Right now on West Virginia Public Radio, you can hear the second of 2 shows we recorded earlier this year at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota. This is the 4th straight year weve been hosted by North House, Grand Marais, and Cook County; and as you have probably gathered through watching our social media feeds, its a place that has become very special to us Mountain Stagers. Of course, scenic beauty of the area speaks for itself. But really, its the warmth and hospitality of the locals that means the most. 4 years ago when Mountain Stage was first invited be a part of North Houses annual Unplugged festival by its founder, Grammy winning songwriter Jon Vezner, we didnt know what to expect. For starters, moving our entire crew and thousands of pounds of gear over 1,000 miles up the road was no small feat. And what was this traditional northern craft thing that theyre so dedicated to? Also, dont they talk different up there? Well, sometimes you find kindred spirits in places where you dont expect it. Maybe we became such fast friends because North House is another scrappy non-profit dedicated to work that they love. Maybe us West Virginians found a place with the locals so quickly because Cook County is so willfully and proudly rural -- it doesnt take long to see how highly relationships with family, friends and community are valued in a remote town of 1,300. And like a lot of northern Minnesotans, there are plenty of people who think some of us West Virginians talk a little funny too. So maybe theres a wink and a nod an a little bit of an understanding about that, as well. Whatever the case, weve made friends for life, which is something that doesnt happen every day. So West Virginians, if youre ever in Northern Minnesota, we can proudly report that you dont have to be afraid to let them know where youre from. We hope you enjoy the show.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 00:16:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015