Photos courtesy of Stephanie Walcott
LAUREL HILL — As the sun was setting on April 13, 2023, things were just getting started at the corner of Marston and McFarland Roads deep in the Scotland County countryside. The dulcet twang of banjoes, fiddles, guitars, and mandolins anchored by the low notes of an upright bass drifted through the twilight at the 24th annual opening of the Pickin’ Shed.
People sat in lawn chairs in the grass and chairs and bleachers under the shed to enjoy the toe-tapping, foot-stomping bluegrass music offered by the Red Bluff Ramblers band. Some took advantage of the dance floor and showed off their clogging skills.
Danny Pate, the band’s leader, is also the proprietor of the Pickin’ Shed. He said, “We’re excited to open for the season. We’ll play every Thursday night, rain or shine, at 7 pm from now through mid-October. Everyone is welcome to come out and listen. There’s no charge, but we do pass around the donation jar just to cover the costs of lighting, etc. We also have an open stage- anyone can get up and play music with us.”
As Pate and the band play, his sister Gloria Phillips and sound man Randy Yarborough keep an eye on the crowd as they enjoy the music. According to Phillips, “We’ve never had any trouble out here. It’s a place the older folks feel safe coming out to. Scotia Village even brings out a busload of residents.”
She continued, “This place is such a jewel in the community. A lot of young people come out with their parents and end up taking an interest in the music. Many of them have learned to play instruments here.”
It’s not just our community that enjoys it either. People come from as far away as Greensboro, Sanford, and Cameron to play and/ or enjoy the music. 92-year-old Jimmy Harrington, a 7-time first place buck dancing champion, comes from Sanford, NC almost every week. He says, “I come out as much as I can for the music and the dancing. I been coming all 24 years. There’s a lot of good people here.”
“The Pickin’ Shed is a community effort,” Pate concluded. “We started with just a shed that we moved and reassembled. But over the years, people have helped us add stuff. My friend Bo Frizzell helped with the stage and the dance floor. Some one in Hoke County gave us the bleachers, and Fred Fox donated our first sound equipment. So many other people have contributed too. It makes you feel good to know that people think so much of you and your music. I just want to thank everybody that contributes, especially my staff. We’ll keep doing this as long as the good Lord is willing.”