Gateway to the Central Valley and gateway to the summer, for bluegrass fans in California. The CBA has held their spring campout here at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds for quite a few years running now. It’s fairly centrally located, especially for folks living NOTGV (North of the Grapevine). This year it’s from April 13-19.
Never had a bad time there. Once got up at 4:30 in the morning in Lewiston, CA to get there in time for a CBA Board meeting.
Witnessed a “beer miracle” there one year. It was getting late on a Saturday night, and I had spread my sleeping bag out in the back of my truck and just as I was preparing to lay down and call it a night, I thought, “Well, I think I’ll grab my guitar and make the rounds one more time.” As I prepared to depart, my eyes fell upon my ice chest. “Should I grab a beer?”, I wondered. “Nah, it’s pretty late.”
So, as I wandered off, my Homer Simpson-like inner dialog continued. “Maybe I should have a grabbed a beer. Nah. Sorta wish I had one, thought. Oh well. What if someone offers me one – will I take it? Hmmm, yes – yes, I would.” It’s a wonder I didn’t walk into a tree. Then, my reverie was broken by a shout from the distance.
“Hey Bruce! Wanna beer?”
It was my friend Kelvin with the best reasons for not having gone to bed yet -more pickin’ and more beer. combination seemed like a gift from on high.
Some folks have an issue with the train noise at the Fairgrounds. The tracks do run right by the place, and since there’s a grade crossing, they have signal their approach with the whistle. Doesn’t bother me a whit – I grew up around trains and currently live within ¼ mile of tracks. One man’s nuisance is another’s lullaby I guess.
Turlock is a sleepy, charming little town, and is the hometown of the 49er’s starting quarterback, Colin Kapernick, who NEVER seems to come to the spring campout. It was also the site of some internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II – a shameful part of the past that we’re all glad to see way back in the rear-view mirror.
Turlock was once cited in “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” for having the most churches per capita of any place in the US, and I think it’s cool that the non-denominational Church of Bluegrass has an annual service there, every spring!
