The CBA Spring Camp-Out is one of my favorite events of the year. When I pulled into the fairgrounds on Monday morning I was greeted by my friend, fiddle/mandolin picker, Fred Stepp. Fred is just one of the dedicated volunteers who put in several hours at the front gate. I’m so thankful for folks like him, Marcos Alvira, David Brace, Slim and Charlene and all the others who made this event a memorable one for us. Without volunteers, these events just wouldn’t happen.
Just like regular church attendees who head to the same “pew” each Sunday, we went directly to our spot there on the corner of “Pick and Grin” and backed the Bigfoot into our spot, which became “home” for the week. We erected the EZ-up and knowing that high winds were in the forecast, Terry drove in some stakes that went halfway to China and tied that thing down.
Within a few hours of our arrival many other friends and fellow musicians pulled in and the CBA reunion began. This pattern continued all week long. If you delay your arrival for a couple days, you will become the entertainment for the onlookers as you display your skill in backing your RV into a spot. There will be no shortage of help and advice; you will have people on each side of your rig, each calling out conflicting instructions and if you don’t tune them out you could jackknife your fifth wheel and punch out a window. The shout of “Whoa!” can be heard above the train noise in Turlock and you know that one more camper has made a successful “landing,” (successful in this case means there were no fatalities).
As predicted, the winds blew for a couple days, wreaking havoc for the allergy sufferers as we sat in the shade of the sycamore trees. I missed a photo opportunity during one of our jams when one of those big seed balls dropped from above hitting the fret board on Harry Robinson’s banjo and exploded into a shower of seeds that obscured our view of him and Tina Barr who was sitting to his right. Tina, being the first class musician that she is, didn’t miss a beat but Harry’s banjo was thrown completely out of tune! After that incident, when a gust of wind hit, Harry could be heard yelling, “Incoming!”
As usual, there were jams everywhere in the camp. There were Old-time jams, Traditional Bluegrass jams, Old Time Country jams, eclectic jams and everything in between. I had all of the above in my camp, depending on who showed up first after the dinner break. We all come to the Camp-out for the same reason, to make music and enjoy the company of friends, old and new. If you walk around the fairgrounds you will be able to find a jam where you will fit in and you can crawl into your bed at night (or early morning) with a smile on your face.
You never know what instruments people will bring to the Camp-out. I saw the usual banjos, fiddles, mandolins, basses, guitars, and Dobros, but in one camp there was a man playing a Hohner Melodica (I had to Google that), it’s a keyboard with a mouthpiece that you blow air through, it sounds like an accordion without the left hand buttons that keep the rhythm. On Saturday night, I had a Country jam going in my camp and I saw a man leaning against a tree listening to our music, he had a small instrument case of indeterminate shape tucked under his arm. After a few songs, he sat down in a chair in the back and unzipped the case and pulled out a trumpet (with a mute) and waited for the nod. Suzanne Suwanda was playing bass and singing a song. We were all pleasantly surprised at the sweet sound this man coaxed out of his horn. As I said before, we all come with the intention of making music and enjoying the company of our bluegrass family. I hope Bugler Bill of Modesto enjoyed the hospitality in our camp.
On Saturday evening we joined our good friends Jim and Carole, Lou and others for the delicious Mexican dinner. It was great to have members of the Board of Directors serving our meal with their light-hearted banter and cheerfulness. The high point of the evening was to be entertained by AJ Lee along with her mom, Betsy, Jack Kinney and Isaac Cornelius. I remember the first time I saw AJ. She was a little barefoot girl of about nine, riding around on a scooter with her Dad following close behind trying hard to keep up with her. She came to a jam I was in; she played the mandolin and sang, “Cabin on the Mountain,” and completely blew me away. I knew from that moment that she would have great things in store for her. It’s been a joy to watch her mature physically and musically into a beautiful talented young lady. I just met Isaac for the first time this week when he came into our camp and greeted some of his elders. He did a good job playing bass for AJ and singing harmonies to her vocals. Jack Kinney is an incredibly talented musician. Whether he is singing, playing banjo, fiddle or mandolin, he always delights the audience.
I talked to a few people about their 2015 Spring Camp-out experience, asking if there were some memorable moments or things that they were impressed with. Larry Kuhn said he was truly impressed with the number of young, incredibly talented musicians who play the traditional bluegrass. He was referring to the young folks from Central California that hang out with James Judd and Marcos. He also mentioned Alex Sharps and the quantum leap he has made with his fiddling and vocals. Yes, these people are truly gifted and they are realizing their full potential. As Larry mentioned, it’s all about taste, timing and tone, and these young people have that nailed down.
All in all, it was a great week for me. Guess you can call me Pollyanna, I make up my mind to have a good time and I want to make it so for those who come to my jams. The main complaint I heard was in regards to the other events that were booked in the buildings nearby, the noise levels were deafening and spoiled the jamming for those camped near those buildings. I’m sure there will be much discussion and efforts made to resolve this issue for future camp-outs. Perhaps next year the fairgrounds will book a Mime Convention in one building and a meeting for American Sign Language in the other. We can only hope. Of course, the next big CBA event is the Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival. I will be somewhere in the Pacific northwest celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. You all have a good time, I’ll be thinking of you. God bless.
