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rents. In addition to bluegrass, the two musicians play ragtime, western swing, 60’s rock and roll and Fats Waller. Their work draws upon their roots.
The dance for which Bledsoe and Kirby will perform also draws upon a rich tradition of country dances in Rappahannock’s roots. Early in the county’s history, when the hardships of travel and the strenuous work of country living kept people close to home, neighborhood dances were the main source of entertainment, and were occasions to be savored.
“Of course everybody was friends in those days, you know. You knew everybody around for miles. The whole hollow was almost like a family,” said Alice Beahm, who was interviewed by county oral historian Cathy Kiley in her research for last year’s dramatic production “Voices of Rappahannock.” “How we spent our time on weekends, it was mostly the families all around you would gather at one of the houses.”
Raymond Johnson, who was bom and raised on Red Oak Mountain, also remembered the community gatherings. “We’d work ’til six or six-thirty, come home and eat supper, and walk three or four miles to a party. Dance ’til one or two o’clock, then walk home, start work again the next morning. I’d say we would be fortunate enough to have one or two a week...so it was fun, and that was all we knew, so we didn’t yearn for the city life.”
Florence Burke recalled the special holiday dances. “Any holiday we always had a dance at some of our neighbors’ house. If they didn’t have a
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