Bluegrass Comes to La Feria

Updated: March 17, 2017

The “Gid-R-Done” Bluegrass band is really rollin’ now. Photos: Bill Keltner/LFN

Kenwood RV Park Hosts Jamborees

Bill Keltner

Valley-wide Winter Texan Bluegrass fiddlers and banjo players have found a home to display their talent and share their enthusiasm for the special kind of popular Appalachian music they love. It’s mountain singing with pure acoustic instrumental accompaniment.

During the winter months a following of professional and amateur Winter Texan fiddlers, banjo, bass and mandolin players from a dozen or so mobile home parks come together at La Feria’s Kenwood RV park–and do they have a ball! They also do a lot of good because of their pet project of supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This year they collected and sent $2,000.00 to help that charitable cause by donating all proceeds from their various performances during the winter season.

Mary Harris plays “Golden Slippers” on her autoharp.

This love-fest has been going on for over five years according to Wayne Uncer, the live-wire Director of the RGV Bluegrass Association and manager of his own Blue Grass band they call—the “Gid-R-Done Blue Grass band.”. He winters at Siesta Village RV Park during the winter. During the summer he and his wife, Jane, keep their band busy doing gigs in their native Canada He is from Woodstock, Ontario.

The Jamboree gets in gear when somebody shouts out “Key of B flat” or something, and they are off. The ones on stage take turns stepping forward to the mike, and take the lead singing the lyrics that everybody knows. Many of the 80-100 or so avid fans in the audience join in singing or playing accompaniment with their cherished string instruments they are invited to bring along. They do it right from their seats. Oh, yes—only acoustic stringed instruments are allowed. Once they get going, not a foot in the place stays still.

Room full of happy Blue Grass lovers.

Each performer announced his or her name and where they’re from: Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and Ontario, Canada were frequent names mentioned. These people were amazing. They could have been on TV or something.

The “pickin and singin” takes place every Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 pm on- the-dot at Kenwood RV Park in La Feria, Texas. “Ya’all come—You hear.”