This collection of songs and tunes is a warm appreciation of the wonderful people and the times we share in and around Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad. Stories to tell and celebrate our little town. Neil Woodward: voice, guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, mandola, harp, spoons, washboard and foot.Gary Weisenburg: upright bass Songs written by Neil Woodward ©2017Peachtree Creek poem by David O. NorrisWolverine poem by Melissa FordBenediction For The Ride recorded at The Ark 2013 with Cats & the Fiddler--Shaun and James Richardson and Carmen Gibes, Brien Ahern and Gary Weisenburg. Recorded at The Alliance Recording Company by Al Hurschman. Art by Jamie Hurschman. ARTIST BIOGRAPHYNeil Woodward is Michigan’s Troubadour. For over thirty years he has shared folk music’s warmth and wisdom with Great Lakes audiences. In such historic surroundings as Crossroads Village, Grand Traverse Lighthouse and Greenfield Village, and in schools and libraries lake-to-lake, his vast repertoire and enthusiasm bring to life the Michigan experience for people from around the world. In 2003 the Legislature of the State of Michigan officially named Neil Woodward Michigan’s Troubadour in recognition of his life long commitment to preservation of Great Lakes folk music and culture. Neil is a course guest lecturer for Michigan, Michigan State, Eastern and Wayne State Universities. He is a Faculty and Presenter member teacher of Smithsonian Associates. The Arts Foundation of Michigan (now ArtServe Michigan) with their Creative Artist Grant Award recognized Neil’s own compositions as continuing contributions to the troubadour’s tradition, an artistic chronicle of significant individuals and events. His songs, recordings and concerts have earned him nine Detroit Music Awards. His traditional recordings are catalogued by the Library of Congress Office of Folklife, Smithsonian Folkways, and by the Archives of the State of Michigan. Neil’s experience in performance, research, writing, arranging, theatre, audio and video production, and his widely acknowledged skill with over a dozen musical instruments offer a unique perspective to his many private students. His school programs bring our culture into focus for pre-school through college level. In venues as diverse as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Michigan Historical Center, Detroit Institute of Arts, Northern Michigan campgrounds and lighthouses, and community schools and libraries of Alpena, Ann Arbor, Brighton, Byron, Copper Harbor, Charlotte, Davison, Detroit, Flint, Hartland, Howell, Kentwood, Lansing, Montague, Ossineke, Paradise and Ypsilanti, Neil’s performances pay tribute to light keepers, immigrants, laborers, sailors, soldiers, teachers, mothers, fathers, lumberjacks, railroaders, farmers, hobos, auto workers, dancers, singers, musicians and dogs. Neil may be the only person alive who played both banjo at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Jew’s harp at Lincoln Center.