This past weekend (April 9^th and 10^th) marked the first annual Darin and Brooke Aldridge Festival.  Folks if you missed it don’t worry…..just save it on your calendar for 2011 because Darin and I will continue to host our very own festival year after year at Coot Williams Road.  We wanted to write this blog in order to give everyone who wasn’t able to attend a little taste of what they missed and those that did attend a great recap of your experience and something we all can look forward to again next April.  On Friday, Darin and I woke early in order to meet friends and start the day with a round of golf at the Cleveland Country Club.

  The weather was almost perfect as eight different teams dashed away in their golf carts to test their talent and skills in the relaxing game.  Smiles, handshakes, and some extremely lucky shots throughout the day made for some great conversation as new friendships formed and talk of next years golf outing was already in the making. 

 Darin’s brother, Devon and his teammates took the title of the first Darin and Brooke Aldridge Golf and Grass tournament (special thanks to Kathi Walker for coming up with the great name.) Darin and I decided golf was the perfect way to start off each year of the Darin and Brooke Aldridge Festival…..so if you enjoy golf remember to practice up for next year.

            Friday evening when the music started, toes began tapping and cameras started to flash as proud parents and spouses of some of Darin’s wonderful music students kicked the festival off.  Every student who played did amazing and really impressed the anxious bluegrass crowd.  We have received lots of e-mails and comments from people telling us how much they enjoyed seeing these students get up in front of a crowd, some for the first time, and showcase their talents.  Closer Walk, Carolina Crossfire, Catawba Valley Youth Band, and Unspoken Tradition added the perfect mix of bluegrass and bluegrass gospel while the night air got cooler and people settled under the big tent to snuggle close to their sweethearts and children.

            Saturday brought many of the same great faces back for another awesome day of music as new faces started to make their way in as well.  New Plowed Ground, The Harris Brothers, Balsam Range, the legendary JD Crowe along with Darin, myself and our great band added the final touches to a well polished and planned festival.  Every group had a different sound to offer along with great felt emotion. 

People let Darin and I know while listening through the words of songs sung or jokes told, from the first band to the last, they were able to forget about life for a while and just enjoy going back to a place in time.  That’s just what music always does for Darin, myself, Eddie, Perry, Chris and Josh as we get to share our love of the Lord and our music everywhere we go. 

            John and Linda Hunsuker along with every volunteer made the festival so fun and inviting.  From their words to every ounce of kindness so freely given it was like being on vacation and not having to worry about what had to be done when you got back home.  Every chance they got, John and Linda or another great volunteer was making sure the bands as well as the people attending our festival were well taken care of.  So thank you to John, Linda and every volunteer who made the festival a place everyone can say they were glad to be at and will be back at in April 2011.  Darin and I can’t say enough about how honored we have been to be able to have a festival named after us and one that will continue on for years to come! 

            We want to thank God for another great opportunity to be a shining light for him and every person who helped make our very first year of the Darin and Brooke Aldridge Festival and Golf Tournament a huge success!!!

Visit Ted  Lehmann at his Blog for another review of the weekend. http://tedlehmann.blogspot.com/

Also for my students showcase of pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/KeeneValleyGuy/StudentShowcasesAndCatawbaValleyRevivalBand#_)