ON THE ROAD WITH BOB & SHEILA EVERHART
McGregor, Iowa…..”We just finished a terrific weekend performing at the ‘River Junction Jubilee’ in McGregor, Iowa.” chirped Sheila Everhart, the acoustic bass player of the dynamic Smithsonian duo, Bob & Sheila. “McGregor is way up in northeast Iowa, right on the Mississippi River. The Jubilee, which was on for three days, is quite interesting. Bob and I performed in Uncle Sams Saloon, which isn’t really a saloon at all, it’s a very nice restaurant that also sells beer. We had some food there, and it was pretty good, but I’ll bet Bobbie Lhea has something better to talk about food. Anyway, they had a neat little stage in Uncle Sam’s, and a large audience. The backdrop of the stage was like an old opera house curtain, and we had to wear old-time clothing to keep in style with the many participants that wear some pretty incredible costumes. We probably saw more black attired sheriff’s, hombres, doctors, undertakers, and crooks to last a lifetime. The women all wore really long dresses (me and Bobbie Lhea had to do that too) some even had bustles. Do you remember what those were? Bob says how in the world do they sit on those things, but somehow they did.”
“Part of the River Junction Jubilee,” Bob added, “was a whole big bunch of vendors that sell these old costumes and clothing to people who wear them at the many rendezvous that take place in Iowa. Sometimes they are incredibly accurate in their apparel. McGregor is an interesting town, going way back to the mid-1800’s. Tons of history here, and lots of old brick stores on main street. Many of them are antique shops now, and interesting to walk through. Even the famous Ringling Brothers circus folks had a home here, and of course it’s a grand museum. The folks that hired us to perform old time music had arranged a motel room for us, and it was very convenient. We could walk from our room to the performance center without any problems. We were also right on the Mississippi River. I could fire a spit-bomb off the porch and hit the Mississippi.”
“I had a great time in the old town of McGregor,” Bobbie Lhea the 15-year old daughter of Bob & Sheila. “I had to dress up like a pioneer girl. Mom has lots of long dresses and blouses she used to wear at Silver Dollar City in Branson, where her and dad played for a long long time. So, mom’s dresses fit me just right. We had a nice budget lunch at Uncle Sam’s Saloon, but the best part was going out Saturday night to Prairie Du Chien, just across the Mississippi River in Wisconsin. Dad thought we ought to have at least one good meal, so we ate at Huckleberry’s Restaurant and Steakhouse. It was Saturday night, and the special was slow roasted prime rib. It was so tender we could cut it with a fork, and really yummy good. We really enjoyed our meal at Huckleberry’s, and I promise, if ever get to Prairie Du Chien, please stop for a visit.”
“We’re all geared up for SpringFest,” Sheila said, “with the incredibly gifted performers we have coming, it’s going to be a fun time for everyone, so Bob, and Bobbie Lhea, and I invite everyone to come see for yourself. We have a great time, and you will too.”