Playing at the Flea Market! This is something we have long wanted to do, and have finally gotten into a habit of doing this summer! Most Saturdays you can find us at the market from 6:00am-Noon, doing this:
We've never been able to have the entire group out there at once; three of us go out
every time, and other members join us as they are able. We set up the tent and table in the crisp morning air, warm up our fingers (as best we are able!) and play away the morning.
Whoever isn't playing passes out tracts and talks with the people who stop by. Sometimes we have a crowd standing around listening; other times folks just give us a smile and walk on by, but we try to get a tract into their hands too. Today I got to have a good conversation with a lady and her young daughter about spiritual matters, which was wonderful! I believe the lady was not saved, so please pray for her. Please pray for
all the folks we talk to!
This picture is from one week ago: (Notice our "new player"? Eugene's sister joins us at the Market, and plays the guitar nicely.)
And this is what we did today: (We're so glad you were able to come play, Ryan, Brandon, and Aaron! [And that your mom could come help pass out tracts and sing.:)])
Of course, working at the Flea Market, we meet all sorts of people. Many people ask for our contact info, or ask if we have made a CD they can get. (We're working on that one!) Last week we met some ladies who asked us to play for a party being held that very night! Though it was last-minute, we obliged, and had a lot of fun playing and singing there:
Heather, our "manager," managed to get some personal photos of several players. She wanted to get one of everybody, but the camera batteries died. :)
Eugene:
Ryan: (Yes, we get excited about our music!)
Curtis: (Wow - he's pickin'
and grinnin'!...Inside joke. )
Last week, we played at the market for 6 hours, then went to the party and played 2 hours more. This week, we played for 6 hours at the market, then went to a fund-raiser event that we had been told would have a bluegrass group there. We got to relax for awhile and listen to music without playing it!
But it just so happened that the group playing up front (The Little Mountain Boys) spotted me singing along quietly as we sat on the front row. They called out and asked if I wanted to come up there and sing with them. Our parents called out that I fiddled too, and that the whole group of young people sitting in the front row was another bluegrass group.
Before we knew it, we had been sent to fetch our instruments and invited to jump up on "stage!"
(The ladder was a make-shift microphone stand)
(Singing and playing along was such fun!)
(I was proud of how well all the fellas in our group played - even on songs we didn't know!) 
(We got to sing, too!) 
(Don't let the serious expression fool you. Aaron is quite capable of hamming it up even in front of large audiences, as we found out. We love your spunk, Aaron!) Playing for large groups like that is fun, but this is the real reason we do what we do:
A chance to attract people to the gospel. A chance to talk with them. A chance to witness.
Playing strings for the King of kings.
We are the
King's Strings.
Our recent group picture August 2009
The mandolin players: Justin & Aaron posing with Ben the banjo player behind them. 
Eugene with his banjo & Ryan with his guitar
Elizabeth, Brandon, & Amber practicing their fiddling.
