The big question today, Friday, May 16, was whether to cancel The Rosine Barn Jamboree or not.
This type situation at the barn is always pertinent to me, but this time it was a little more so because my brother Kevin and I were scheduled to perform at 8:00.
Of course, everyone was watching weather forecasts and radar on their phones and tv’s all day.
Around 1pm there was a short, text-thread discussion among The Rosine Association (TRA) board members. Most folks were okay either way. Some wanted to wait and see.
In the end, no one moved to cancel, so the show was on!
As the evening drew near, radar forecasts seem to show the worst weather missing Rosine. I was glad for I was eager for the Autry Brothers to be on stage.
The crowd was expectedly smaller than usual as folks worried about the storms decided to stay home and not chance it. Can’t blame anyone for that, right?
(pic from cousin Sheila’s iPhone)
We kicked our set off on time. The crowd was responsive. Our voices seemed to blend well. I believe we finished four songs, and this happened.
(from the Weather Channel)
A tornado warning was issued for Horse Branch a few miles up the road. Needless to say, we stopped the show and evacuated.
My house sits right next to the barn, and it has a basement, so some friends and family came next door.
A kind lady from Wisconsin came with us because she had nowhere to go. A couple friends from Indiana, Donald and his son Silver, came to the house as well.
The house was full, so Kevin and I just continued our set right there in the living room.
In the end Horse Branch wasn’t hit by a tornado. In Rosine we had a downpour, and it passed fairly quickly. In other words it was a false alarm.
It was not a false alarm in other Kentucky towns, especially Somerset and London. Nine people lost their lives there, and more were injured. Homes were lost, too.
Although the Autry Brothers didn’t finish their set, evacuating was without a doubt the correct thing to do. Much, much better to be safe than sorry. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to play again this year.
Is it frustrating? Perhaps a little. We did spend three evenings practicing this week.
One way of looking on the bright side of things is to be thankful for those three evenings together with my brother. Instead of seeing it as wasted time, I should see it as time gained.
Another positive is to realize that since we only played four songs we can use most of the set list when we play again in the fall.
And the most positive thing of all—we’re alive.
Our time on earth is precious and fleeting. After today, I’m going to focus on that.
Let us pray for the folks who weren’t so fortunate May 16, 2025.