BUTLER COUNTY, Ky. (WNKY) - The smell of seafood and the sound of string instruments drifted across the summer air as dozens of friends gathered for a bluegrass reunion. But this year, one face was missing, and all of them felt it.
Arthur Hatfield, the banjo craftsman whose instruments carried his name across stages worldwide, died July 31 at the age of 76. And for the friends who strummed and sang together last week, the music was both celebration and farewell.
"Everybody just comes around and we have good fellowship and good food," said musician Steve Day. "These guys are already pickin' back here, and everybody just has a good time."
For years, Hatfield was part of this circle, laughing, playing, and offering his encouragement. Event host Bill Edlin, who began the gathering 14 years ago, said Hatfield's presence shaped the spirit of the reunion.
"This is a reunion among friends that we've known," Edlin said. "And the last picture we posted before this event kicked off was Arthur Hatfield."
That picture hung alongside others who had passed in recent years, a reminder that the reunion is as much about memory as it is about music.
Hatfield's friends remembered not only his banjos, but his generosity.
"If somebody couldn't afford the banjo, he'd make them a banjo," Day said. "And they'd play it worldwide forever."
Even when illness made playing harder, Hatfield never lost his humor. Eaton shared their last visit together: "Right before he passed... the first thing he said was, 'I hope you've always got your boots on, because I'm pullin' it out in here.' He was just like he always was."
For friend David Dye, Hatfield's straightforward nature was what defined him. "Arthur was down-to-earth, a good person," he said. "He shot from the hip. He told you the way it was."
And Edlin, who has known Hatfield since they were teenagers, put it most simply: "He was a very honest, humble country boy... probably one of the best fellows I ever met."
As the music played on, friends said it felt like Hatfield was still there, in the fellowship, in the sound of strings, in every memory shared.
The reunion that began as a chance to play together has become something more: a place to remember the ones they've lost, and this year, to say goodbye to a man whose life was stitched into every note of their music.
"He was always a great guy to be around," Day said softly, before joining the others back on stage.