Have I ever found the place to be on a Friday night.

If you like good, clean fun and want to share an evening stomping your feet, clapping your hands and singing along to some great old songs, then you’ll want to read more.

But first, let me share just a little bit about my feelings for music.

Music has long been a favorite pastime for me. And even though I can’t sing, play an instrument or even dance, I still have quite a passion for good harmony and from-the-heart playing.

Live music has always captured my heart. Watching someone play a musical instrument, whether it be the guitar – my favorite – or brassy horns, it just warms my soul inside.

I have to admit, I get somewhat jealous to see a good guitar player or a drummer who can sing along while he keeps a steady beat. Or how about that guitar player who plays harmonica as he or she strums along to the tune?

I’ve tried in every way to play guitar. Mr. Bill Burgwyn gave me an old used six-string when I was about 8 years old. I strummed it to the strings fell off, but never did I pick up on how to actually play it.

Later, when I was in college, my dad gave me an acoustic for Christmas one year. I took it with me to Greenville and it was great fun… for others who visited to play. Even Jackie Gore of the Embers played and sang on that guitar one cold wintry night.

How he, or anyone made it sound like a real instrument was amazing to me. Oh someone else could grab the guitar and pick or strum it and the sound would be wonderful.

When I tried, I would have been better off plucking peanut wire nailed to a coffee can – it has about the same tune.

For years I’ve dreamed of making music, but for some of us, it just isn’t possible.

However, my love for music has brought me overwhelming joy over the years.

Maybe because I do have such a passion for music, there’s something there that keeps me listening to every single chord, every note and change of pitch.

I’ve always heard that a person missing one of their senses gains in other senses. Such as a blind person may hear extremely well.

Maybe that’s what I do. Since I lack any talent whatsoever, just maybe I’m able to really pick up on good music when I hear it.

So what’s this got to do with good, clean fun on a Friday night? Let me tell you.

About a two months ago, Bill Joyner of Woodland, stopped me one morning and asked me to come to Millennium one Friday night to hear him and some of his friends play guitar.

What Bill asked me, to be exact, was – I hear you play guitar? I wanted so badly, you just don’t realize, to say, &uot;I sure do.&uot; But all I could muster was, &uot;Not me. I know the C chord pretty good.&uot;

In our brief conversation that morning, Bill explained that he and some friends got together every Friday to just sit around and pick and play old favorites. He said they usually drew a pretty good crowd and there was no admission.

Bill is a neighbor of mine and as much as I wanted to go hear some live music, I just could not make time on a Friday to drive to Millennium and the thought originally faded from my mind.

This past Friday evening, another guitar playing neighbor – Brian Christison – called to see what I was up to. He was looking for some company to go to the Community Building in Woodland, just down from our homes.

I had heard Bill Joyner and friends had moved their Friday night &uot;hoe down&uot; to Woodland, but hadn’t given it too much thought.

Brian talked me into going to see them play and I’ve got to tell you, it was very rewarding.

Now, you first have to understand the Good Old Boys, as they like to be called, are not professional musicians. They are regular people who just love music, like to play it and like to see people have fun. The great thing is, they’re really good.

In all, there were five guitar players, one banjo picker and a bass player. No drums, and they didn’t need any.

You see, the Good Old Boys are not there to blow you away with noise from loud speakers, they’re there to give you great acoustic country music, the way it’s was meant to be played.

From Hank Williams songs to some of the newer country hits, these cats put on a show.

Every song they play is a song you can sing along to. Every song they play is a song that you can’t resist tapping your foot to.

As far as the crowd goes, Brian and I may very well have been the youngest in years in attendance, but not in heart.

The guys get together every Friday at 7 p.m. and play until around 10 or 10:30 p.m. There is no admission, but there is a little basket they pass around if anyone wants to contribute to the cost of renting the building and the food.

Oh yeah, I didn’t that many of the regulars bring a little homemade snack food for all to enjoy.

There are a few rules the Good Old Boys like to adhere to, and those are simple. No alcohol and if you must smoke, please step outside to do so.

The atmosphere is great. These guys know how to make you feel good inside and playing some of those old songs from years ago is enough to bring great memories for anyone.

Got nothing to do after the trick-or-treaters leave Friday, come to the Community Building in Woodland for some good, old fashioned country music fun. Just bring that good old-time feeling with you and a few songs you’d like to hear, and they Boys will do the rest.