WILKESBORO, N.C. -

The earplugs on my pillow were way better than the mints at a first-class hotel.

David "Dancin' Dave" Versch left them for me when I camped in one of his tents at Merlefest, a four-day musical tribute to Doc and Merle Watson held each April in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains. Versch learned the tricks of festival camping, and earned his nickname, by attending bluegrass happenings for more than 20 years. He knows, for example, that bonfire jam sessions last late into the night, long after the stages have gone dark (hence, the value of earplugs).
Versch also knows that connoisseurs consider ... Read More