Lawn chairs fill the gap between the grandstand and the stage. Two small fairways with vendors selling food, instruments, tapes, shirts and God knows what become rivers of people during Saturday night's band competition. While the competition on stage serves as the main event, the heart and soul of Galax lies beyond the bright lights, in hundreds of impromptu jam sessions under canopies and camper tarps. Through the maze, strains of fiddle and banjo morph from old-time into bluegrass and back again, sometimes taking a Celtic turn, a bagpipe wheezing through the night air. The Old Fiddlers Convention becomes an extended family.
Faces light up as familiar eyes meet in a crowd of listeners.
Fellow musicians or fans share hugs and memories. Under the same canopy as Mr. McMillian, musicians from nearby Smyth, Grayson and Montgomery counties share meals, music and drink with others from as far away as Florida. Many musicians register to compete just for the privilege of camping with fellow musicians. Most know each other through the regular Thursday night picking sessions at Ronnie Poe's garage in Amissville. Mr. Riley says Galax is more about fellowship than competition.