OUR LITTLE SARAH

The strangest thing happened today in Houston. We were sitting in the old River Oaks Theatre, waiting for our movie to start, and there was some kind of music program playing for our audio entertainment. First I commented to John that the female announcer sure sounded young - like a kid almost. Then when she gave her name, and identified herself as the singer/songwriter/musician on the next piece, I shrieked "Oh my gosh, that's our little Sarah!" Not to imply ours, as in "our child" - just "Our little Sarah Jarosz, from Wimberley!"

I guess we are kind of proud (and maybe a little proprietary, for as you know, "it takes a village"!) of all the young wunderkinds that hail from these parts. There's Jesse Huth, more commonly known as Chicken Boy. He's been raising chickens since he was about six, and people from all over come to him for advice now. All the scholarships and awards he has won through his related 4H and scouting projects will be paying his way through college. Then there's Dylan Meeks, our jazz pianist prodigy, who just headed off to the big apple. There's Chrissy Omo, of CKC Goat Cheese fame. She started her business as a young teen, and now juggles being a cheese-maker and goat farmer with attending classes at Texas State University. And, last but not least, there's little Sarah.

Sarah Jarosz just turned eighteen recently - a few weeks before her debut CD was released by Sugar Hill. She began singing at two, playing piano at six, took up mandolin at ten, and then discovered her passion at the weekly bluegrass jams held here in Wimberley every Friday evening. The rest, as they say, is history. You might have seen her on national TV with Earl Scrugs and Ricky Skaggs during the 2005 CMA salute to the father of bluegrass banjo (which, oh yeah, Sarah also plays, along with guitar!) Can you blame us for being a bit proud?

P.S. Many thanks to mandolincafe.com and bluegrass.com for the above images.