Just the name makes me smile. Hootieville.
It’s Hootieville Bluegrass Park.
Going there is grounds for laughter and the urge to dance.
Doesn’t matter how old or how young I am,
when the sun goes down and the music takes on a
contagious beat, I want to run with the kids up and down the green slopes
where families camp, and friends meet just a few times a year.
It’s an old-fashioned gathering that leads to foot stomping and
as the sun sets, I watch and listen and smile.
They begin their flat-foot dancing – spontaneous responses to
the urge to move – mesmerizing to watch,
and I want to do it too but remain the observer, listening,
tapping my feet,
and smiling – always smiling.
I was there this clear, cool weekend in June,
and guess what? I’m still smiling!
Settling In
For 30 years, Mr. Houston (Hootie) Hatcher held a bluegrass festival on his farm near Natural Bridge, Virginia. It has become widely known as Hootieville and features local bluegrass bands and a family atmosphere. Bluegrass was inspired by the music of Appalachia. It has mixed roots in Scottish, Irish and English traditional music.
Flat-footing at Dark
I heard a great local group called The Plank Road Express and another called the Special Edition. Different bands are there by invitation and play into the night at Hootieville while folks share picnic fare and children try flat-foot dancing right along with the adults. There is a fabulous sense of freedom at Hootieville. It’s like a Norman Rockwell drawing might be of an event in Small Town America – the way it was, the way it is, the way it should always be.
Virginia Views 