Written by Dan
We pulled into Coolbreeze RV Park just before 1 pm and got ourselves checked in. To our surprise, most of the group (20 Airstreams) were already there. We found a nice pull-through site and set up our rig. We spent the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the beautiful fall day. The sun was warm, but as the campground's name promised, the breeze was cool and enjoyable. The campground sits at 2,610 feet above sea level, which explains the slightly cooler temperatures. The daytime high reached 82°F, and the nighttime low dropped to 56°F, which made it very comfortable for sleeping.
Around 4 pm, we had a welcome meet-and-greet with our caravan hosts and the group, where they explained the itinerary and answered any questions. Most of our group are seasoned Airstreamers, with only a few of us on our first Caravan.
That evening, Heather and I headed out for the 30-minute drive to Fries (pronounced "freeze") and the historic Fries Theatre, home of the Thursday Night Music Jams. Local townspeople get together and jam.
Just down the street from the theatre, the road drops to the New River. The sign on the left marks the New River Trail State Park.
A Little History: Fries and the Theatre
Fries is a small town on the New River in Grayson County, and it began as a mill. In 1900, a local man named Jim "Pipe" Carico suggested Bartlett Falls on the New River as the site for a hydroelectric dam that could power a cotton mill. North Carolina mill owner Colonel Francis Henry Fries bought the surrounding farmland and built a dam, a mill and an entire company-owned town: around 300 houses, a post office, a church and a company store, wedged into the hillside before the Washington Mill started up in February 1903. The town was incorporated in 1902 and took the colonel's name. The mill kept running until 1989, when it closed with 1,700 people on the payroll.
The mill company looked after its workers' free time, too. A community center called the Lyceum, with reading rooms and a skating rink, went up in 1910. In 1923 it was renovated and reorganized as a YMCA, with a gymnasium and a movie theater. In 1948 a new lobby, bowling alley, kitchen and dining area, library and game rooms were added, along with a swimming pool out front facing the river. Today that building is the Fries Recreation Center, and it's home to the town library and the Historic Fries Theatre, a volunteer-run cultural center and music venue dedicated to preserving and promoting the traditional music of the Blue Ridge. It's an affiliated venue on the Crooked Road, and the Crooked Road's listing says the Thursday Night Old-Time Jam is led by 2018 NEA National Heritage Fellow Eddie Bond.
Fries has a place in country music history, too. Henry Whitter, who was born near Fries and worked in the Washington Mill, became one of the first musicians to make commercial country recordings. His first session, in December 1923, produced "Wreck on the Southern Old 97," released in January 1924. Vernon Dalhart's recording of the same song, paired with "The Prisoner's Song," became country music's first million-selling record that year.
The Historic Fries Theatre at dusk, with its neon sign lit.
Back in Time
The second we entered the theatre, it felt like we had gone back 50 years (a good thing). The theatre was mostly open, with some seating in the back, and at the front, a large group of chairs sat in a circle where the local musicians sat and prepared their instruments for the evening.
The locals were friendly, welcoming, and very accommodating. A few minutes after 7 pm, the music began, and almost immediately, many locals got up to dance in the space around the musicians. I think it was mostly the Tennessee two-step, but I couldn't tell for sure. There was also a cakewalk. I had no idea what that was; more on that from Heather in another post, and I guarantee it will be a humorous read.
The evening was full of bluegrass music and dancing, and the time flew by. Before I knew it, it was time to head home, take care of the dogs, and settle in for the night.