Our beloved Winfield,
You have served us twofold this year.
As usual you provided us with our long awaited reunion of family, friends and music. A soul-cleansing, spirit renewing retreat among familiar campgrounds and stages. Like an old friend you welcomed us with open arms, shady trees and smoky campgrounds.
But, this year you did more.
As we clustered around TV's, radios and newspapers in response to the unimaginable events that were taking place in the outside world, you became our shelter. You provided us with each other for comfort, tears, prayer and discussion. You reminded us of what is really important- our family, our friends, our freedom, our spirit, and our faith. You helped us to mourn, then to dry our tears and join hands- to stand together in community and in song- heartbroken, but united and determined. I'm so glad you were there for us- I can't think of anyplace I'd of rather been during this troubled & tragic time.
Renee Eberle
9/17/01
A couple of days after I finished this report, I received an email from a friend that I thought was so appropriate for the way a lot of us may feel- that I asked the author if I could include it in this page:
Hi, to those who wrote while I was away at the Winfield acoustic festival, and I guess also to those who were there...a few thoughts about it. They may or may not be worthy...but I had to say something.
Of course, the news spread quickly, and the silence that enveloped the whole huge festival said it all. For the rest of the week, I never sat down to talk or jam with any group without the subject coming up in some way. It stayed in our minds, and still does. We did what we could...besides keeping up with the news, contributing to the drives, and continuing to try to puzzle out just what it all means, we took the only action we knew.
You see, a guy I know well left a telephone message, said something like, "Ah, you're gone to Winfield. The world is falling apart, but I guess the bluegrass must go on."
Funny, I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not...but it made me think. Bluegrass and all the acoustic music and singing we do are to me actually a perfect reflection of what our lives should be. When we make music we are creating beauty, loving the moment, striving to progress toward being better than we are now, and sharing it all with others, regardless of their ability level or station in life. There is no malice in playing bluegrass.
So that's my microcosm of bluegrass as life; creating instead of destroying, loving instead of hating, and sharing instead of sneaking around plotting misery.
So we did the only thing we knew to do. We created a place in the world where large numbers of people came together and behaved in such a way as to strongly demonstrate that love just works better than hate. Trust actually works better than suspicion. And accepting and enjoying others is basically more satisfying and constructive than blowing up planes and buildings with people in them.
It seems a simple concept. But apparently the word has not gotten out to everyone; some people actually don't know this. So we have to show them. The world needs many such spots as an example, a demonstration, and a proof that playing nice works, so the idea will spread, till the message gets through to the bullies.
One last thing, or I will go on forever. Strangely, I saw no anger anywhere at any time out there...we were beyond anger. There was only a vast sadness and pity for those who did this. We cannot understand how their thinking could be so confused and ignorant and wrong. There may or may not be such as thing as Evil in the world...but there is certainly Right and Wrong.
So that's why the bluegrass must go on. We know that combating hate with hate, violence with violence, does not work. That's fighting the symptom, and it only escalates. Instead, we take the positive steps of living cooperatively and joyfully, and everyone wins. The festival has grown every year, from very small to huge--because it works. Either only nice people go there, or else going there makes them nice. Life at the festival is as close to how life should be and how people should behave as I ever get to see, anyway. The pervasive atmosphere of friendliness and laughter and peace of mind is rarely seen anywhere else...but I believe the world is striving to acheive the same condition. Not very efficiently, it seems. So we can only keep trying, and live positively, and never give up doing our own tiny little part toward helping the world become sane. But if we let the bullies have their way, and change our lives to ones of fear and mistrust and submission...they will have ruined everything, and hate will have won.
And that would be wrong.
Live well, everyone.
Dave
PS Dave, Amen.
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