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Saturday Evening, October 29

New Covenant Mennonite Church, New Holland, PA

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This very talented pianist played gospel music for more than an hour – from the time the doors opened at 4:30 pm until the concert began at 6:00 pm. The only time he looked at his sheet on the piano was to check his list of songs and what he was playing next.

Food was available at the counter. We both enjoyed a beef barbecue sandwich, French fries, and soda. We later shared a dish of soft raspberry ice cream.

The entire evening was a fundraiser for Farmersville Fire Company.

The first group on stage was Tru Vintage Bluegrass a talented local band that we had seen before.

They closed with an acapella quartet-style song which included MC, Elvin Martin. Elvin is married to Cerwin’s cousin Elaine.

This was the first time we heard High Fidelity Bluegrass from Nashville, Tennessee. Wow! They are amazing musicians.

From the Internet: The band consists of outstanding musicians and singers who are steeped in the sounds of tradition. Jeremy Stephens, (center) guitarist and lead vocalist for the group, has worked for the world-famous gospel group The Chuck Wagon Gang, on the television show Ray Stevens’ Nashville, and most recently with Jesse McReynolds & the Virginia Boys. His wife, Corrina Rose Logston Stephens, (white skirt) fiddler and harmony vocalist, has worked with a who’s who of today’s traditional-based bluegrass performers, most notably Jesse McReynolds & the Virginia Boys and Jim Lauderdale. 

Vickie Vaughn, (back) who plays upright bass and contributes vocals, has worked in recent years with Patty Loveless and Ricky Skaggs. Multi-instrumentalist and harmony vocalist Daniel Amick, (right) has won numerous instrumental contests across the southeast and is a recipient of IBMA’s 2019 Instrumentalist of the Year Momentum Award.

They have a musician who wasn’t with the group on this night.

The third group was The Chuck Wagon Gang. Shaye Smith (center) is a granddaughter of the original alto singer, Anna Carter Gordon Davis.

We have heard them many times during the years with a variety of singers, but Shaye has been with them since 1993.

I remember my parents listening to the original group when I was a young girl.

They sang some new songs and many old songs that sound just like the original Chuck Wagon Gang.

My favorite part of this program was when they sang like the original “Gang” – like they were on the radio: singing, advertising and telling jokes. Just like 80 years ago.

We were pleased when High Fidelity Bluegrass came back on the stage for a second time.

Amazing banjo players. When their fifth person is along, they have three banjos for this song.

When The Chuck Wagon Gang came back, they invited Jeremy (from High Fidelty Bluegrass) to sing with them – just like he used to.

Josh Garner (who has sung with the Florida Boys, the Blackwood Quartet, and the Dixie Melody Boys), likes to have fun and occasionally entertained the audience with jokes or silliness.

An instrumental from members of all three groups.

Another mix of High Fidelity Bluegrass and The Chuck Wagon Gang.

By the end musicians from all three groups were on stage.

Because this was a fundraiser for the fire company, all first responders were called to the front of the stage for prayer.

Farmersville Fire Company, we would enjoy if you did another fundraiser like this.