Saturday, Aug. 9, was the 86th annual Old Fiddlers' Picnic at Hibernia Park. I'd heard about this much-loved tradition for years, of course, but this was the first time I spent the day there. Groups of musicians, of all ages and musical levels, just gathered in circles in the woods and jammed with each other. Bands signed up early for their 20-minute sets on the main stage; in between there was entertaining banter from the two MCs about local bluegrass events.
One of them wanted to alert the audience to a pair of found eyeglasses.
"Can you see me?" he asked the crowd. "If you can, I'm not talking to you."
We made a game out of looking at the instrument cases that the musicians were carrying and trying to guess what was inside: dulcimer? banjo? There was no mistaking the upright basses, though.
We spent close to an hour at the Beginners' Jam in one of the pavilions, where a patient fiddler led versions of classics like "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "This Land is Your Land." One young girl, there with her parents, was reluctant to play at first, but it was nice to see her become comfortable enough to join in. They even let me sing along -- I'm an enthusiastic but not tuneful singer.
There was a display of antique cars (I don't relish calling cars from my youth "antique"), and the row of shiny new motorcycles drew a great deal of attention.
We ran into a couple of Unionville residents among the musicians and spectators, and the Broughtons' Swarmbustin' Honey, from here in West Marlborough, was one of the vendors.
The weather couldn't have been better, although the sun got hot for those of us who weren't smart enough to set up our chairs early in the shade. Somebody should make a science fair project out of a smart-chair that predicts for you where the shade is going to be at a certain time of the afternoon.
I hadn't been to Hibernia Park for years and I want to go back. We went in through the wrong entrance (the Lion's Head gates) and ended up driving through the park, exiting and then going back in, this time using the correct gate.
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