Strollers rock the farmgrounds in Budgeford

Post date: Jun 25, 2012 9:29:35 AM

By Rubellita Brandybuck  It was a lovely, sunny day on June 24th, ideal weather for an outdoor performance by the famous Songburrow Strollers. Therefore many hobbits, a couple of dwarfs and even some vertically challenged tall folk (How often a day would they bump their heads on average?) made their way to Budgeford that day. Master Milo Bolger had heard of the grand succes of the concert at Bamfurlong and had invited the Strollers to his own farm.Before the music began, visitors were treated to the famous Budgeford sausages, skillfully roasted over a campfire. That surely stopped the few complains about muddy underground and farm-associated smells!

The bells struck eight and the Strollers were supposed to start playing. But where were they? Out of nowhere they appeared on the roof of the farm and started to ignite fizzers and other fireworks. Immediately the attention of the audience was grasped, although some must have thought (as I did) that the Strollers were going to play everything backwards, as they usually finish with the fireworksshow. But no, after they'd decended from the rooftop, Master Simbo welcomed the audience and introduced the musicians. And then the fun began!

Many old favourites were played, dancetunes that all know so very well and that make you dance, whether you want it or not. Lovely songs were played too, most of them sung by Miss Lina Willowwood, but Master Simbo also showed his vocal talents to the audience. The audience that grew more and more excited sang along with the lines of the choruses. Did I mention there were four Songburrow Strollers? The others were Miss Rowana and Miss Sevelda. They had played quite a few tunes already as a foursome, when, cheered on by all, two more musicians added themselves to the group. They were Miss Bootsy and Miss Lully. The six of them continued to play until the sun rose above the farm again!It was near the end of the concert now. But the audience did not want the Strollers to stop playing and requested more being played, over and over again. So they played more, as they know how to please an audience like no other. They had the gathered crowd do the famous Bywater Bounce Dance. Hard to do on a rather soggy and sloping ground, but all gave their best performance as did the Strollers themselves. The final tune was ofcourse the song "Home, sweet home". And then an even bigger fireworks show followed. Some members of the audience jumped in and assisted with their own fireworks to create blasts and sparkles that were heard and seen all the way to Stock and perhaps, yes, perhaps even Farmer Maggot has seen them!

Saying goodbye and leaving for home is never easy after such a fine concert, but after the Budgeford concert it was almost impossible. But this time it was due to extreme muddiness of the roads and field surrounding Milo's farm. Many feet of hobbits and ponies were stuck in a mud that threatened to keep you there for ever! Even a sturdy goat had trouble freeing itself. Many a hobbit fainted after a long struggle to get free. But when they regained consiousness they miraculously were free from the mud! Then they got planks and straw from the farm and soon all were relieved and on their way home.The Songburrow Strollers, what a magnificent band they are! No wonder they've won an illustrious price, the Lonely Mountain Cup, at this years Weatherstock Festival. But that is an entirely different story. Fact is, our Strollers can hold up with the best of the rest and it is their dedication to their music that makes their success so well deserved.

We are all looking forward to the next in the series of Shire farm concerts. Luckily the Shire has many farms!

Thank you all very much for a grand concert, Songburrow Strollers!

Even Milo's livestock had a wonderful time!