The most moving experience came with the last group, Jerusalem Ridge. I don’t think the group had planned to play that night. My guess is that phone calls were made and they agreed to come at the last minute. The group has Ramey’s daughter-in-law and two grandchildren in it. Their appearance became even more dramatic when we learned after the program that Ramey died on the day of his son’s funeral following his suicide. This was the first time the family had made a public appearance since all this happened.
Last year, the music went on until nearly 1:00 a.m. This year, the program ended at 10:00 p.m. Everyone seemed exhausted and relieved to be going home. We left knowing that we had witnessed a rare community event.