Loachapoka became a regular weekend stop last fall when Fred’s Feed and Seed and Pickin’ Parlor redefined venue genre boundaries, bringing in bluegrass, jazz, reggae, old-time, new age, classical and even Celtic artists to the Lee County.

Now the town boasts a new collective, seeking to revive the traditions of old-time and teach more about the traditions of our rural ancestors.
The Whistle Stop Pickers debuted last Friday evening at the Museum of East Alabama in Opelika.

Composed of 11 dulcimer players and a single guitarist, the group strung without a set list, getting down with crowd favorites such as “You are my Sunshine,” “Cotton Mill Girls” and “Old Susana.”

The jam-fest was in conjunction with the museum’s 20th anniversary and the city’s “Opelika Summer Celebration,” which also featured music by DJ Ozz, balloon hats, T-shirt screen printing, pony rides and more.

The Whistle Stop pickers started building the group a year ago as a dulcimer club and boast as many as 16 participants, though some of the members have only been playing with the collective for as little as three weeks.

Two members had been in a similar club in Montgomery and decided to bring the shared music experience a little closer to home, said guitarist Bob Taunton of Sweet Fern Old-Time Music, a company that brings workshops, lessons and live performances to the area.

The group has roots with the Lee County Historical Society, using their museum in Loachapoka to practice Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

And not unlike the collective working out of Fred’s on the 1st and 3rd Thursday night of every month, all are welcome to join in the music making.

“It is always fun and a great way to fellowship,” said Rose Taunton, seasoned dulcimer player. “There are good instructions, so you can start from scratch and learn.”

Because the group is primarily mountain dulcimers, audience members can watch nearly a dozen hands move in the exact same manner-an interesting sensation when the work seems largely collaborative and impromptu.

Still, the collective is open to any and all string players with an affinity for old-time mountain music, folk or gospel.

The group doesn’t have another gig until Loachapoka’s “Syrup Sopping Festival” in the fall, but have already begun planning “Lee County Gathering,” a three-day old-time music festival in April of next year which will feature lessons in banjo, guitar, mountain dulcimer, hammer dulcimer, base, mandolin, fiddle, storytelling, sharp note singing and contra dance as well as an ice-cream social.

Joe Collins, world champion dulcimer, will be one among many guest artists.

“Our interest is in preserving old-time music and mountain music,” concluded Bob Taunton. “It is just too good to be lost.”

For more details about the Whistle Stop Pickers, call Bob Taunton at (334) 283-3045. For more information about the upcoming festival, visit leecountygathering.com.

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Audience Reaction:

"They sound authentic and puts me in a pickin' and grinnin' mood." - Jim Taylor