Crooked Road: VA's Heritage Music Trail

Subject: RE: Crooked Road: VA's Heritage Music Trail
From: Maryrrf
Date: 23 May 11 - 12:17 PM

I've been there before and it's a great music scene. My friend from Belfast has some gigs there and I'm coming along for the craic ! Ireland meets Appalachia!

Subject: RE: Crooked Road: VA's Heritage Music Trail
From: GUEST,billhudson
Date: 22 May 11 - 01:27 PM

That is right, there is a few other places. Also in Roanoke there is a few cool clubs that places live music too.. Over the last 10 years or so Floyd sure has change a bit. But I am sure you'll have a blast.

Subject: RE: Crooked Road: VA's Heritage Music Trail
From: Maryrrf
Date: 22 May 11 - 10:14 AM

I'm headed for Floyd later this week - can't wait! In addition to the general store there are other music venues, plus the place is a cool mixture of mountain people and old and young hippies that all seem to get along.

Subject: RE: Crooked Road: VA's Heritage Music Trail
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 21 May 11 - 04:48 PM

Never did get to the Crooked Road, but did get to the Galax Old Fiddler's Convention last summer and loved it! I was astounded by how many great musicians there were making music all week long. No stage show, no paid performers, but contests running onstage for various string instruments, bluegrass and old-time bands, folk song and dance, and you get your admission price back if you enter a contest. We had a great time and plan to go back.

Still want to explore the Crooked Road, but more and more people tell me it's difficult in a motorhome. We may camp somewhere on the trail and rent a car to travel around, or wait until we downsize our camper.

Subject: RE: Crooked Road: VA's Heritage Music Trail
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 21 May 11 - 12:25 PM

(please note I refreshed an old thread to add the NY Times article.)

Subject: RE: Crooked Road: VA's Heritage Music Trail
From: billhudson
Date: 21 May 11 - 11:50 AM

Here in Va. there are more then a few gems, and like someone said Friday night at the store in Floyd is a lot of fun. I would like to add if you can make it around the time of the Floyd Fest I am sure you would have a blast.
One of my hobbies is to search good pickers that do not go out much. One of them is Two Gun Terry up in Harrsionburg,Va. If you go to the Guitar and Amp Center there, you can ask them where to find Terry. The Guitar and Amp Center also has a beautiful collection of many very old instruments. If you stop by tell'em I ay hello.

Subject: RE: Crooked Road: VA's Heritage Music Trail
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 21 May 11 - 11:27 AM

On Virginia's Crooked Road, Music Lights the Way - in the NY Times Travel section, a nice lengthy article.

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Crooked Road: VA's Heritage Music Trail
From: GUEST,fretless
Date: 11 Aug 08 - 01:00 PM

Barbara, We went last fall for the Friday night concert/dance at the Country Store in Floyd and then headed on to Galax for a very funky and poorly-attended, but therefore all the more fun, Old Time and Bluegrass band concert at a VFW post or someplace similar. The offical annual Galax fiddlers' convention is a matter of taste -- it is too big and ocasionally too boozy for mine. And I'd be a bit wary of traversing the official Crooked Road route with a 30' rig, although it is probably not impossible. Travel well and let us know how the trip worked out.

Subject: RE: Crooked Road: VA's Heritage Music Trail
From: Fortunato
Date: 11 Aug 08 - 12:54 PM

To a great extent the "Crooked Road" is the Blue Ridge Parkway and state roads and interstates connecting to it. All of these are RV and camper friendly. There are concerts and music venues all year round, and the colors of spring and fall are strong considerations, but the festival season beginning with Fiddler's Grove in Union Grove NC and continuing through the Rockbrige festival in Sept would be prime time for those who want to engage the music directly.

Subject: RE: Crooked Road: VA's Heritage Music Trail
From: Ferrara
Date: 10 Aug 08 - 11:07 PM

Fall is wonderful for the leaves, don't know which seasons are best for the music. In spring there are mountain laurel and rhododendrons, and the Mt. Airy fiddlers convention among others. In August there's the Galax old time fiddlers convention.

Subject: RE: Crooked Road: VA's Heritage Music Trail
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 10 Aug 08 - 09:40 PM

Refresh.

Subject: Crooked Road: VA's Heritage Music Trail
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 10 Aug 08 - 08:03 AM

We'd love to explore this area and are looking for any information mudcatters can provide. The website is The Crooked Road.

-When is the best time of year to go?
-How accessible would the roads through the mountains be for a 30' RV? (By that, I mean how scary would it be for the passenger?!)
-What are some favorite stops?
-What else can you tell us?