Song and Story Fest Finale

I was up early to shower and pack.  I had everything packed in my car by 7:30 a.m. but when I tried to lock my car it wouldn't let me.  I remembered that somewhere in one of my many bags I had put my extra key remote.  I couldn't remember where I stashed it.  It took me a half hour to locate it and put it in my purse so I could lock my car.  I am not as organized as people give me credit for being.

Fest ends with a morning gathering in which each storyteller and each musician contributes something brief.  I had written and memorized a story about when I found a box of cremains on the street near my driveway.  As I sat and listened to everyone else's contribution I started to question my story.  People were singing about peace prevailing or telling tender stories.  I kept waiting for a musician to do something kind of silly so I wouldn't feel so out of place.  After Cody did a Bach piece on the cello I thought a song without words might be my best bet.  

I was so eager to tell this story.  I had so much fun writing it and thinking about how I wanted to present it.  I watched as people belly laughed.  I can't describe what that feels like for me.  I work hard on my stories and then on the memorization and presentation.  When they come off as I hoped, it is my bliss.  

Mike Stern was the last musician to present and he sang Peace Train and most of the Fest participants formed a train and wound their way through the tent.  

The final song is a tradition.  Everyone stood in a circle around the tent and the musicians led us in a song called The River.  There were tender good-byes.  We hope to see each other again next summer at Camp Peaceful Pines in California.

Since Fest was in Iowa and my father was born and raised in Iowa I wanted to go see his childhood home.  It was 1.5 hours up to it and then 1.5 hours back.  My cousin had given me the cross streets and let me know that the current owners don't love my large family stopping by.  I headed up to Fredericksburg, Iowa. It has a population of just under 1,000 people.  It has a nice creek running on the edge of town.  

I asked a gentleman at Fest if he knew if the Church of the Brethren (of which my Grandfather Stern was the pastor) was still there.  He said that they had merged with the Baptist church and were meeting in the Baptist church building. I didn't know how to find the old church building in which my grandfather preached.  I drove through the town and didn't find it.  It is a sweet, well-maintained place.  I was hoping to find some place for lunch but unless I wanted pizza out of a gas station, I was out of luck.

I found the old Stern farmhouse east of the town.  I remembered visiting it once when my uncle still lived there.  

My father was one of thirteen children.   This is a photo of the first ten in front of the farmhouse. I never met either of my grandparents on the Stern side.  

As I drove past the farmhouse where my father was born I wondered what my Grandfather Stern would have thought of his progressive granddaughter being a Church of the Brethren minister.  From what I have heard of him, I think he would have disapproved.   

I left Fredericksburg and drove towards Peru, IL....my destination for the night.  I didn't want to push myself today.  I knew I would be exhausted from Fest.  When I hit Illinois I listened to the playlist I created for the state of Illinois.  My favorite song was Effington by Ben Folds.

I arrived to my hotel by 6 p.m.  I was given an upgrade because I didn't use a third party booking site.  I thought that was funny.  I have made several trips out of my room since I got here and I am literally the only person who is wearing a mask.  Three people tested positive for Covid at the Fest.  So far, none of my cabin mates have tested positive.  I took a Covid test as soon as I arrived at my destination today.  Tomorrow I am going to my cousin's house and I would feel terrible if I carried Covid into her home.  So far I am testing negative.