For more than three decades, the Hillbilly Junction curiosity shop was a landmark in the Ozark Mountains region of southern Missouri. It was a small Mom & Pop enterprise offering memorabilia to visitors and tourists who were guided to its doorstep by a surprising cavalcade of colorful roadside billboards.

It was situated at a small roadside rest stop and offered gifts like corn cob pipes, floppy hats, T-shirts, and locally crafted rocking chairs.

Although the store closed its doors more that a decade ago, it presented visitors with a unique glimpse of regional culture from years past.

Are you old enough to remember the popular radio song “I Dreamed of a Hill-Billy Heaven” sung by Tex Ritter circa 1961 or the hit TV series “The Beverly Hillbillies” (1962-1971)?

From the BRC: Enjoy your autumnal travels.

The BRC domicile is located at the end of a street that courses between two lakes. Our breakfast table overlooks the smaller lake, and its view each morning offers a telling forecast of the day`s weather.

Early summer brings sunny days and an occasional rainbow.

In the late Fall, intermittent freezing temperatures will sometimes crystalize the lake surface.

When Winter arrives, the lake freezes over and is blanketed by stormy snowfalls.

Springtime brings sunshine that thaws the ice-bound lake, and hot air balloons begin to reappear on the horizon heralding the arrival of summer.

The glowing ember of a setting sun is visible only from the east end of our upper deck by viewing westward across an isthmus of land that we call Zephyr Point.

After the molten sun has dipped below the horizon, a rosy skyscape frequently emerges above the lake treeline across the street from our BRC home.

From the BRC: Enjoy every Season in your locale.

The end of summer brings kinfolk and friends to the sunny shoreline of the lakeside BRC domicile. Our home is one of two alternating venues where the G&F musicians convene weekly on Thursday evenings for fun jam sessions, and listeners are welcome.

This last week, out of town relatives and local neighbors attended our lakeside pickin` session to enjoy an evening of live Bluegrass music. The throng enjoyed spirited hoedown tunes and familiar sing-alongs. The BRC banjoist (center) played a custom built mandolin that he had fashioned by a local luthier thirty-three years ago. For the back story on this 8 string instrument, enter mandolin in the search engine and tap enter.

From the BRC: We hope you have enjoyed a splendid summer.

The G&F Band began donating tips and fees to the local Childrens Hospital thirty years ago. Initially, we called ourselves “The Bluegrass Jammers.” Our inaugural gig was at a harvest festival in a nearby farming community, and colorfully stenciled T-shirts were sold as a fund-raiser.

After a few years, our nickname morphed into ” The Moonshyne Reunion.”  When we became regular performers at the Cafe Artisan coffee house, this moniker evolved into  “Gainor and Friends.”  The Artisan Cafe suddenly closed down in 2009, and we promptly emigrated to newly opened Broadway Brewery where we have performed Sunday afternoons ever since.

Many talented and versatile musicians have passed through the G&F ranks over the years, and visiting harmony singers frequently join us as pictured above. Our total donations to the local Childrens Hospital recently surpassed the $36K milestone.

We are grateful to all the gifted pickers and singers who have joined us on the bandstand over the years, and warmly acknowledge our faithful audiences who have generously responded to our music. The band is especially appreciative of the brewpub owners who graciously provide us with a sit-down luncheon every Sunday afternoon at our mid-jam breaktime.  Thank-you all, the G&F Band.