Sixty years after Patsy Cline died in a plane crash, her hometown of Winchester is still “Crazy” about her. On the Saturday before Labor Day, Winchester residents throw the Patsy Cline Music Festival to mark the September 8 birthday of the legendary singer, known for such searing songs of longing and heartbreak as “Walkin’ after Midnight” and “I Fall to Pieces.” This year the city plans to dedicate the new Patsy Cline Block Party, and the family’s small wood-frame home, declared a National Historic Landmark in 2021, will offer tours and share tidbits about her humble roots and rise. “All four of her family members slept in one bedroom,” says Hannah McDonald, director of the Patsy Cline Historic House. Visitors can see the singer’s favorite white cowboy hat, and the stage costumes she designed and her mother sewed. visitwinchesterva.com
Southern Agenda