Florida Coalcracker Chronicles: Camping In Front Of The Monticello Opera House - Like Groupies We Spent The Night At The Door

Monday, March 12, 2018

Camping In Front Of The Monticello Opera House - Like Groupies We Spent The Night At The Door

We spent Saturday night right in front of
the Monticello Opera House

Last week - I read that Mary Everhart was playing at the Blues Festival in Monticello FL. We have been living in Tallahassee 15 years - and have heard about the Hall of Fame local star - but we never saw her. I heard her records and they are great.

I bought 2 tickets online - second row - center for $20 each. We even printed them out early. So we were set.

On Saturday at 5 PM we headed toward Monticello - just 25 miles east of us. We figured we could get a nice parking spot - have dinner - a few drinks - then see the show - and stay overnight in the camper. It was a nice evening drive east with the sun at our back. We arrived in the county seat of Jefferson County and to our surprise - there was a free parking spot right in front of the old opera house.

The Monticello is a restored historic landmark. The town is very proud of it. I can't imagine what great stars appeared here in its long history. It has main seating for 310 people. A full house would only bring in $6200.

First - we went to a local restaurant - and had a nice supper. Even with the tip - we only spent $20. There was a band playing in the street in front of the restaurant. There was a row of shiny Harleys on the fenced off street. After supper - we returned to the camper to watch the local news and see a little bit of the ACC basketball tournament. We had a little time to lie down and wait for the show.

At 7:55 PM - we went inside - then up the old wooden open staircase to the theatre. The crowd had not yet arrived - you can see by the picture below - it seemed empty. Most of the people were downstairs - having dinner and drinks. At 8 PM - they filed in like a school group.

The crowd was pretty old. I tease Lulu about being the prettiest girl in the room. On this night I was number 2. A lady sat in front of me that looked just like Johnny Winter - but I looked around and many of them did.

At about 8:10 PM - the theatre went dark. Music started up and when the lights went on 5 old Bluesmen were standing on the stage - not just white skin - but white hair. They are called the Florida Blues All-Star Revue. Their names were - Jim Crozier - CS Holt - John Babich - David Cotton - and Michael Harrison. CS Holt was singing the lead and when the music stopped - he announced that Mary Everhart was sick and would not be there tonight.

The theatre did fill up.

For the next 2 hours - these 5 fellas played some very tight Blues numbers - but only one that I recognized. I am used to people doing covers of Robert Johnson - Muddy Waters - BB King - etc. They played called "You Never Can Tell" recorded by Chuck Berry. I was very disappointed not being able to see Mary Everhart - but out of respect for the 5 senior musicians - you can survive anything for 2 hours.

We had a couple drinks - since I knew I was not driving anywhere after the show. It made things go quite well.

The Opera House crowd arrived very late

After the show - we walked out the front door and right into our camper. The windows are tinted black - and the curtains are opaque. We undressed for bed - the bed was already made. We turned on the TV and watched North Carolina beat Duke. Lulu was gone in minutes.

It dropped down to 45 degrees outside - I had the thermostat set for the propane furnace to come on at 70 degrees. I heard it flick on during the night 2 or 3 times. The street outside was quiet. A couple times I pulled the curtain aside to see the lights on the courthouse on the roundabout just across the crosswalk.

At a little past 7 AM - I heard Lulu up and around. She told me to stay in bed - she was going to back out the camper and drive home. It sounded reasonable and my head hit the pillow. Then - she put the key in the ignition and all hell broke loose. What she did not know is that you must press the key fob button to turn off the alarm first - before you turn the key. A car alarm cannot be any louder than it is at 7 AM. Everyone in the small town came out to see what was going on - especially two police officers from the police station just a couple doors up the street. After what seemed like an eternity - I got out of bed - grabbed the key fob - and pressed the button. As the cops watched - but did not stop us - or ask any questions - we pulled into the roundabout and Lulu headed for home. I went back to bed - and enjoy the 40-minute ride home - on my back.

You know Harry - always wanting to get his money's worth. This was night number 14 that we spent in the camper. I want to stay in the camper enough times to get the price down to $100 a night. $32,000/14 nights = $2285 a night. We have a long way to go.

It is a lot of fun traveling in a small camper. You have a full kitchen - a full bathroom - and a king size bed. You have a widescreen digital TV. You can watch anything you want. The camper is 19 feet long and fits at a standard parking meter. It is 8 feet 4 inches tall.

Maybe the next time The Everharts will get to see Mary Everhart perform.