A Farewell Reunion for Jack’s Pickin’ Parlor

This past Sunday I was privileged to attend the Farewell Reunion of Jack’s Pickin’ Parlor at the Belton Depot in Belton, South Carolina. For fifteen years Jack Ellenburg provided a place for musicians to gather and share Bluegrass, Gospel, and other tunes in a free, family-friendly environment. The Pickin’ Parlor closed in 2014, but its legacy remains strong in the musician community of the Upstate. Sunday’s event was a chance for those that loved the Parlor to gather once again and share music and stories.

I’d heard Jack’s name through friends at the Pickens Flea Market, but we didn’t meet until 2018 at the musician’s circle at the market.

I suspected that Jack and I were related. There is a branch of my Ellenberg family that spelled their name “Ellenburg”, and that branch moved to the Pickens area. When we met we confirmed that our great-grandparents were siblings, making us 3rd cousins. That’s close enough to call kin in the South.

I met Jack too late to participate in the Pickin’ Parlor, but in the few years that I’ve known him he’s become a mentor and a good friend. He’s taught me many things about banjo maintenance and inspired me to learn lots of new songs. So when Jack said that they were doing a reunion event and that he wanted me to participate, I jumped at the chance.

First a bit of history about the Pickin’ Parlor…

Jack started hosting jam sessions at the Belton Depot and at the Pickens Flea Market. The early flea market jams were held under a wooden shed that now houses tractors and other gear for the market. The current musician’s shed is next to the original spot.

Jack opened his Pickin’s Parlor in 1999 “at the intersection of 20-29 Connector just north of the Jockey Lot in a block building painted like a log cabin.” According to Jack…

The purpose of my opening the Picking Parlor stems from a childhood dream. When I was 11 years old I got my first guitar and had no one to play with. It was then I promised myself, if I were to ever get enough money and have enough time I would open a place for everyday people to play. That dream came true with the opening of the parlor.

The Parlor was open twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. According to Jack’s count, they put on 1540 free shows in the sixteen years that the Parlor was open. That’s a lot of music and a lot of memories. Jack also played with the Grass Roots Bluegrass Band. After 16 years of running the show, Jack just finally ran out of energy to keep up with the venue, and decided to close the Pickin’ Parlor.

And now we find ourselves 10 years later…

I arrived early for the Sunday afternoon event. I came prepared with my banjo, guitar, melodica, special jamming chair, and an array of cameras. I’m always torn between participation and documentation at these events. I can’t do both. Jack asked if I would be willing to take photos, so the first part of my time there was documentation.

Upon arrival I was given a ticket for a prize drawing.

The prizes included a poster, cash, and the grand prize was a Yamaha guitar.

I was directed over to a spot where I had my photo taken under a Jack’s Pickin’ Parlor sign.

All visitors had their picture taken under the sign. Barbara Padgett and I traded duties taking photos of the visitors. Many of them wanted their photos taken with Jack. There were lots of hugs all around.

I don’t dare post them all here, but most of the photos can be found on the Facebook page linked above.

Along one side of the venue were tables set up with scrapbooks and refreshments.

Jack wanted this event to be as much like the an experience at the Pickin’ Parlor as possible. Several groups were scheduled to play throughout the afternoon, but he also wanted informal jamming on the deck outside of the depot. At 2:00 Jack got up to start the event and introduce the first group. The Epps Family Gospel Singers were the first ones up on stage.

While the groups were playing on stage there were a few clusters jamming on the depot deck. Most of these were groups that would be playing a bit later, but I did grab my banjo and join in for a bit.

Two other Bluegrass groups took the stage during the afternoon. Each did about an hour set. Jack joined in to sing a couple of songs.

My friends Ivan, Dan, and Doreen from the Pickens Flea Market were there, Jack called Ivan up to play a song, then called me up to accompany him. We did Red River Valley.

After I played I had a fiddler come up to me and ask if I would join him on a couple of old-time fiddle tunes. We practiced a bit on the deck, then I joined him on stage.

The last group to play had the cutest young fiddler ever. She stole the show.

At 5:00 pm Jack did the drawing for the prizes.

At the very end all of the musicians gathered on and around the stage for a final few songs. I had to rely on others for photos because I was busy playing banjo and melodica.

The event was a resounding success. Even though I wasn’t able to participate in the original Pickin’ Parlor, I feel like I got to be a small part of it. I hope that they don’t wait another 10 years before having another reunion. In the meantime, I’ll keep playing with Jack and my friends at the Pickens Flea Market.