"The Crooked Road isn't really a thing yet" ???
Well can you tell me where I've been travelling for the last 33 years through South Western Virginia. If this book (which by the way is excellent value especially as it contains two CD's of music of the area and an excellent commentary by Joe Wilson) had been available when I first started visiting the area it would have been a great help.
I had to do it the hard but very enoyable way of finding out for myself.
Mount Airy is excellent, lots of old time string bands BUT they do have a singers contest held in a seperate indoor venue from all the instrumental stuff. The other venues mentioned in the above posting concentrete mainly on Bluegrass and Old Time groups and Wayne Henderson's Festival is Guitar Orientated featuring many hot pickers.