We were invited to play with our good friends Dennis and Gary for a barn dance that was held at the Madie Carroll Home. For this event, and any time we play with them, the band is known as “The Stony Point String Band.”The home is a historical landmark in Huntington, WV and information about this place can be found at the Madie Carroll House Preservation Society’s website. The barn sits behind the home and I understand was recently built and will one day be an extension of the Carroll house holding various Civil War artifacts.
It was our first time playing for dancers and it was so much fun. Very nice to watch as others dance to our music. I do believe we are really getting the “performance bug.” We played a series of some of our favorite songs as well as some new such as “Old Yeller Dog,” “Old Horse and Buggy,” and “Ashoken Farewell.” For most of the evening there were always at least 8 dancers, which was good since the barn did not have a large space. We were all very comfortable on a very cool fall evening and the participants came dressed in period clothing. The three hour affair was performed in three segments with each ending on a waltz. Before each dance a “caller” would have the participants “walk” through the dance steps and then we’d play away.
Those that run the Carroll House and sponsored this event were just wonderful hosts and would like to thank them and Dennis for letting us play.