The snow this past Saturday didn’t seem to hurt the turnout for Crawford Stewardship Project’s Second Annual Love the Land music and dance benefit, as throngs of upward of 200 joyous driftless folk filled and overflowed the community room of the Community Commerce Center of Gays Mills.

While the people milled around tables stacked with donated art, goodies, and services, snacking on baked goods and chocolates, drinking Tea for the People, Kickapoo Coffee, and Driftless Brewer’s beer, the tall tales and Irish-influenced yet deeply locally rooted tunes of Anreas Transø carried old wisdom and humor to all. Soon after came Bathtub Spring with some more local folksy acoustic music for a few more songs until, before everyone’s eyes, they morphed into the Freaks of Nature who kept the dance-floor hoppin’ until after 11:30pm!