyd is a happy circumstance for all concerned. The food is eclectic and ranges from Morroccan to Mexican, with every dish a real winner. Rob, the owner, performed at a Spoken Word event hosted at Oddfellas and was one of the most entertaining performers of the evening.

It was a great visit and it won't be our last.

Comments

[Da Goddess]

I love hearing about bloggers who get to meet up and spend some time together. You and Fred seem like a very good match, too.

[Gregg Kimball]

Hi David, Gregg Kimball here, the guitar player from Sheryl Warner's band. We're delighted that you enjoyed the show so much and thanks for the link and for buying the CD! I don't know much about the blogging phenomena, but let me know the best way to link to your entry.

We share your enthusiasm for Floyd, it really is a wonderful place. I grew up in a town like Floyd--a relatively small place but one that boasted a good number of cultural/social opportunites. I wish we were doing more to cultivate such places. I see that you have given some thoughts to such things in your blog.

Keep up the good work, and hopefully we'll see you again down the road.

[David St Lawrence]

Gregg, thanks for visiting Ripples. I hope to see you all in person again soon. Right now, I content myself with listening to your CD while traveling. If you Google Sheryl Warner on this weblog, you will see my other mention of your music.

To link to a particular blog entry, click on the permalink at the bottom of the entry. The URL that appears in your browser address window points directly to the entry.

Using that link on another website allows you to point someone to the blog entry that interests you. The link will bring up that blog entry and will not require anyone to navigate about.