On Sale: Nine Pound Hammers

January 31, 2014 6:51 AM

Founded in 1900, Beck & Benedict Hardware Store in Waynesboro, PA, has been hosting Friday night bluegrass jams since 1989. Now in their 25th year, the sessions are open to listeners and pickers alike.
posted by stinkfoot (4 comments total)

I actually lived there for a semester while I was going to the nearby Penn State Campus many years ago. Haven't been back since the early eighties, might be fun to trek down the turnpike to check this out.
posted by octothorpe at 8:29 AM on January 31, 2014

That hammer is a little too heavy, but it reminds me of this tradition happening at lots of other locations throughout the Appalachians and Piedmont, such as the
E.H. Montgomery General Store near me in Gold Hill, NC, or the Bynum General Store south of Chapel Hill. Virginia's Crooked Road Music Trail website can help folks find similar events all over SW Virginia.
posted by pappy at 8:41 AM on January 31, 2014 [3 favorites]

Love it. Just wanted to note that generally, the "listeners" are referred to as grinners.

Source: A long time grinner who's recently started learning to be a picker.
posted by Arbac at 10:13 AM on January 31, 2014

This is great. I'd never heard of the store of the jams, but I live only about 45 minutes away. The first free Friday night I have, I'm headed to Waynesboro, PA!
posted by imjustsaying at 1:17 PM on January 31, 2014 [1 favorite]