Shine on: The Moonshiners Reunion

The Moonshiners Reunion is a hotspot of local music, tradition and culture.

Up in the dark corners of South Carolina, there are still dirt-road legends of liquor hauling and bootlegging, possum tales and banjo tunes. And, every so often out in the deep of the woods, large crowds of people gather around a white-lightning still to listen to music and have a good time. But there’s no need to worry about the county sherriff coming down and busting things up. I’m talking about the Moonshiners Reunion.

Now in its 16th year, the annual shindig takes place at the Plum Hollow Farm in Campobello (in northern Spartanburg County) on the first weekend of October. Hosted by Barney Barnwell and the Plum Hollow Band, festival-goers are guaranteed to hear everything from old-timey bluegrass to psychedelic, hillbilly-style rock ‘n’ roll. A family-friendly event during the day, the Reunion can get a little rowdy as the dark of evening sets in — but in a good way.

It’s a tent city filled with music lovers (often with well-over 2,000 campers), and overlooking the grounds the campfires seem like a thousand points of light (well, maybe a few hundred). And around most of those fires, you’ll be sure find spontaneous acoustic jam sessions. At its heart, the festival is a reminder of a still-vibrant part of Southern culture that often goes overlooked.

Barney Barnwell and his possum, George Jones. Barnwell was recently diagnosed with throat cancer, and George has since "passed on to that big interstate in the sky."

And if that culture has an icon, it’s Barney Barnwell, the Plum Hollow Band’s fiddle-playing, overall-clad frontman, who always seems to have a harrowing story to tell — sometimes even with his pet possum, George Jones, on his shoulder. On stage, his charisma only increases, infusing bluegrass tunes with Southern-rock vitality and a disarming humor. His backwoods charm and moonshiner-style even helped get him cast as the star of A Tale About Bootlegging, and independent film slated to debut later this month at the Cinema City International Film Festival in Los Angeles.

In many ways, Barnwell is the Moonshiners Reunion.

Recently, however, Barnwell and his family have fallen on hard times. Both his crowd-pleasing possum sidekick George and his pet deer, Willard — both of whom co-starred in his lighthearted documentary How to Make Moonshine — died not long ago. Although greatly unfortunate, both their deaths anticipated a far more worrying piece of news.

“A few months back I was diagnosed with throat cancer,” Barnwell wrote on his band’s MySpace blog earlier this month. “I was headstrong at first. I tried to keep it hid from everybody and was determined to get through it some how on my own, without anyone finding out. Then reality struck of the seriousness of what I had.”

But even the grim specter of cancer isn’t able to take Barnwell’s sense of humor from him.

“Suddenly, I thought about all I had done for the past forty years — telling the stories, fronting the shows, writing the songs, singing and recording the songs while sawing the fiddle, and here recently starting to break into the film industry. Then … cancer strikes, and all of those thoughts came crashing to an end, but proving once again that there’s never a shortage in my life when it comes to taking on another nonpaying occupation.”

A few weeks ago, Barnwell was back in the hospital due to an infection in his bloodstream and staph infection. His condition has caused the Plum Hollow Band’s future tour dates to be canceled or put on hold. Not surprisingly, some have wondered about the fate of this year’s Reunion.

But, ever-loyal to the community that has supported the event, Barnwell is adamant about keeping the Reunion going — even in the face of rising medical bills and no band income. “The lights might be cut off at the house,” Barnwell wrote, “but they will be on at the stage!”

And, in spite of weakness from his radiation and chemotherapy treatments, Barnwell promises a performance by the Plum Hollow Band, although he notes “You just may have to settle for a few “Whispering Bill Anderson” songs, but I will do my best.”

The festival will still go on as scheduled, as there are many responsible and enthusiastic people that work to make it a success each year. If anything, this tragic circumstance will rally them. Barnwell, as they well know, is a survivor, and his passion for living seems to rise above everything else.

Barnwell’s wife Debbie has not left his side throughout this ordeal, continuing to run the business aspects and organization of the festival, the farm and the band while also running her own printing business with her daughter. It’s a full-time job to keep the 50-acre Plum Hollow Farm’s projects running. The farm has been a Southern-culture-and-music hotspot for years, having hosted the Plum Hollow Alternative Bluegrass Festival since 1976. Starting with little more than a stage in the woods, the grounds now include bath and shower houses, buildings for concessions and merchandise, and a well-equipped recording studio.

When the Barnwells aren’t busy planning festivals, they tour the southeast in their 30-foot, early ’70′s “Buffalo”-style bus, playing for colleges, selective venues and other festivals — as well as the occasional corporate or private functions.

The Plum Hollow Band in performance, their"Buffalo"-style touring bus.

The group has had it’s share of notable performances, including a gig at the premiere of The Dukes of Hazzard film. The band even found themselve on the society page of the New York Post in 2003 after playing a benefit for the Audubon Society at the Kimberlin Nature Education Center in Greenwich, Conn.

It was hardly the only gig the Plum Hollow Band has played for charity. Over the years, Barney and Debbie have helped raised donations for many various charities and organizations, ranging from local causes to raising large amounts for the Katrina and 9/11 disasters. It’s only fitting that, in their hour of need, these charitable souls get a little something back, so the Barnwells have set up a fund to help offset Barney’s medical expenses.

For the friends and fans of this true entertainer, musician, festival host and kindred spirit, giving a little back is the very least they can do.

The 16th Annual Moonshiners Reunion takes place Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3 and 4. Tickets are $25 per day, and a Weekend Pass is $45. Ticket price includes camping and parking fees. No advance tickets available, and tickets are only available at the gate. Click here for Google Map to Plum Hollow Farm. For more information, call (864) 592-9899 or (864) 680-0225, or e-mail Moonshiners@Moonshiners.com.

To send a donation to Barney Barnwell’s medical fund, send a check or money order — along with a self-addressed stamped envelope (for tax-deduction receipt) to:

Mr. Barney Barnwell
C/o Barnwell Medical Bills
5015 Rainbow Lake Road
Campobello, SC 29322

Or

Mrs. Christy Hunter-Miller
125 Riverdale Drive
Inman, SC 29349