Northern Neck Whirlwind! (Again!)

Weekend recap: August 18 - 20, 2023

It was a whirlwind weekend with four gigs in three days, traveling the entire length of Virginia's Northern Neck, plus a little jaunt into Fredericksburg.

Friday night we played at the Ice House Brewery in Colonial Beach, and had a good crowd.

By the time we packed up after the show it was probably 10:30 pm. We were fortunate to have a nice yet very inexpensive place to stay nearby, literally just a few minutes down the road.

Saturday morning we had to leave about 7:30 to get to Fredericksburg, almost an hour away. We picked up some breakfast to eat on the road; no time to sit and be served. We played at the Farmers Market/Arts in the Park from 10 am till noon. Lots of positive response there, including some kids dancing, and we broke our all-time record for the amount of tips thrown in the jar!

We had lunch at a seafood restaurant, overlooking the water, just outside the Colonial Beach city limits. After that we took a little nap at the cottage so we'd have enough energy for the second gig of the day!

That evening we played as a trio, with our pal Doug Austin on mandolin. This was at Westmoreland State Park, for their "Concert on the Cliffs" series. We've played there several times now and it's super fun! I captured some video footage there, but have only processed one song so far.

After post-gig cheers, packing up, and saying our goodbyes to Doug, we hit the tiki bar at High Tides on the Potomac (back in Colonial Beach), where we had pizza and drinks while enjoying the live rock/pop band that was playing. I even danced a bit on the soft sand. It's true!

We had Sunday brunch at the Dockside Restaurant and Tiki bar, a place we'd never been before at the farthest tip of Colonial Beach. Great spot! A guy was setting up to play some music so of course, that is filed away for future reference as a possible new venue for us.

Sunday afternoon we played on the Rappahannock River beach at Willaby's. They have a regular Sunday thing now, with a food truck and picnic tables so you can eat and drink right out on the beach without having to go into the main restaurant. People come by land and by river, with some folks hanging out in their boats near shore to listen to music. The best part about this gig is that we could jump in the water between sets, and again after we finished playing! The worst part about the gig was having to head home afterwards. 

*****

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