Of Bridgefest, and Lillian
June 20, 2010Dan No Comments »Ah, well this past weekend welcomed Bridgefest to the Copper Country. Now bridgefest, for those not in the know, is the local celebration in Houghton and Hancock, MI dedicated to the liftbridge that unites the two towns over the Portage Canal. It is supposedly the heaviest double-decker liftbridge in the world, and with that title the title of heaviest bridge per foot of span. But I digress.
Bridgefest is a top-notch small town celebration. There’s a huge parade Friday evening, live music (and some tasty brews) all Friday evening and carrying on through Saturday. It’s held in conjunction with the Houghton Rotary’s Seafoodfest, bringing some great tastes into the mix. Mostly I hang around for the live music. A lot of local and smaller groups, but a lot of talented performers nonetheless.
One such talented performer is Hannah Bethel, a local girl from Chassell, MI who is currently trying to make it big down in Nashville. She has been playing at Bridgefest for as long as I can remember and is very talented. One cover she played yesterday was of an Emmylou Harris song called Red Dirt Girl. Normally I’m not one for too much country music, but the lyrics struck me quite a bit. Lyrics from my favorite verse:
She loved her brother I remember back when
He was fixin up a ’49 Indian
He told her “Little sister, gonna ride the wind
Up around the moon and back again”
He never got farther than Vietnam,
I was standin there with her when the telegram come
For Lillian.
Now he’s lyin somewhere about a million miles from Meridian.
It’s a sad song. I’d encourage you to check it out.
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