Oh, God! I just remembered! You know, tea parties are popular now, and always have been in American history, but in 1964 I went to a tea party. A Teton Tea party and I think Joe MacDonald was there. No one except me drank tea. They were sipping some dreadful wine substitute called Red Mountain, which was sold in glass gallon jugs for some minimal amount of money. Maybe as much as a dollar a gallon. The beatnik wine of choice. This was some sort of fermented grape beverage that was alcoholic in nature and nowhere on the label was the word "wine" used.

The Teton Tea parties were a spin off from some mountain climbers who would also play guitar and sing as they gathered round the fireplace. In the older days, there would be books lying around on table tops titled "Petons in the Tetons" to better inspite the hearty mountaineers to climb, rope, and rapel.

This was a spin off group, lots of folk music being played and a jug or two of Red Mountain. And those jugs were perfect for blowing across the top of, so you can see how naturally a jug band might evolve. (Although most jug band players used the plastic gallon jugs as they were easier to transport to gigs and stayed in tune better).

I could get in the swing of things back then, and play a substitute kazoo by putting a piece of kleenex over a pocket comb. Shit, weren't we hip?

The poster announcing the gathering said it was a "Teaton Tea Party". They threw in an extra "a" in Teaton, maybe by mistake, maybe that's how it was handed down and spelled in those days.  ¶ 12/14/2010 10:52:00 AM