If you think a day at the Lyons Fiddle Festival is about music, you’re half right. If you think a day at the Lyons Fiddle Festival is what happens when you combine traditional music, dedicated volunteers, community and great local foods, you will not be disappointed - it’s the reunion you’ve been waiting for.

‘East Side Dave Kline has spent much of his life carrying on the tradition of folk music by sharing the deep musical and cultural roots. His performances and weekly syndicated radio show (WEEU; AM 830) have promoted traditional music for over 30 years. Dave’s work with the Lyons Fiddle Festival is a natural combination of performance and promotion of the sounds he loves.

After the near death of the Lyons Fiddle Festival in 2007, Dave was invited to help formulate a renaissance that would honor the original intentions of the gathering while inviting a larger circle of music lovers. Dave’s band, "East Side Dave and the Mountain Folk Band" performed at the fiddle festival in 2008 and 2009 and pulled in bigger musical ‘hardliners’ like Jesse McReynolds from Grand Ol’ Opry. Almost losing the festival has become rejoicing at record attendance of folks of all ages.

Impromptu jams under shade trees are perfect for the oral tradition of transferring music from one person to the next. It’s a place to relax and Dave insists that, like any good reunion, the home-style food served up is almost the main reason to come. Sweet sounds and savory flavors - not a bad way to spend a day.

"Life is about the experience of the day," says East Side Dave. "This festival promotes a traditional way of life."

‘Uncle’ Jeffrey Tapler is gearing up for his second year as part of the Fiddle Festival volunteer family. His love of music and community combined in 1992 on his Service Electric cable TV show. Uncle Jeffrey uses his show to highlight the overflowing talent at the Lyons Fiddle Festival.

"I love to bring families together. I’m so glad to see the youngsters who want to play an instrument get into it big time. They really love what they’re doing."

The music is fabulous, but Uncle Jeffrey also gives credit to the Lyons Park and Recreational Board, the fire company truck crew and community for pulling the area together. This year, organizers are missing Suzie Reed, one of the original festival volunteers and borough council member for 45 years, who passed away recently. Suzie is credited for reviving the festival in 2007 and rescuing the fiddle festival from disappearing when it faltered.

"The year the fiddle festival didn’t happen, she said, ‘I’ll get this going again!’," says her husband Dalton Reed. " She started organizing right away for the next year and soon folks were calling her to volunteer. She was determined that the festival would not stop. " The joy of the Lyons Fiddle Festival is a tribute to Suzie and all the passionate volunteers who work behind the scenes for the pleasure of all the visitors.

"People come back because you feel safe, you meet wonderful people, "says Uncle Jeffrey. " People are hungry for community and local connection." That’s what Lyons Fiddle Festival provides.

Years of music have expanded Dave’s musical styles, but he finds that the crowds at Lyons yearns for the local Pennsylvania and American sounds like your hungry stomach yearns for home-cooked favorites. Lyons has both - and that yearning has helped the festival grow.

"There are a lot more kids getting involved now. Lyons Fiddle Festival has directly influenced how many kids in the area are learning the fiddle." Dave also credits local businesses like Meadowood Music for keeping the music going year round at their store in Blandon.

The fiddle competitions have been fun, but when Dave’s daughter, Hannah, started learning fiddle, he backed away from the competition side of the music in a subtitle effort to encourage her to play for the love of the sounds. "I hear the food is great but I wouldn't know. From the moment I get there, I never put my fiddle down." At Lyons, that seems to be just what everyone is hungry for. Real life. Real joy. Real people.

Hannah Violet Miller is a baby of the Lyons Fiddle Festival. Hannah picked up the fiddle at age six. At age seven when her dad, Dave, brought her to the Fiddle Festival, she won the ‘Youngest Player’ prize. Now, she claims that her guitar is a limb, a part of her body.

"Dad and I started performing half hour shows on stage," Hannah reflects. "It’s pure. It’s such a high to be around such great musicians and loose yourself in the day." Her memories blend the innocent excitement of standing on stage with her father and having no idea of how big the festival was.

Now, as a full time music therapist and instrument instructor, she guides her students to the ‘true-ism’ of participating at the Lyons Fiddle Festival. "For younger musicians, you learn the etiquette of playing with others, to have some knowledge of social skills," says Hannah.

Many music lovers celebrate the people who dedicated years of their lives - like Donna and Arlan Schwoyer - and kept the celebration going. And some volunteers and musicians are behind the scenes and on the stage.

You go home and feel like you have come from a beautiful place."

Maybe that is the biggest gift of a day at Lyons Fiddle Festival.