Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 5, 1993 TAG: 9302040011
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: SETH WILLIAMSON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: FLOYD LENGTH: Long
A NEW JAMBOREE
Scratch a Floyd Countian and you're likely to find a banjo picker or a fiddler. Which is why it was no surprise when the county acquired its second weekly bluegrass jam session last summer.The Firemen's Frolic began as a temporary fund-raising event in June, but quickly became a regular Friday and Saturday night function at Floyd's Fire Station No. 1 on Baker Street behind Maberry Funeral Home.
It joins the established Friday Night Jamboree at Cockram's General Store, a weekly event that has gotten media attention from the Washington Post and European television crews as well as more local media.
With three public bluegrass and old-time music sessions per week, Floyd's reputation as a hotbed of traditional southern Appalachian music is stronger than ever. The town also is the home of County Records, a major old-time and bluegrass record label and worldwide distributor of CDs and tapes. Richard Bishop of Riner, guitarist for the B&H Bluegrass Express, coordinates music for the Firemen's Frolic. He says he wasn't sure initially that the jam session would become a regular event.
"The firemen needed to raise a little money to buy some equipment," Bishop said. "They asked me to do something to raise some money. I thought it would be two or three weeks, but the crowds just started pouring in."
Floyd Fire Chief Darrell Keith had high hopes for the Firemen's Frolic from the beginning.
"We had a feeling once we started it, it would get up and go," Keith said.
Keith said that the volunteer fire department was approached by one band and by several members of the public who suggested that Floyd could support another weekly jam session.
"It was brought up through the membership and all, and we kind of batted it around a little bit and figured it was a good idea."
A few Friday Night Jamboree partisans have suggested that the firemen's event was started to take advantage of Freeman Cockram's financial difficulties. The owner of Cockram's General Store was forced to declare bankruptcy last year, though the Friday Night Jamboree has continued.
"Yeah, we've heard a lot of those stories," Keith said. "But what we're doing is no grudge match against the Friday Night Jamboree. It's just like with restaurants; it's not really competition. We're just doing this for the public, to let people come into the firehouse to see our equipment and to give the old folks a place to have a good time on the weekends."
On a typical Friday night, many music lovers can be seen strolling back and forth between Cockram's and the fire station, sampling the music at both locations.
Though Keith has started learning how to play bluegrass bass since the Frolic began, he also has a practical interest in how the jam sessions fare. Donations are taken each night and the fire department has been able to buy new equipment it otherwise couldn't have afforded.
"Just recently we purchased a radio system for the chief's car that cost about $3,000. We got two air packs redone at $1,600 each. We've bought some pagers. We've gotten several feet of hose, some extra pump equipment and a camper to make a concession stand. And we're looking at an intercom system for a truck in the future," Keith said.
Dale Gallimore of radio station WGFC performs with the Bits and Pieces band at the Firemen's Frolic and records performances that are aired on Saturdays on the station.
"It's one of the best of its kind because it's informal and there's no charge made," Gallimore said. "A lot of the kids are there dancing. Some of 'em don't look so good when they start, but after a few weeks they're doing fine. We have some good square-dance callers up there. We have Eston Radford [of Riner] - I'd put him up against anybody I've ever heard."
Like the Friday Night Jamboree, the Firemen's Frolic has begun attracting pickers and audiences from outside the county. Richard Bishop said the fiddle player for the Doug Dillard Band showed up one night; and bands from Roanoke, Galax, Stuart and Rocky Mount perform regularly.
Regular bands include Bits and Pieces, the B&H Bluegrass Express, Janice and Carlton Harmon and the Blue Country band, and the Friday Night Bluegrass Band from Roanoke.
The frolic has been a hit with most pickers. Chris Kile of Floyd County plays guitar for South Forty Bluegrass and was happy with the "ample dance floor" and the "appreciative audience."
"We had a great time warming up, too," Kile said. "We went into a room off the kitchen and had a wonderful time picking with the people who were there. We'll be coming back."
The picking may be wild at the Firemen's Frolic, but behavior definitely is not. Like the Friday Night Jamboree, the event is family-oriented.
"We don't allow no drinking or no foul language or anything of that nature," said Richard Bishop. "We have people coming from babes in arms up to their 80s."
Attendance has varied from about 400 on some summer Friday nights to 150 to 200 in colder weather.
The frolics begin at 7:30 Friday and Saturday nights and last till 11. Hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks are available in addition to a weekly pie and cake auction.