By Harley Nefe
Woodlands Barbeque Restaurant in Blowing Rock was filled with sounds that left attendees tapping their feet to the tunes of a performance from the old-time string band The Corklickers on the evening of June 6.
The Corklickers made an appearance from 4 to 6 p.m. as part of a special event for former High Country resident Julian Monroe Fisher who returned to Blowing Rock for the day to reunite with familiar faces.
The Corklickers play old-time music from the 1920s-1930s, and the band started in 1976. Fisher was an original member of the band along with brothers Mark and Gil Adams who hadn’t seen Fisher in 40 years before the reunion.
“Mark and I met Monroe Fisher when his parents had the Beech Haus Restaurant at the bottom of Beech Mountain,” Gil Adams said. “So, seeing him again was really good.”
Fisher agreed and said, “After 40 years, it was such a great honor to join Gil and Mark Adams and all The Corklickers, friends and fans for the Woodlands reunion.”
The event gave folks the opportunity to reminisce about shared memories and tell tales of latest adventures.
“It was as though we all had travelled back in time to those days of our youth,” Fisher said.
“It was something,” Gil Adams added. “We all had a great time, and it was really a heck of an event at Woodlands. (The Corklickers) used to go up there when it was Grubstake and play on a weekly basis. That was really something to go there, and now it’s Woodlands.”
The Corklickers, whose members are from east Tennessee and western North Carolina, are enjoying their 45th year performing. Over the years, there has been an evolution with other members joining and some leaving.
The members of the band who were at the special reunion event included: Gil Adams (fiddle), Mark Adams (banjo), Ben Moore (guitar), Rick Moore (bass), Rick Palmer (fiddle) and David Burns (fiddle).
However, there were also some unexpected players who joined in on the performance as well including Andy Wallach who played the bass. He played with The Corklickers in the early years of the band, but has since been living in Arizona.
“Just to see him, that was incredible,” Gil Adams said.
Overall, the evening was a success and full of smiling faces and music that entertained the crowd.
Fisher gave thanks to Gina, Butch and Jimmy and the entire staff at Woodlands for hosting the event.
“It was a lot of fun,” Gil Adams said. “I’m glad we were able to get together and do it.”
Look for more of The Corklickers’ performances this coming summer including three outdoor events at the Grandfather Vineyard & Winery on July 3, Aug. 7 and Oct. 2 from 2-5 p.m.
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