Dinner at Cowan Creek Mountain Music School

Dinner on the Grounds at Cowan Community Center

This past week, Cowan Community Center hosted its eleventh annual Cowan Creek Mountain Music School, drawing participants from as far away as Utah, Maine, and Chicago to learn traditional mountain music.  One of the evenings, the Grow Appalachia program joined the festivities providing dinner, serving a meal made of garden-grown vegetables and traditional local food.  Music school participants and Grow Appalachia gardeners alike enjoyed the delicious meal.  A basket for donations for the dinner was set out at the dinner, and $200 was donated for mountain music school.  This money will provide a "Grow Appalachia Scholarship" for one student next year at the music school.  Music school participants sang for their supper, providing the music for the following square dance which was enjoyed by all.

Part of the entertainment for the evening included a walking path around the community center, lined with the rain barrels that Grow Appalachia participants painted the week before.  Strolling through the woods it was a pleasant evening to admire the artistry and talent of our gardeners!  The water barrels are literally pieces of artwork: art at work.

We were lucky to be joined by David Cooke, Grow Appalachia director from Berea College, for this wonderful evening, and everybody was excited to see the man who made it all happen.  Just as Three Sisters Gardening grows corn, beans, and squash in perfect harmony, music, food, and community came together that night for peace, love and happiness.

David Cooke (Grow Appalachia Director, Berea College), Carol Ison (Director of Cowan Community Action Group), Nell Fields (President of Cowan Community Action Group), and Valerie Horn (Grow Appalachia Coordinator for the Cowan Community Center) make a short presentation before dinner is served.  David was presented with a handmade quilt, tacked by our very own gardener Hazel Rayburn, and canned vegetables and fruit from Becky Collins.

A water barrel on the walking path, painted by Lydia Thurman.

The beautiful spread: chicken and dumplings, made by Carol Ison.

Rondall and Sharon Meade, Grow Appalachia gardeners, enjoy the company and food. 

Everybody is excited or a delicious meal.

Swing your partner 'round and 'round!