See Ya' at Winfield!

See ya at Winfield! 
To tens of thousands of acoustic music lovers and performers, See ya at Winfield! is more than a casual statement pertaining to a certain town in south central Kansas. 

Winfield means Walnut Valley Festival and National Flatpicking Championships; it means camping on the banks of the Walnut River; late night jam sessions; family reunions; maybe even a little craziness. 


For the musicians, Winfield is a homecoming, a much-anticipated gig where they can perform with admired colleagues on the festival stages, then join late-night jam sessions with 
amateur pickers around fire pits.

The festival began in 1972 to host the National Guitar Flat-picking Championships. In its forty years, it has grown to a five-day event which also hosts the International Finger Style Guitar Championships, the International Autoharp Championship, National Championships for Mountain Dulcimer playing, Mandolin, Flat Pick Guitar, Hammer Dulcimer, and Bluegrass Banjo. There is also a Walnut Valley Old Time Fiddle competition.

This annual Brigadoon (as Dan Crary called it) would have been called a happening back in the 1960s. (Maybe that's why you see so many in tie-dye attire.) Floods, cold, tornadoes, heat waves, recessions, and the 9-11 disaster have not disrupted the festival, but have merely added to the legends and lore, the stories that begin with "remember that year when...?"

Lawrence, Kansas-based Bluestem, performing traditional western songs on Stage 1

Many think of Winfield as a bluegrass festival.  Yes, it is a great venue to hear lots of fine bluegrass pickin,' but my wife and I schedule our days to take advantage of the variety - Celtic, folk, traditional old-timey, cowboy and western, Cajun, gospel, country swing, early rock, and just about anything acoustic that could be considered Americana or roots music. In other words, something for just about everybody. Four "official" stages are busy on the grounds, several more "unofficial" stages in the campgrounds, plus jamming just about anywhere.

Stage 2, The Greencards, 2007

There is a long list of famed acoustic musicians associated with the Walnut Valley Festival. Many of my readers will recognize these  names of past performers: Alison Krause & Union Station, Mark O'Conner, Cherish the Ladies, Peter Ostroushko, Doc Watson, Robin & Linda Williams, New Grass Revival, and The Dixie Chicks. More recently, festivals which Nancy and I have attended have included noted artists (not present this year) such as The Greencards, David Munnelly Band, Misty River, Mountain Heart, Mountain Smoke, Sons of the San Juaquin, The Infamous Stringdusters, and Nickel Creek.

Nancy and I arrived at the barn (I'll explain that later) mid-afternoon on Thursday, left our luggage in the barnyard and headed for the fairgrounds. That's always a sentimental homecoming for me because my Grandfather Hackney brought me here a couple of times for the fair - and the horse races. We bought our admission tickets long ago, so we only need get our wristbands at check-in, and began our weekend with a casual stroll down the midway. It's a comfort to see that all of the vendors are in their customary spots, meaning we have our choice of funnel cakes, Indian tacos, bison burgers, turkey legs, fried pickles, fried catfish dinners, reubens, and on and on. New this year - hillbilly hash and fried peaches! That's two separate dishes, by the way.

As a rule, we listen to music all day and into the night. Not so this year. Partly due to the weather, and partly due to my back and neck soreness stemming from a minor auto collision in July, we just couldn't hang on as in previous years. Then, a wicked lightning storm forced event organizers to close down the outdoor stages on Friday evening (a prudent decision without question). We missed out on several performers that we were keen to hear. Hopefully next year. Following are some of the great musicians we did hear, and additional views from the festival.

Tommy Emmanuel on Stage 1

Aussie guitarist Tommy Emmanuel is a perennial crowd favorite, at Winfield and wherever he goes. His technical skills rival or surpass that of the world's elite classical guitarists, and he has creatively expanded the versatility of the instrument with percussive effects and feedback sounds that amaze listeners. Check out Tommy's web site (link below), or some of his YouTube videos.

Hot Club of Cowtown on Stage 1

It seems that every year there are a couple of performers or groups that really grab my attention - that ring my bell. One of those this go-round was Hot Club of Cowtown. Their energetic brand of western swing had me tapping my boots, and when they slowed it down with a ballad, Elana James displayed a terrific voice and a lot of style. Elana (formerly known as Elana Fremerman) is a KC-area native from Prairie Village. The ensemble is based in Austin, Texas.

 
It has been a tradition, at least in recent years, to include a Celtic ensemble in the festival line-up. After all, there is a direct link from Celtic music to American mountain music and other forms of folk music. This year we were very fortunate to hear Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul. Eileen was an original cast member of Riverdance, a founding member of Cherish the Ladies, has performed with numerous major symphony orchestras around the world, and somehow found the time to win nine (yes, 9) All-Ireland Fiddle Championships. She and Immigrant Soul all hail from a hotbed of Celtic music - New York City. Interesting sidelight: her Irish tenor singer was an original member of The Blues Brothers.

Tom Chapin and Michael Mark, Stage 2

Tom Chapin fans at Stage 2 (Hi, Jane!)

Many of us have never experienced Winfield without Tom Chapin and Friends. This was his 18th year at the event, and he has developed a large and loyal following which not only enjoys his original songs, many of which were written for children, but sings along and knows the motions. Nancy used his "A B C" song in the music classroom for years. Always a festival highlight for us!

Stephanie Bettman & Luke Halpin at Stage 3

We just got in on the last couple of songs of a set by Stephanie Bettman and Luke Halpin,  performing "folk/Americana music with blues, jazz, and bluegrass influences." The first thing I noted was Stephanie's lovely, pure voice, which at times reminded of Joan Baez.  We made mental notes to check out more by this engaging duo from Denver making their first appearance at Walnut Valley Festival. Didn't happen. The weather and my aching back conspired against that. Hope they are invited back so we can hear more!

Bill Barwick, guitar and vocals; Steve McCartney, standup bass and coyote sound effects

Bill Barwick is definitely no stranger to Winfield. His gravelly, basso profundo voice and his vast repertoire of cowboy/western songs and stories have graced these festival stages for 18 years. Always a treat to listen to Bill, whether he is performing his own set, or accompanying  or sitting in with other performers.

Trevor Stewart and the Chapman Stick

Rare is the year when we don't hear or see something, in this case an instrument, that was completely unfamiliar to us. 2011 - Trevor Stewart performing on the Chapman Stick. As you can see in the photo, the instrument has a long fret board spanning the guitar and bass ranges. The strings are tapped, not plucked, using two hands. Electrical amplification is necessary.

The Wilders, 2009 Walnut Valley Festival

2011 - Some of the Wilders' "honky-tonk" fans

If you don't have body parts movin' while listening to The Wilders, you just might be dead. This Kansas City-based group can play numerous styles, but they are at their best when kickin' off a soulful Hank Williams country classic or rocking the joint with a hard-driving honky tonk fiddle tune.

Talented young singer, 2011

2007 - Rockin' Acoustic Circus, or something like that!

Acoustic Kids One of the important annual events is held on Friday and Saturday mornings - Acoustic Kids time on Stage 2. It is not a contest, but an opportunity for some deserving young talents to show off their chops in front of a large and appreciative audience. Some of those performers have returned to Winfield to compete in the contests and/or perform on the "big stage."

It would be impossible to present a balanced picture of the Winfield experience without talking about the campgrounds. Furthermore, it would not be possible to describe that camping experience in one paragraph, or a couple of photos. Many families or groups have been camping together at Winfield for decades. Many show up for land rush to reserve and set up their camping area and begin camping a week before the festival begins. Many of the camping areas a wildly and creatively decorated; some are set up by groups from certain states. Children are everywhere! It is a family experience.

2009 - Crab Camp

2011 - La La Land

The music doesn't stop when you leave the fairgrounds and enter the camping areas. If anything, there is more! Jam sessions are going 24/7 (so I am told), lending credence to those who say Winfield's motto is "Sleep when you're dead." There are a couple of stages in the campground area, of which the best known is Stage 5.

Stage 5

Prairie Acre at Stage 5

I want to give a "shout out" to The Prairie Acre, the Lawrence, Kansas, band which appears in these two pictures. They enjoy playing music and make music FUN. Their style? What is usually described as "old-time." It's pickin' and grinnin' with an emphasis on grinnin.' They also happen to be extremely talented. (You might note that this picture is blurred. Taking a picture of these guys while they are playing is like taking a photo of a hummingbird - you better have lots of light and a fast shutter speed.) I would hope this group gets an opportunity to perform on one of the main festival stages in the near future. 

 

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Nancy and I are not Winfield old-timers, but we're not exactly Winfield Virgins either. 2011 was our seventh festival. We did miss the 2010 festival in order to spend five weeks in Italy. Campers? Not us - we spend our nights in The Barnyard Room in what was once the hayloft of a barn. But before you think we're roughing it, let me explain that the barn is now a bed and breakfast. The old barn was disassembled and moved, piece by piece to its present location, then cleverly converted to the Barns at Timber Creek B&B by Martin and Cheryl Rude, faculty members at nearby Southwestern College.   We're what festival veterans refer to as flush and shower campers. (They could add heating and air-conditioning to that phrase, too, creature comforts which we have found to be very important on more than one occasion.)

For those who might wish to attend the festival and are not campers, I should note that rooms are booked well in advance at motels in the area, and that the Rudes have a long waiting list of folks wishing to stay at the Barns on festival weekend.

LINKS:

Walnut Valley Festival: www.wvfest.com/
Winfield Convention & Tourism: www.winfieldks.org
The Barns at Timber Creek B&B: http://timbercreekbarns.com/

LINKS TO PERFORMERS LISTED IN THIS ARTICLE:

Tommy Emmanuel: www.tommyemmanuel.com
Hot Club of Cowtown: http://hotclubofcowtown.com/
Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul: www.eileenivers.com/
Tom Chapin: www.tomchapin.com/
Stephanie Bettman & Luke Halpin: www.stephaniebettman.com/
Bill Barwick: www.billbarwick.com/ 
Trevor Stewart: www.trevorstewartmusic.com/
The Wilders: http://thewilders.us/
Prairie Acre: www.theprairieacre.com/


MORE LINKS - OTHER FESTIVAL PERFORMERS WE ENJOY - GREAT GROUPS OR SOLOISTS THAT WERE NOT MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE:


Still on the Hill: www.stillonthehill.com/

Dan Crary and Thunderation: www.thunderation.com/
Notorious: www.notoriousfolk.com/
Bluestem: www.sunflower.com/~bluestem/
Beppe Gambetta:  www.beppegambetta.com/
Kenny & Amanda Smith Band: www.kenny-amandasmith.com/ 

The Border Queen

Shotgun Quiz: There were six major cattle trailheads in early Kansas - each a rough and tumble place where trail hands could expect all kinds of excitement when the herd reached its destination and was sold.  How many of the six can you name? Dodge City and Abilene come to most minds immediately, then Wichita. After a little thought, some will remember that Newton and Ellsworth had their days of "glory" as well. Hays? No, not Hays. I guess the image below has given it away by now. It's Caldwell - "The Border Queen." Never heard of it? Well belly up to the bar, cowhands, I'll tell you about that wicked "Border Queen," Caldwell, Kansas.

Located on the Chisholm Trail just north of the Kansas state line, and the first town outside of Indian Territory, Caldwell became an eagerly-awaited destination for dusty, bored cowboys ready to let off a little steam en route to the rail heads at Wichita and Abilene. When the Santa Fe Railway extended its line to Caldwell in 1879, the little town known as the Border Queen grew quickly, as did the numbers of saloons, gambling houses, and brothels. One Caldwell tour guide and historian has been quoted as telling visitors that his hometown once had more prostitutes per capita than any place in the world. [I guess we'll just have to take his word for that, because however would you, if you were so inclined, research that peculiar topic?]

1881 Opera House

Border Queen Museum Exhibits

Chisholm Trail Marker and mural

Kathy Weiser, in her article "Caldwell - The Wicked Border Queen," reports that "...between 1879 and 1885, Caldwell 'boasted' a higher murder rate, and loss of more law enforcement officers than other more famous cowtowns. During this period, violence claimed the lives of 18 city marshals, leading a Wichita editor to write, 'As we go to press hell is again in session in Caldwell.'"* 

Visitors to Caldwell can see what is left of an authentic Boot Hill - no cartoonish grave markers or made-up names here to lure tourists. It is believed there were once approximately 60 graves in Boot Hill, but many of the markers have disappeared over the ages. How many bodies lie below the wheat fields surrounding the current cemetery? Who knows?

Located south of town on US Highway 81, on the route of the old Chisholm Trail, is an evocative reminder of those who rode the long, dusty trail - "The Ghost Riders Silhouettes." The monument was added to the Sumner County landscape in 1995 thanks to local labor and donations. How appropriate that at the precise moment I began to take photos standing next to one of the trail's successors (the highway), a train would be speeding along on another.

 
A word about Jesse Chisholm: I was surprised to learn that Jesse Chisholm never participated in any of the cattle drives along the Chisholm Trail, and had passed away by the time the larger numbers of cattle herds were being driven to Kansas. The son of a Scottish merchant and slave-trader father and a Cherokee mother, Jesse became a master of a number of Indian languages and dialects, a guide and interpreter, and the owner of trading posts in Indian Territory. It was these outposts that gave the Chisholm name to the trail.

Unlike some sister towns in Sumner County, Caldwell survives. Sumner City, which once had a population greater than any town in the county today, with a horse racing track visible from the air into the 1950s, has completely vanished**. The stories of early Caldwell are still around, as well as some remnants and relics of its exciting past. 

Finally, Caldwell is also known as The Ornate Box Turtle Capital of Kansas Forgetting this during my visit, I failed to take a photo of the colorful box turtle mural on the side of one the town businesses.

*from a detailed account of Caldwell's early history at: www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-caldwell.html

** More on the disappearance of Sumner City and the alleged role of one of my Hackney ancestors in its demise will be explored someday in a posting of Memories from My Life's Journey

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Nearby:

Enroute to Caldwell, I sought out the site of the old mill at Drury, a few miles east of Caldwell on the Chikaskia (pronounced shuh-KASK-ee locally) River. My 94-year old mother still has memories of picnics and wading in the cool waters. I'm not certain, but think her papa might have taken grain there for milling, although the mill at Oxford would have been closer. The mill building itself burned to the ground in 1953 and only some of its foundation and the dam survive. There is a small park at the now, with picnic and restroom facilities.

Educator, naturalist, and photographer Larry Miller has reported that David Carradine and Hollywood film crews used the area as a movie location in 1973 and showed photos of it while being interviewed by Johnny Carson on the "Tonight Show."  Carradine was  involved in the "Kung Fu" television series at the time, but I have no knowledge if portions of that show were filmed at Drury or the Chikaskia River.

Other Links of Interest:

The "Official Sesquicentennial Cattle Drive" ~ 400 head of Texas Longhorns will be driven from Caldwell to Ellsworth. Labor Day weekend.   http://www.kansascattledrive2011.com/ 


The Official Caldwell, Kansas Web Site: www.caldwellkansas.com/

The Red Hills

The Red Hills of Barber and Comanche counties* fascinate me. The terrain is unlike much of Kansas, particularly the flat wheat belt where I was born and raised. It has long been my intention to return to that area  to try my hand at photographing those landscapes. The first week of May of this year, I was able to accomplish that. I had hoped that the hills and grasslands would have greened up by this time and that the wildflowers might be in bloom. Apparently I was about a week to ten days to early for that, although some wildflowers were beginning to pop up.

The Red Hills get their color from the oxidation of the sedimentary iron deposits left during the Permian Period, 250 to 300 million years ago. The hills are also known as the Gypsum (or Gyp) Hills due to the large natural deposits of gypsum, which are mined in the vicinity.

US Highway 160 from Medicine Lodge to Coldwater (42 miles) cuts through the area and is known as the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway. There is another scenic drive on county roads which begins just west of Medicine Lodge. These scenic drives are collectively one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Geography Better views, however, are obtained by getting off the highway.


You must "dare to do dirt" to really see this country.

The Landscape

Branding Time at the Marsh Ranch

While driving along the Gyp Hills Scenic Byway, I noticed a lot of activity going on at one of the corrals, and pulled off onto the right of way. I tried to take some long-distance photos with my long zoom lens without much to show for it. A distinguished-looking man in western working attire came over to me and introduced himself as Mr. Marsh, the owner of the Marsh Ranch headquartered in nearby Sun City, and asked me if I would like to come in for a closer look. Absolutely! He was preparing to leave and offered me the use of his mount, but as I have not been on horseback in a "few years," and have had several shoulder, knee, and other surgeries in the intervening period, I decided this would nor be a good time to make a fool of myself in front of these professional horsemen and women.

The cowboys and women were branding calves, attaching fly tags to the ears, and administering spring vaccinations, a process requiring skill, teamwork, and horsemanship. I had seen these and similar skills on display at the State Ranch Rodeo Championships at Medicine Lodge, but this was my first opportunity to watch it "up close and personal," and "for real." A big thanks to the Marshes and their crew for allowing me to photograph them at work.  

Sun City
Population 53. That's down from 81 in 2000. What is Sun City known for? Perhaps the whiskey-fueled gunfight in 1880 that left one Mr. Adams mortally wounded as a result of  a billiards wager. Maybe the 1883 cyclone that killed three townspeople. Folks in the know, however, would tell you unequivocally that Buster's Smokehouse Bar and Grill is what keeps Sun City on the map. Buster and his wife Alma have been dead quite some time now, but this iconic Sun City landmark just keeps going.

You can even find Buster's on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001319851865

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* Red Hills ~ Much of the area known as the Red Hills is located in Clark County as well, including the three highest points in the area: Mount Nebo, Mount Jesus, and Mount Lookout. I hope to visit Clark County on another photo journey. 

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Some Links of Interest:

Medicine Lodge, Kansas - At the eastern end of the Gyp Hills Scenic Byway, a colorful and historic frontier town. Long-time camping ground for plains Indians, site of a landmark peace treaty between natives and the US government, and later home to that hatchet-yielding prohibitionist Carrie Nation. http://www.cyberlodg.com/mlcity/

Medicine Lodge Indian Peace Treaty Pageant - http://www.peacetreaty.org/ My first visit to Medicine Lodge and this pageant at age twelve made a huge impression on me. Not much was different when Nancy and I took in the festivities a couple of years ago. The event is held every three years, and this (2011) is the year. Parades, a large-scale pageant on a 40 acre "stage," a Plains Indians pow wow, and a rodeo are just part of what happens.

Coldwater, Kansas - At the western end of the Gyp Hills Scenic Byway. Served as my home base while exploring the area. http://www.coldwaterkansas.com/

Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway - http://www.ksbyways.org/Pages/Gypsum/gypsum1.html

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© text and photos Frank Thompson