Jamming along with Creekside Band at Spring Mill Nature Center

Garet Cobb
·2 min read
Becky Sprinkle sings a tune during the weekly Creekside Band and friends jam at the Spring Mill Nature Center Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.
Becky Sprinkle sings a tune during the weekly Creekside Band and friends jam at the Spring Mill Nature Center Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.

Every Wednesday, from noon to 3 p.m., the Creekside Band and friends jam at the Spring Mill Nature Center, playing what many would call "mountain music" or bluegrass.

Becky Sprinkle plays guitar, harmonica, and sings, Marty Mundy, of Williams, is on fiddle, and Randy Tuell, of Paoli, chimes in on dulcimer. The three make up Creekside Band, and plenty of other musicians comprise the "and friends" portion. The band has been playing at Spring Mill since 2017.

Last Wednesday, there were eight other musicians participating and several people came to listen. Sprinkle said she comes from a musical family, and began singing with her father and his friends when she was 2 years old on their farm in Tell City. Sprinkle is a retired teacher and guidance counselor at Bedford North Lawrence High School.

Stephen Dickey plays the fiddle during a tune at the Spring Mill Nature Center Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.
Stephen Dickey plays the fiddle during a tune at the Spring Mill Nature Center Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.

Stephen Dickey brought his fiddle to join in the music. Stephen and his wife Nancy have been playing at the jams for about two years, according to Sprinkle. The two are recent recipients of the Heritage Fellowship Award given by Indiana University Traditional Arts. Stephen is the son of musical legend Lotus Dickey. Sprinkle said she met Stephen Dickey when she was 3 years old, and he was playing with his father at a barn dance in Perry County.

"Electric light bulbs strung across the barn and hay bales to sit on, with my father dancing and me on his shoulders," Sprinkle recalled.

A large group of musicians jam in the Spring Mill Nature Center Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. Becky Sprinkle can be seen at left in the picture.
A large group of musicians jam in the Spring Mill Nature Center Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. Becky Sprinkle can be seen at left in the picture.

The Creekside Band used to play in the lobby and dining room of the Spring Mill Inn, then moved outside during the pandemic. The group later was asked to play at the Spring Mill Nature Center, and have been there ever since.

Sprinkle said it's a good location, as it is very accessible to older people. Sprinkle's father, who is 94, often drives from his farm on the Ohio River to come and sing along.

The Creekside Band will be playing at the Spring Mill Candlelight Tour in the village Sept. 23, and the Spring Mill 1800s Music Weekend Oct. 14 and 15.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Jamming along with Creekside Band at Spring Mill Nature Center