This was my second visit to this wonderful fall festival on an educational farm near Wilmington, DE. The Saturday event was called due to the harsh weather stirred up by the hurricane so Sunday was the only day for the festival. It was still very chilly and windy but it seemed to calm down for my set.
I followed the Harrisburg Mandolin Ensemble, a five-piece band that plays some very challenging and enjoyable tunes across a broad spectrum of styles. I didn’t envy their set in the tough weather, especially on mandolin instruments.
I am the only kids and family act booked among the fine slate of folk music styles, and the folks really appreciated what I did last year. I spread out the ‘chum’ (my new term for my instruments for the kids – it truly is ‘bait’. The kids took to it right away and, with lots of families cruising the festival, I had a critical mass of kids diving into the bag for shakers, etc. It went well and I actually didn’t feel the weather at all. That’s no surprise, though.
It was great to take a Sunday drive through the lush countryside of Brandywine, past some rather posh country estates along the winding road to and from the festival. A good day, indeed.