We were so fortunate to be invited to perform at the
9th Annual Downtown Lowville Cream Cheese Festival. Here's our photo diary:
(several different photographers are represented - many thanks to all!)
Hitting the road! "Quiet car" leading the way and the "Party Van" following behind...
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| Morgan & Tamala settle in for the 14 hour drive... |
Brad had a little trouble curbing his excitement...
Lowville is farther North than Toronto, Canada. Fall has arrived...
Yep, we were in the North Country...
The winds were blowing strong off Lake Ontario. We're chilly but so happy to be here...
Beautiful setting at Ridgeview Lodge...
Barns dotted the landscape everywhere you look...
Downtown Lowville is filled with gorgeous old buildings and homes...
Note the sign in the upper floor window...
Chef Duff Goldman from Food Network's Ace of Cakes, helped create the Guiness World Record Cheesecake. At 6900 pounds he needed a mighty large slicer!
Congrats Lowville on holding the new world record...
And now, the stage! You can tell it was pretty windy. Something was blowing in...
Graymatter getting set up...
We hear that 20,000 people were in attendance. They came from all over
to enjoy and celebrate...
Vendors galore and so many yummy food options...
But it started to rain, then we were faced with a tremendous downpour. The sound equipment and stage filled with water, making it too dangerous, if not impossible, to play the main stage. Graymatter huddles, deciding what to do...
So combining some of our equipment with another band's small PA system, we moved to the firehouse, along with 1000 of our newest friends...
And we sang our hearts out. It was a joy to look out and see so many people enjoying our set, most of them singing along with us...
Friends, both old and new, enjoying a cold one at the firehouse. We love our NY friends...
Was the rain going to put a halt to the festival? No way! The fun continued on...
Yep, this is a cream cheese dude, looking a little worse for wear following a good drenching,
but still in character...
Let the after-party begin!...
Dave, Barry, Brad and Bev, all natives of Chatham, NJ
reconnect with dear childhood friends Charlie Merrick and Skip Zimmerman...
Charlie and wife Kathleen join Graymatter for Bad Moon Rising and Here Comes the Sun...
special guest Eb rocking with us on The Chain...
special guest Rick belts out Dead Flowers...
We worked up a really pretty version of You Can Close Your Eyes just for Skip and urged him to come sing with us...which he did! It was a special moment...
The weekend had come to an end and it was time to pack up and head back to NC...
We just had to make a stop for photos of the Maple Ridge Wind Farm on Tug Hill.
Covering 12,000 acres over a 12x3 mile area, 195 wind turbines stand 260 feet tall and have blades that are 130 feet long. Taking advantage of the winds off Lake Ontario, the power generated from these towers placed on family farms add to the commodities produced in this area,
along with milk and maple syrup.
This is the largest wind farm east of the Mississippi. The sight of these silent giants was just awesome...
A look at the buildings below gives a perspective as to
just how large these wind turbines are...
So we continued on our journey home. Only 14 hours to go...
The ride was just gorgeous through mountainous New York State,
Pennsylvania and northern Maryland.
Then over this bridge spanning the Susquehanna River and into DC
and down the highway that led us home.
Yes, this is what it looked like after 14 hours on the "Party Van."
We had an amazing time, renewed friendships and found brand new friends.
We're so glad to have been a part of the Lowville Cream Cheese Festival
and meet the fine people there.
