Country Chatter

Let me tell you a story.

This past Saturday evening we decided to go to Victoria, a small town nestled deep in the heart of central Virginia, about an hour’s drive from our farm. It was a spur of the moment decision. Gene came in from feeding the cows and asked if I wanted to go. He had heard about a country bluegrass group singing at Victoria Restaurant that evening on WSVS,  a small town station located in Crewe at 800 AM that plays country and bluegrass music. The afternoon DJ each day is Bobby Wilcox from our hometown of Powhatan.

It was a cold, dreary, rainy evening but what we found in small town USA was a warm and welcoming reception.  We arrived one hour early thinking we had plenty of time for the buffet supper. Actually we were about the last to arrive and most had already eaten.  We didn’t realize we needed to make reservations but we were welcomed in with the assurance that they would find us a spot in the already packed room.  They first found us a table in the side room where the musicians were eating and preparing for their performance, to eat our supper.

The buffet was a true southern feast: fried chicken, meatloaf, mash potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans,  white navy beans, macaroni and cheese, hot homemade rolls, banana pudding, and blackberry cobbler. The musician in charge of the group interacted with us, asking where we were from and what brought us to the event. When he discovered we were from Powhatan, he made the instant connection to Bobby Wilcox and mentioned that he was in house that evening. It was obvious that Bobby was a well-known and loved radio celebrity in that part of the country! He went and found us a spot to sit…. at Bobby Wilcox’s reserved table.

The opening band was “First Time Around”, a local group who sang country gospel music for one hour. They did an excellent job and were very open in sharing their faith through testimony and singing.

The feature group was “Appalachian Express”, a well-known country bluegrass group with a list of credentials and awards to fill a book. They entertained us well for almost two hours.

At one point during the evening, they expressed appreciation for all the musicians and singers in attendance that evening, and there were quite a few.  Most we didn’t know (except for Rusty Yoder), but those mentioned were well-known by those who follow bluegrass music.  We discovered that seated beside us was one of the extended Clark family who has personally preformed on Hee Haw.  Victoria is in the area of Virginia where Hee Haw’s Roy Clark, now deceased, lived. As they wound down the evening, they raised the roof with the foot-stomping “Rocky Top Tennessee”. Then they asked all the veterans to stand. As the 50 or more older men, out of the group of 125 or more, rose to their feet their faces showed emotion as they were thanked and the audience clapped their appreciation. The leader of the group, the man in red in the picture, asked one of the veterans to retrieve the flag in the side room. As he stood straight and tall off to the side, they sang “America the Beautiful”.  The audience instantly rose as one, hats came off and right hands were placed on hearts in respect and honor for our great nation for whom many had fought and suffered. The “man in red” closed by saying, “Thank you and good night to everyone. Tomorrow, attend a church of your choice.”

I snapped this picture just before the veteran removed his hat and handed it to his wife.

It was a special evening and as we traveled home we talked about the evening. Not one person used the venue to mention politics, speak an unkind or vile word, make a crude or belittling insult towards any person or group. No one stomped on the flag. In fact, it was quite the opposite. There was respect for the flag and honor for our veterans who gave so much for our freedom.  There was love for our country with no resisters or jeers of protest.  And most of all, faith in God was openly expressed without shame or fear. God’s redeeming love was proclaimed and no one was threatened with hate.

Rural hometown USA is different than how the media portrays in the news. This was “God and country” territory; the America we know, love and cherish.

A little bit about Victoria Restaurant…..

They are located in the heart of  a little city with 17 streets. They are located 1411 8th St. Victoria, VA 23974. On Friday evenings, locals play and sing as you dine and there is no charge for the entertainment. On Saturday evenings, they have scheduled groups and there is a $10 per person fee plus the food.

They also have a facebook page where you can follow their schedule of events.