This old timey music party has the reputation
for being the premier event of its type. Everywhere in the USA
that I've traveled this year I've overheard conversations during
the old time southern jams about folks looking forward to "Clifftop."
Fortunately I was already in West Virginia at the end of July
since I was attending classes at Augusta Heritage Center. I missed
the first 3 days of the festival because I was still at Augusta,
but I caught the tail end grand finale on Saturday night.
West Virginia is a long way from my home in New Hampshire, but
soon after my arrival I spotted old time music buddies from all
around the country: Florida; California; Massachusetts; and even
New Hampshire. My traveling partners and I set up a tent and campsite
which was a mere formality since we didn't expect to do much sleeping.
There was simply too much good music and dancing going on and
we didn't want to miss any of it!
I wandered through the extended campground which was in a beautiful
wooded site with lots of trees, shade, and grassy areas. On the
main stage a old time string band contest featured lots of excellent
music while there were somewhere in the neighborhood of two dozen
old time jams going on simultaneously in the campground at all
times. Many of the top old time style fiddlers and clawhammer
banjo players in the country were in attendence at varous campsites.
Now and then I heard bits of other styles of music such as bluegrass,
cajun, Irish, and Eastern European, but the major focus was good
old southern style stringband music.
I was happy to see a number of young kids playing music, and also
noted the presence of numerous senior southern style pickers.
There were slow jams, fast jams, gospel singing, old time song
sessions, virtuosic fiddling, and lots of nice folks sharing tunes
with others. Cloggers carried their portable dancing boards with
them and settled in at camp sites with energeticly paced music.
The Saturday night dance was high energy with southern squares
and line dances, and even a New England contra or two, but the
music was all in a driving, southern style rhythm groove. There
was a mix of experienced dancers and high spirted beginners and
everyone seemed to enjoying themselves immensely. I danced until
I was soaking wet, gradually working my way closer to the stage
so I could simultaneously dance and observe the musicians and
callers in action.
I had a great time and hope to return next year. I overheard folks
in the camp ground saying that there was a large increase in the
number of attendees from 1996 to 1997 due to the festival's popularity.
There were numerous events which I didn't have the opportunity
to attend, but which included: dance contests; instrumental contests;
concerts; and workshops in: story telling; ballad singing; dancing
and more.
For more information contact: Camp Washington-Carver, HC 35, Box
5, Clifftop, WV 25831-9601, or call 304-438-3005, or fax 304-438-3006.