I feel sure that us old-timers know very well who Charlie Poole is but for the younger generation’s information, Poole was one of the truly great old-time music musicians this state has ever produced.
One of his best-known songs was called “The Whitehouse Blues” (an appropriate title these days).
Recorded in 1926, Poole sings and plays the banjo with Posey Rorer on fiddle and Ron Harvey on guitar on this tune about the McKinley assassination.
Poole and his Ramblers were one of the most popular old-time string bands during the late 1920s. Charlie Poole was enormously influential with his three-finger banjo playing, which developed later into the famous Earl Scruggs bluegrass-style.
Poole was quite the hell-raiser, dying at the age of 39 in 1931.
Charlie Poole was born in Spray, N.C. (Now a part of the town of Eden) and it’s very appropriate that the Town of Eden be the home of the 15th annual Charlie Poole Music Festival which will include the first Charlie Poole River Ramble on Saturday June 12, 2010 at 9 a.m.
Float down a stretch of the beautiful unspoiled Smith and Dan Rivers, and still not miss any of the festival. Launch near the historic 1892 Spray Mercantile Building where paddlers will hear the stories of this once-thriving textile town. Charlie Poole worked here at Spray Cotton Mills.
Two additional scenic river trips for paddlers will also be coordinated on Friday afternoon, June 11 on the Smith River in Henry County, Virginia and on Sunday morning, June 13 on the Dan River in Stokes County, N.C. Both of these trips are within easy driving distance of Eden, N.C.
Both of these rivers are noted for the fine smallmouth bass fishing and have found particular favor among fly rod anglers.
Both these rivers are somewhat rocky and can be fished by wading and fishing flies that mimic crayfish or local species of minnows. The Smith River from below Smith Mountain Lake and the Philpott Dam downstream to Martinsville has some particularly fine fishing for stocked rainbow trout or stream-bred brown trout of trophy proportions.
Tickets: Festival and River Ramble tickets are $50 per person and include:
▪ Charlie Poole Music Festival admission (all three days)
▪ Light breakfast, voucher for lunch on Saturday
▪ Refreshments for the River Ramble
▪ Shuttles from fairgrounds to the river for Saturday’s River Ramble
▪ Free boat and gear rental for Saturday is available on a first come, first served basis.
▪ Free t-shirts for the first 30 River Ramble registrants!
▪ Bonus river trips on the Smith River on Friday and the Dan River on Sunday.
Transport from the Eden Fairgrounds on 13970 Old NC 87, Eden, NC, 27288, 336-623-1040 Shuttle arranged through the Dan River Basin Association and Three Rivers Outfitters in Eden, N.C.
Space will be limited, so sign up early, on line, or just send your check to P.O. Box 867, Eden, NC 27289. Free tee shirts for first 30 to sign up!
Register online: Reservations, schedules and other information are online at www.charlie-poole.com. Click on Festival.
For further information call 336-623-1043.
Camping: Basic camping is available, with bathrooms and showers, at a charge of $10 per night, $20 maximum for the week, and campers will be welcome any time during the week preceding the festival.
Food vendors: Food vendors make up a lip-smacking list, with barbeque, fish fry, pork chops, Italian ices, Stonefield Cellars wine, gourmet coffee and pastries, as well as the regular festival fare of hot dogs, hamburgers and funnel cakes.
The barbeque guy is from Lexington and the fish fry folks are locally famous and will also be offering fried sweet potato pies.
Charlie Poole T-shirts and embroidered shirts and bags will be available, plus a variety of CDs, limited edition banjo charms, prints, and many other items.
River Ramble description: This leisurely two-hour float will be guided by Three Rivers Outfitters.
The trip begins on the scenic Smith River, near the historic 1892 Spray Mercantile Building where paddlers will hear the stories of this once-thriving textile town.
Also nearby is the historic 1898 Nantucket Mill. Piedmont Folk Legacies and the National Banjo Initiative envision a new life for the mill as a National Banjo Center, museum, recording studio and performance venue.
After putting on the river at Spray Cotton Mills, paddlers will float under Island Ford Bridge near Spray Circle and past the new Island Ford Landing at Eden’s Smith River Greenway. About a mile downstream, after passing under the Kings Highway Bridge, paddlers will come upon a large rock formation on river left known as Bear Slide, a state Natural Heritage Area recognized for rare communities of wild flowers.
Paddlers can expect to see June wildflowers, water fowl and perhaps even Eden’s mascot, a river otter.
Past Bear Slide, where the Smith joins the Dan River, paddlers will turn upstream a short distance to view the impressive remains of the 1852 Leaksville Toll Bridge.
After floating down to the nationally famous arched Mebane Bridge, paddlers will take out at the N.C. Wildlife Access on the Dan River where all will be shuttled back to the Charlie Poole Festival in time for lunch at the fairgrounds.
Bonus river trips: Two additional river trips for paddlers are being coordinated for Friday afternoon on the Smith River in Henry County (exact location depends on water levels; for experienced boaters only) and a “Banjo Heritage Float” on Sunday morning on the scenic Dan River in Stokes County.
See home page news items and upcoming events at www.danriver.org for registration information.
A “Little Ramblers” children’s area, sponsored by Sheetz, will be another new addition. Food and other vendors will be on-site for the festival.
This project receives support from the Rockingham County Arts Council and the N.C. Arts Council, an agency of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.
Of course the music is the main point, with a full evening concert Friday, presenting headliners from near and far, plus competitions all day Saturday, starting with the Youth Division in the morning and many categories all afternoon and evening, all with $5,000 in cash prizes and ribbons for winners.
Sunday morning at 9:30 there will be an opportunity to learn about the history of country music with noted scholar Bill Malone—free and open to the public.
River event sponsors include the Dan River Basin Association, Three Rivers Outfitters and the Dan River Company.
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