Nice night in Wilkesboro. The quiet before the storm? Did get a little chilly though . . . low of 37. I’m 800 miles south of MSN . . . are we ever going to leave this weather behind!

Headed down to Cagneys for breakfast! “Best kept secret n’ town”,  they say . . . I am telling everyone!

Merlefest is taking over the town for 4 days!

Needed a BIG breakfast because I am going to unload the trailer, solo, and each trip is the width of a football field and up and down a ditch too!

This ain’t NO BACKPACKING trip. But with a nice UHaul trailer there is room to bring all the creature comforts.

Home sweet home . . .

 . . . when are the softshell crabs airdropped into camp? The kitchen is ready!

Becky and Charlie and Diana arrived within 15 minutes of each other. Good timing!

Things were unloaded,  groceries stowed away and tents set up.

Of course, Charlie, Mr REI, had to buy a new tent for the big event. A Big Agnes! Every job needs a supervisor and here Becky ‘helps out’!

Got to keep the shrimp on ice for the Friday night shrimp boil!

Diana and John, having lived in Chapel Hill, have been coming to Merlefest for years. Their kids grew up at Merlefest with many of the ‘same Neighbor’ kids from the NE quarter of the camping area. It was old home week again for Diana . . .

Friends everywhere!

Soon it was time for cheese, bread and “secret sauce”!

The girls and their special brew . .

Charlie had his own version . . .

About 6:00pm we headed down to the festival grounds to see the nights line up. Tonight we hung out at the main stage, one of 12 stages, to hear the headliner Alan Jackson who started at 9:00pm. Prior to that, we heard Smythium, the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Holly Williams.

Folk art for sale . . .

The annual sand castle sculpture. Fun to see the progress day to day.

As dusk fell over the stage the three ‘jumbo-tron’ type monitors really came alive and gave great viewing of what was happening on stage. Here is one way to keep warm . . .

BUT . . .  as the sun set it was became cold, AGAIN!!! Sitting in lawn chairs, and not moving around, quickly convinced us to put on every stitch of clothing we had brought along for the night. About 9:30pm Kate and Joe showed up (how they found us in the throng of 80,000 people, I’m not sure!)

It was time for Alan and he put on a GREAT show. As all professionals, very polished and tight. He created a new album last year featuring  blue grass music and played many cuts off the album.  Great show . . . and before long we were back in our tents, snug in our sleeping bags.

Supposed to rain tomorrow . . . but then sunny and mid 70’s on Saturday and Sunday . . . we’ll see how goes!