Last weekend, the BRC musician and spouse drove across sprawling fields of Great Plains farmland to an annual rural community summer Fair in southwestern Missouri. The banjoist was slated to perform with a familiar jam band.

With an ample sound system, the musicians performed on a rustic stage. The skies were muted by a cloud cover, and so the audience was not withered by sunshine. A harmony singer (red shirt stage right) had clogged at the Silver Dollar City park in her youth, and she danced on a platform in the left foreground of the bandstand. Children joined her in the frolics.

It was a marvelous June day for the band and the festival goers.

From the BRC: Have a splendid summer season.

A talented singer and musician recently joined our weekly Thursday evening jam sessions. A skillful guitar picker and mandolinist, Brian is also a capable vocalist. He just recently acquired a splendid new NorthField mandolin.

It is a long-standing tradition at our weekly jam sessions that anyone bringing a newly acquired instrument to the evening assembly is obligated to provide a celebratory ice cream treat for all.

The pickers and singers paused for ice cream cones and conversation.

The musicians are all smiles after listening to Brian`s mandolin chops on his newly acquired instrument. When not playing Bluegrass music, this cheerful and busy newcomer operates two nearby bicycle shops. Welcome Brian to our weekly Bluegrass throng. Lucky us.

From the BRC: Enjoy a summer filled with music, song, and ice cream.

Springtime reawakens our hinterland, and wildlife reappear in the Missouri countryside. The lake behind the BRC domicile will soon witness the return of the Great Blue Herons from the Southland where they wintered.

In the early morning sun, a doe and her tiny fawn graze on the lush lawn behind the BRC domicile undeterred by a plastic heron perched nearby on the patio woodwork.

Moments after a cloudy sunset, a rainbow appears briefly on the far side of  our backyard lake.

From the BRC: Summer cannot be far away.

Like his gifted older brother, the BRC musician is blest to be able to play several instruments in addition to the banjo: viz., guitar, electric bass, mandolin, and harmonica. He solves chordal problems on the piano. What might be his favorite instrument? The answer is simple- the larynx, the human voice box. Above all other musical endeavors, he enjoys harmony singing ranging from tenor to baritone. Fortunately, at Sunday brewpub gigs and at the mid week jam among friends by the Lake of the Ozarks, he is surrounded by skilled musicians and talented vocalists who grew up learning harmony singing in church.

At a recent weekend joint performance at the brewpub, the singers of both jams were combined into a splendid afternoon chorale. Seated on the edge of the stage (above right) is a trio of harmony vocalists, and one is a soprano with opera training. Other harmony singers include the fiddler and our bassist. The BRC mandolinist (center) mostly sings lead or baritone.

Mid way through an afternoon of blended singing, joyful picking, and collecting donations for our university Childrens Hospital, the singers and musicians pause to sit-down together for a hearty snack provided by the management. We have been performing weekends at the brewpub for 17 years and much appreciate the owners` gracious hospitality. We salute the faithful patrons for their generous support of our local pediatric medical center. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?

From the BRC: Wishing you happy pickin`, grinnin`, and singing.