The voice of MerleFest and the Heritage Festival...

By KEN WELBORN

Record Publisher

It was a busy weekend, and I am pleased to report that everything apparently went well.  The first Wilkes Heritage Festival, sponsored by Old Wilkes and featuring the restored Wilkes County Courthouse on Main Street in Wilkesboro as its centerpiece, had good crowds all day.  I was pleased to find that Art Menius, who works full-time for MerleFest, and who has been dubbed by Pat Bumgarner as the “Voice of MerleFest,” would be there throughout the day as the master of ceremonies.  I guess that makes him the “Voice of the Heritage Festival,” as well.

I went early so as to not miss any of the entertainment, and I also went hungry.  On both counts, I was well taken care of.  I got to hear The Elkville String Band, featuring The Record’s own editor, Jerry Lankford, on the banjo.  The band played two of my all time favorites, Tom Dooley and Otto Wood: The Bandit.  For a good part of the day I found myself humming “Otto, why didn’t you run, when the sheriff pulled out that 44 gun…?”

A while later I went into the old courthouse and was greeted by Ginnie Story — and anytime your day can include a visit with Ginnie, it’s a very good day.  Old Wilkes had opened the courthouse, the old jail, and the Ben Cleveland house — all at no charge to the public for the festival.  By the time I had added a couple of Jeff Swofford’s chopped barbeque sandwiches to the mix, I was ready for my Saturday nap.

And I especially needed that nap this time, because my day was just beginning.  As a compliment to the Heritage Festival in Wilkesboro, the Historic Downtown North Wilkesboro group had planned a home tour for Saturday evening, featuring four downtown apartments.  They included Chuck Forester’s and Lib and Lib and Buddy Forester’s places on Tenth Street; Tom and Jessie Ogburn’s townhome on Ninth Street, and The Mayflower, the apartment my wife and I occupy above the offices of The Record on Main Street, named for the old beauty shop that once occupied the space.

Laura had our apartment ready days earlier, and spent her remaining spare time insisting that I clean and straighten up my office.  That is no small task, as evidenced by the volume of “treasure” I have stacked up in there, as well as the fact that R. V. Hayes is moving and brought me a corn sheller, an apple peeler, a sausage grinder, a cherry stoner, and a beautiful steamer trunk — all in the last few days. 

At any rate, thanks to the kindness and help of a young lady named Shelley Shepherd who helped me all day, and a yeoman’s effort on my part, I had our offices as presentable as they are going to get on a given day.  The exception being my personal office space, which I did not touch for fear of messing up my “piling” system that has served me so well for so long.

In no time it was 5:30 and folks began to drop by for the home tour.  It was at that point that I ceased to be tired.  I love company, and on Saturday, I had some special company, indeed.  Most of the folks who stopped by knew either me or Laura, and some were people I haven’t had a chance to visit with in some time.  Early on B. J. and Darelene Bare came in.  They have been special to me through my entire adult life, and there is simply not space here to list the kindnesses they have shown me, and others, through the years.  As the evening progressed, it was like a family reunion of sorts.  Barbara Nye dropped by and we reminisced about everything from our childhood on Hinshaw Street to her love for my parents, and, of course, their baby boy.  Faith Hawkins brought me a few copies of the The Yellow Jacket, the famous paper published for years by R. Don Laws in Moravian Falls.  L. B. and Brenda Rainey, who now live in Tennessee, came for the tour as a part of their anniversary celebration.  L. B. is quite a character in his own right, and you should have heard him laugh when I read him the masthead of The Yellow Jacket, which begins, “Our Aim:  To Swat Liars and Leeches…”

Another special guest was Mildred Brooks, widow of Leonard Brooks who came with her son and daughter-in-law Len and Libby Brooks.  It did my heart good to see her, and get to spend a few minutes reminding her of just how special Leonard was to me as far back as I can remember. 

Before I knew it, the time was up, the people were gone, and I began to feel tired once again.  But there is no rest for the wicked and the righteous don’t need it, as the saying goes, and I still had a lawn mower race to attend over at the Rotary Raceway.  I got there just after the rain delay, in time for the final heats of the evening.  The mud flew and the crowd cheered their favorites as the first of this season’s Mow Down’s came to a close.  If you’ve been to one of these events, you know it’s pure fun.  If you haven’t, you owe yourself the treat.

No doubt about it — this weekend had something for everyone.