Welcome to the middle of the 3-part Fourth of July weekend blog: Jonesborough
Our day in Jonesborough was the actual Fourth of July, which coincided with Jonesborough Days, which meant lots of activity: vendors selling crafts and food along the street, open air bluegrass bands, rides for kids, and a parade through town, featuring high school bands, local churches, boy scout troops, family reunions, and more antique tractors than you possibly imagined in one place.
Oh, yes, and a WannaBeatles show downtown.
But first, a walk through Jonesborough Saturday morning.
A permanent sign cerlebrating the annual event
A classic pickup parked downtown
View of Courthouse
,
View of Main Street
Saturday morning crowd and booths
A bluegrass band on the church front porch
And then, the parade….
Waiting for parade
Parade begins
A beauty queen waves to the crowd
A church float including a preacher at his pulpit
1940's military attire promoting a local theater production
Big John Deere and a family reunion
A nice looking Ford tractor
Antique Case tractor
Another Ford tractor
And another antique tractor
And check out the lines on this 1949 Cockshutt tractor
Don't know why the sight of antique tractors captured the imagination. I confess to admiring their appearance even when they weren't moving.
Ford diesel at rest
One final antique tractor - Farmall - at rest
By afternoon, it was time to bring our gear to the courthouse steps and begin setting up. The weather was cloudy and threatening to rain.
Food booths under tarps
There was a tent over the stage area, and we put additional tarps over our gear in case the wind might blow rain under the tent.
Nathan contemplates tarp
Our sound lady Sara Jane setting up
David storing drums in dry area
Dennis being silly, chewing on a bungee cord
Our pop up banner
Every fifteen minutes or so, we would hear the whistle of a train that would carry passengers up and down main street, another fun activity for Jonesborough Days.
WannaBeatle David's wife and daughter, Alice and Shaina, joined us in Jonesborough. They added beauty to our dinner at a fine restaurant across the street from the courthouse.
Alice and Shaina
The show went on as scheduled, without rain.
Our host Steve and Dennis, onstage before show
WannaBeatle David received extra moral support having his wife and daughter present.
Drummer's wife reassures him before the show
We had a good show, entertaining several blocks filled with people, all the energy emanating from the courthouse steps, radiating outward from the center of town.
To see what it was like, you can view the photos from last year's Jonesborough show, when we had photographer Charlie Monk of the Herald and Tribune taking pictures and allowing us to publish them in that blog. ("Jonesborough" 7/1/2014) Just add a tent to those pictures, and you'll get the idea.
We were happy to talk to people after the show, sign tee shirts, and pose for pictures. Then we packed up, and returned to the hotel.
Then came Sunday morning, and our continuing road trip.
One more photo from breakfast: a WannaBeatle daughter, only weeks before heading off to college for the first time.
After breakfast, we put ourselves and all our stuff into the Tundra and the trailer, and we were ready to roll again, this time off to Loudon, Tennessee.
Loading up at hotel Sunday morning under clear skies
Next stop: Tellico Village Baptist Church, and an exciting show to conclude our three day weekend.
Stay tuned!
Bloggin' Bryan 24Aug2015