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For years, our so-called Rock Island McPickers band has jammed inside and outside of a yogurt shop on the main thoroughfare of our capital city in the shadow of the Missouri state legislature building. Like all  social gatherings, the global pandemic has sharply curtailed such musical get-togethers for well over a year. This autumn, as the curve of the recent delta surge has been flattening, the Bluegrass pickers elected to reembark on outdoor picking sessions on the shady afternoon sidewalk in front of the popular snack bar.

Passers-by were cheered by the reappearance of our street side singing and picking which offered glimpses of pre covid normalcy, and local townsfolk of all ages danced to the spirited music.  A newspaper photo journalist happened upon the scene, and a picture of the musicians appeared the next morning on the front page of the Jefferson City News Tribune.

Our mandolinist, the jam hostess and co-owner of the yogurt shop, is poised to sell the enterprise, and so will bring an end to this venue of sidewalk entertainment (not to mention free yogurt for the musicians). We thank the proprietors for generously providing a performance platform for many years where faithful and appreciative audiences came to hear Bluegrass music and cell-phone video the festive scene.

P.S. A special thanks to the shop owners for pistachio yogurt- a BRC banjoist favorite.

From the BRC: Be safe, be well, be picking.

Got the “Delta Blues” from the pandemic mutant infestation? During the first wave of this global affliction, the G&F band migrated outdoors to jam weekly on the patio behind the BRC workshop where they paused (below) for a dock photo taken one year ago. We navigated the subsequent winter months by retreating indoors and picking in a heated and ventilated garage, and we rejoiced when Springtime finally blossomed and returned us to outside jams.

Our brewpub music for the benefit of the Children’s Hospital was on hiatus for more than a year, and we resumed performing Sunday afternoon gigs for a couple months until the delta variant arrived. We have now migrated back to outdoor jam sessions on the patio behind the BRC domicile as seen in the recent photograph below. The expansive wood porch surmounting the patio brings welcomed shade to the musicians and provides marvelous acoustics for their stringed instruments.

It has been a goofy journey, but all the G&F musicians remain healthy, vaxed, and eager to play Bluegrass music. Our shared fellowship is enjoyed in this safe environment where overhead a young bald eagle frequently patrols the shoreline. Lakeside neighbors text message the BRC spouse their appreciation for the music that floats over the water on Sunday afternoons. We count our blessings whenever one of us kicks-off the “potatoes” intro to signal the tempo of the next tune. As the leaves paint their seasonal changes around the lake perimeter, we wish the very same to you.

From the BRC: Be well, be safe, keep on picking.