Which came first?

This past weekend I was lucky enough to attend the AL Chicken and Egg Festival in Moulton. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of spending a lot of time in Moulton let me set the stage for you. Moulton is the county seat of Lawrence County (AL). Though it has a population of only about 3000, it really is the big town in Lawrence County. Furthermore, seeing as how the poultry industry is so important to Lawrence County's economy, the Chicken and Egg Festival seems like a natural fit. Personally I just love those hokey small town festivals, so I've been meaning to go check it out for a few years. This year, though, they had the cherry on top that got me over the hump and actually drew me to Moulton on Saturday.

Yes as with most all these festivals, they have entertainment -- almost always acts that are "past their primes", but entertainment none the less. Well this year the headliner at the AL Chicken and Egg Festival was none other than the Pure Prairie League! [Hit song was Amie. Trust me; you know it. Check it out on Amazon or iTunes if you don't believe me.] Now when I was a teen I was a HUGE Pure Prairie League fan. Even though they were "past their prime" even then, I just couldn't get enough of them. Hence, when I saw they were coming to Moulton, well I knew I had to go. Oh, and the best part ... One of my students works for a bank that was a C&E sponsor so she had free tickets to give away. Saved me $2!

The festival itself was kind of a letdown. Partly, though, that was my fault. Seeing as how I wanted to see the PPL and they didn't start until 8:30, well I saw no reason to go to Moulton earlier than 5:00 or so. Waiting that late, though, meant that I missed the chicken clucking contest, the egg toss competition, and the Colonel Sanders look alike contest. See, stuff like that is what I most enjoy about these festivals. Without that it's just a grassy field populated with vendors selling overpriced funnel cakes. Regardless, I made my choice because I really did want to see the PPL.

I fully expected them to be a little older and slower -- and they were. I didn't, however, expect them to have such a sense of humor about their situation. At least two of the current members are holdovers from their "glory days" and they realized just how far they've fallen since the time of Amie. Heck, even in the mid-80s I saw them play a sold-out show with Poco at the TN Performing Arts Center in Nashville. Now they're playing the C&E Festival in Moulton, AL in front of a crowd of maybe 500?!?! They made lots of self-deprecating remarks that showed they understood they were not superstars, but they seemed to appreciate that someone still was willing to pay them to make music. The funniest thing -- I really enjoyed their set. They had good rapport with the crowd, they took turns on vocals and no one tried to hit the long high notes, their playing was good, and they sang all the most important songs -- including my personal favorite, "I'll Change Your Flat Tire, Merle" (a sort of tribute to Merle Haggard).

All-in-all, I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Two things, though, made me realize just what a small world it is. [Well 2 things other than the fact that my absolute favorite Southern rock band from my teen years ends up playing a chicken and egg festival 25 miles from my house.] First, though I figured I was the only legitimate PPL fan in the crowd, I was proven wrong. Some woman behind me kept yelling out requests for some "deep cuts." Wow. Second, one of the band members had a bum shoulder so he wasn't able to play the bass. Instead they called upon one of their buddies to fill in. Know where they got the sub? From Poco -- the band I saw them with at TPAC in the mid-80s. Actually the Poco connection is even funnier, but I don't have time to go into the full story right now. Let me just say it freaked me out to see the PPL and Poco still linked together 20+ years after that show in Nashville.

Regardless, I deem the AL Chicken and Egg Festival a success and I hope to return next year. I will, though, make sure I'm there for the clucking contest next time! Anyone who wants to go with me should get in his/her reservation now. I'm sure space will be at a premium!