Parkin Lot Pickin

Every Friday at sunset for the last 20 years pickups and trucks pull into the parking lot behind the Twistee Treat on Maguire Road near Colonial Avenue and they pull down their tailgates and bet out their instruments to play Bluegrass music. Other cars pull into the lot and soon there is a small crowd sitting in lawn chairs enjoying the free music. A man in an electric wheelchair makes his way around to every member of the audience offering free CD’s of the previous weeks performances.

Brad introduced me to this local tradition. Terry joined me for a while but she had to rush off to a girls night out at the Barn. I sat in the parking lot with Brad, Darlyn and a poet named Billy Collins and his fiance Suzannah Gilman. Billy was the Poet Laureate of the United States for two years. Billy and Suzannah were a fun couple to hang around with. After listening to the music for a couple of hours, we all went over to Twistee Treat and got some ice cream. That place was doing a brisk business and I splurged on an banana split that was to die for. After listening to the music for a little longer, we all then decided to head over to Winter Garden to a place called the Attic Door which had music and plenty of drinks. The lively discussion about art and literature went on for hours. If you want a taste of real old time Florida, I highly suggest going out to the Twistee Treat parking lot on a Friday night.