By Joseph Marks, staff writer

Speedboats and jet skis sent water lapping against the shore by the Fountain Lake gazebo Tuesday afternoon, where the blue waves met the bluegrass music of the Whistle Stop family band.

About 250 spectators gathered for the performance which swung from Bible verse to moonshine and even included a chicken crossing the road joke.

The Whistle Stop band got their start two years ago when Carol Pearse’s aunt signed her up with her two daughters to perform at the Freeborn County Fair.

The Pearse daughters started playing music young. Brittany, now 17, got her first guitar at 6 years old and her younger sister Briana, now 13, got hers at 3.

Their parents came along somewhat later. The girls’ father, Greg, only started playing about a year ago when the band needed a bass player.

Even if they were new to the field, the band sounded like a natural Tuesday afternoon. Carol’s daughters joked the songs came naturally to their mother who grew up as a moonshine runner. While the charge isn’t entirely true, the farm Carol grew up on, north of Myrtle, is called Whiskey Hill. Her parents, Eldar and Mavis Westergaard, still live on the farm.

Destiny Smith and her friends set up by the gazebo early to make sure they found a spot to play games and hang out. Smith said she usually listens to contemporary country and western music at home, or to the Twins on the radio. She said Whistle Stop’s bluegrass sound was a nice change of pace.

Smith said the music was nice and relaxing as she leaned back in a lawn chair and her friends played a game throwing washers into a bucket.

Cathy Oldfather, who set up on the hill with her husband, listens to bluegrass at home and said it was nice to be able to listen to the music outside on a nice day.

&8220;Aren’t they great?&8221; she said. &8220;I love it.&8221;

Oldfather does more than just watch music. She played percussion later in the day with the Albert Lea Community Band.

The Pearse family lives in Glendale, Ariz., where they’re connected with the Arizona bluegrass community. They’re spending most of the summer touring southern Minnesota, playing at nursing homes, fairs and other events. They’re even returning to the Freeborn County Fair Aug. 5, where they got their start two years ago.

Brittany plays lead and rhythm guitar in the band and Briana plays lead and rhythm guitar and fiddle. Carol handles vocals and the Dobro and Greg plays the standup bass.