The Carter Family Fold - Tennessee

Along the Crooked Road, which is a trail that runs 300 miles in southwest Virginia and takes you on a historical music journey, you'll find the small town of Mace Springs, now know as Hiltons. Its most famous residents being the Carter Family. Maybelle Carter, June Carter's mother, along with A.P. Carter, her brother, and Sarah Carter, her sister-in-law are responsible for establishing the country music genre. In 1927, they became the first rural country music group to commercially produce music with “Bury Me Under Weeping Willow." Their legacy lives on through the efforts of Janette Carter, A.P and Sara's daughter with the establishment in 1974 of The Carter Family Fold. Every Saturday night at 7PM, visitors are treated to traditional country music. The cost is $10, $2 for children 6-11, children under 6 are free. Once a year in August, The Carter Family Memorial Festival is held. The admission is $25. I attended in 2019 where we celebrated its 45 anniversary.

My first stop was the 1880 childhood cabin of A.P. Carter which was relocated from his nearby hometown. Despite its small size, it was home to his seven brothers and sisters, his brother's three children and his grandfather.

The live music is performed in a large, yet simple, building with plenty of bleacher seats. For me, music festivals conjures up thoughts of beer, barbecue, and rowdiness. Not so much at The Fold. There was no alcohol allowed and the only food available was beans and cornbread. After an introduction where neighbors were mentioned by name and thanked for providing a bed and food for the musical guests and a solo rendition of Amazing Grace on a harmonica. At first, I was shocked and a little disappointed at the simplicity of it all. The warm up band for acceptable and set the tone. By the time the main band took the stage, I was hooked. But when the dancing started, I was completely captivated. The dance floor came alive with Appalachian buckdancing and clogging. Old, young, men, women, bad dancers, good dancers, and a few great dancers took over the floor. They all grew up together, loved their traditions, and would never consider moving to a busy city.

I left with an appreciation for old time country music, buckdancing, and the simplicity of it all.