Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2015 - 50

down, a big one. I hate to
leave the poor fellow dying
in the street on a hot day,
but I had my back to
consider.
"Why can't the damn
Yankees shoot us a little
one," Angela fumes.
Finally, we spot a short
Confederate lying on his
face in the middle of the
street. He is making horrible
gasping sounds, but he
smiles at us when we turn
him over. We don't smile.
He is carrying a lot of extra
weight in front we didn't
count on. We ease him
onto the stretcher. We
almost make it to the
horse-drawn ambulance on
the corner when we hear a
crack and the stretcher
shatters.
Our casualty is a casualty
once again. We roll
him to the side of the street
and put his hat over his
face.
"I'd keep better if you
give me some ice," the dead
man says.
I put a few chips under
his hat.
"Thankee," he says.
The dead man settles in
for a nap.
WHERE TO EAT AND
SLEEP?
The Historic General Lewis Inn,
of course, because it overlooked
the Battle of Lewisburg and
took minie balls in its backyard.
The dining room's hot cornbread,
biscuits, and sumptuous
entrees wouldn't have been out
of place either.
General Lewis Inn, 301 E.
Washington St., Lewisburg
(304) 645-2600; generallewisinn.com
-Su
Clauson-Wicker
50 | BlueRidgeCountry.com
HOW I GOT TO
CARNEGIE HALL
I've danced on the stage of
Carnegie Hall, at age 60.
Did it take outstanding
talent, incredible fitness,
and intense training -
practice, practice, practice?
Nope. Only a bit of nerve.
Actually anyone can
dance on the oak floor of
Carnegie's stage ... at
Carnegie Hall in
Lewisburg, West Virginia,
that is, on the third
Thursdays. The stage of
West Virginia's Carnegie
Hall is open to folks willing
to do-si-do and swing a
partner on traditional
mountain dancing nights.
Yes, there's an audience,
but on some evenings the
number of people sitting in
the auditorium is only
slightly larger than the
group whooping and kicking
on the stage.
"It's hard to be awful at
square dancing," says
Dave, one of the locals
milling around the
Carnegie before Sugar Run
band pick up their fiddles
and guitars. He said this
before I allemand-ed right
instead of left, before I
bumped him do-si-doing
and almost tumbled.
Temporary confusion is a
part of every dance, I
notice, and with the direction
of caller Eugene
Ratcliffe and the dancers in
my circle, I get better at
figuring out where to step
and when. Soon I am "diving
for the oyster, digging
for the clam," and "winding
the clock" with the rest
of them.
"It's a good brain exercise,"
says Lois, a whitehaired
member of my
circle.
Though Greenbrier
County's venerable
Carnegie Hall hosts such
high-brow events as symphonies,
ballets, art recepDancing
on the stage of
Carnegie Hall is doable. Just
listen to your caller.
tions and piano concerts,
on this night, dancers were
kicking off (literally) the
creation of West Virginia's
brand new Mountain
Music Trail. The driving
trail, modeled after
Virginia's Crooked Road,
includes dance halls, cafes
and other venues for traditional
music along U.S.
Route 219.
But only in Lewisburg
do you get to dance on the
stage of Carnegie Hall. If
that's on your bucket list,
note that Carnegie Hall
square dances take place on
the third Thursdays in
September, November,
February, April, June and
July. Callers from around
the region are there to
assist dancers of all skill
levels.
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Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2015

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