A Bluegrass quartet recruited from the BRC founder`s band entertained at a weekend Farmer`s Market which recently relocated from its winter home indoors at a shopping center to the plaza`s sprawling outdoor parking lot. The temperature was 49 degrees when the foursome set-up their sound system which proved indispensible because of the backdrop of a four lane interstate highway roaring with Saturday morning traffic. Stationed in the shadow of a gigantic marquee advertising the mall`s attractions, the pickers battled chilled fingers till the sun slowly surmounted the towering sign to warm the musicians` hands. On a previous Saturday, the ambient temperature was 28 degrees at showtime when another band suffered 50% member defections home to warmer environs.
The shoppers sang along and danced to the band`s tunes and generously filled the tip jar. A curious tourist from Brazil was intrigued by this American genre of music and took the above photograph for the folks back home. Noteworthy is the grateful banjo guy bathed in toasty solar rays. As usual, one-half of the collections were donated to our nearby Children`s Hospital.
On the morning preceding the market gig, the BRC founder warily entered a banjo into a juried local art show which had mandated “Critters” as its thematic prerequisite .
While butterflies fluttered in his stomach, he submitted his “Monarch” 5 stringer alongside an acrylic painting of a dozing cat, a graphite drawing of a floppy-eared dog, and a watercolor of a mare nuzzling her wobbly-leggged foul. In this field of artistically crafted works, he resolved that it would be a surprise if the sunny creatures on his BRC instrument would win acceptance into the competitive show.
The judge, who was from the art faculty of a neighboring university, approved of the winged motif of the “Monarch” which was subsequently hung among a panoply of other “Critters” for guests and patrons to study at the exhibit`s opening reception.
A staff member mused that the Monarch was `three dimensional art` when it promptly sold. Another customer asked to reserve any future BRC instrument that might be potentially destined for the community`s upcoming mid summer art show.
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