I went to the town of Floyd this
past weekend for their Friday night Jamboree with my roommate and my good
friend and had a wonderful experience! When we first arrived at the General
Store, we walked up to the sales counter and each paid our $5.00 charge to
enjoy the music. The woman who took our money was very kind and gave us each a
sticker to know that we had paid. The three of us walked around the store looking
at the inventory on the shelves and on the tables. There were a lot of practical
items for cooking and other household uses. There were also huge barrels full
of classic candy such as the delicious Goetze’s caramel candies. After observing almost everything the general store was selling, we walked over to the seats for watching the band. At first, we did not see enough open seats for us so we stood along the side near a room full of work gear such as gloves and Carhartt products. We were invited to join in on the dancing but nervously declined. We stood there for a few songs and soaked in this environment that was different than any of us were used to. We were in awe of the upbeat enthusiasm of the event. I don’t think that any of us could stop from smiling the whole night. Once we decided that we loved the event and we definitely weren’t going to turn around and run out of the store, we decided to take a seat.
The back half of the store was packed tight with simple folding chairs but each of the chairs had a handmade cushion on it. Having the cushions on each of the chairs made it seem even more welcoming. It gave them impression that they were glad that each of us was there and they wanted us to feel welcome. The cushions made it seem as if someone was saying that they wish that it was their home that we were invited to but knew that there was no way that that would be feasible. We sank into our folding chairs and absorbed even more of the event as we sat in silence, talked, and laughed.
One thing that really caught my eye at this point of the night was one of the ladies on the dance floor. She was probably in her mid-twenties and was dancing with her whole heart. Her face was glowing and she looked like she was completely in her element, as if she had started dancing at the Jamboree every weekend as a young girl, just like some of the other young girls on the dance floor. It looked so natural for her and she was incredible confident about her situation, and honestly, I think I was a little bit jealous of her for having grown up in the amazing small town environment that I’ve always wanted.
After watching this lady and everyone else on the dance floor having so much fun, we decided to give it a try. We walked into the crowd of people on the dance floor and joined in. None of us had really danced like that before, but after a little while, we got the hang of it and realized how fun it was! I honestly could not stop smiling; it was such a blast and it was way different from the dancing I had learned to use at homecomings, proms, and college dances. It was carefree and easy enough that anyone could do it but had plenty of room for expertise.
As we were dancing, an older gentleman named Leo danced his way over to us and asked if we would like to dance with him. Leo is a Floyd local who was missing a few teeth and was wearing a hat that was decorated with bird feathers. We accepted his offer and he took my hand above my head and spun me around in circles until I began to get dizzy. He did this for each of us, and then very kindly thanked us for dancing with him as he shook each of our hands.
While the three of us were dancing, many of the people around us would leave or come onto the dance floor in between songs. It came time when we had to go, and we headed off of the dance floor, grabbed our coats, and left the Floyd General Store. I was reluctant to leave because I felt as if I had found a new community to belong to, but I was able to leave having thoroughly enjoyed my evening there and wanting to return again soon.
I really enjoyed being in Floyd for the evening and partially wish that it wasn’t so far away so that I could spend much more of my time there. I’m sure that I will be going back again in the future and getting to know the town a little bit better.
*pictures are not my own and came from floydcountrystore.com
