Every year Dakotah and I spend just a little too much time at the festival, if that’s possible, especially after midnight. We’re always trying to soak in as much of the Bluegrass atmosphere as possible and this year was no exception.
Which got us to thinking ? why not put together a quick little list of our 10 favorites from the 36th Walnut Valley Festival. So here we ago… drum roll please.
10. HOMEMADE ICE CREAM. If you missed the old-fashioned ice cream stand, find solace in the fact that Dakotah is helping to keep that business financially viable. She says this year she “only had three” cups of the stuff ? which does happen to be heavenly.
9. YOGA. Oklahoma’s Lucy Weberling offered up a yoga class for campers. I’m assured that the class was a good one and very fulfilling. But I steered clear of any poses ? including the fire hydrant. That hip-flexing pose had yoga students lifting their leg up like a dog on a hydrant. Glad I missed that but Dakotah says it’s the best yoga class she’s been to in eight years.
8.THE FESTIVAL VIRGIN. My brother, the hard-partying Erik Farley of Wellington, spent his first night out and about in the Pecan Grove on Friday night. He was impressed with the Wilders and loved the atmosphere at Stage 5.
But even Erik was taken aback by a few of the folks we encountered jamming and partying in the grove. Among those we met, was a slightly wasted fellow in sweats, and the sandal-sock combo, who mumbled a lot and appeared to constantly teeter on the edge of a face plant. Dodging those types is worth it, though, to listen in on the impromptu jam sessions that break out in the middle of the road.
Which leads us to a question from Dakotah ? why do they always decide to form a music circle in front of the port-o-johns? Mmmmm…… bluegrass music against a backdrop of cherry scented deodorizer that doesn’t quite kill the odor of a day’s worth of trips to the bathroom. I love it!
7. MEETING THE MUSIC MAKERS. We always like to take an inventory of the musicians we run into while roaming about the Winfield Fairgrounds. That’s a great part of the festival, seeing and saying hello to the artists you see on stage. This year we saw, and chatted or waved to, The Greencards’ Carol Young, Tommy Emmanuel and Ike Sheldon and Betse Ellis from The Wilders.
6.BARRY “BONES” PATTON. We’ve known for a long time that this local dude can flat out play the bones, which add a clicking, rattle-like sound to any Bluegrass song. But Barry is moving to the forefront more and more these days. He duked it out in a version of “Dueling Banjos” with Tommy Emmanuel during two appearances on the main stage and later headlined an after-midnight spot on Stage 5 in the Pecan Grove.
That show was particularly cool because Patton was joined by Oklahoma fiddler Byron Berline, who wasn’t a scheduled performer at this year’s festival. Further proof that if you stay awake and make the late shows, you’ll see some things that others will miss.
5.PORK BURGERS. As I was taking stock of my own food intake for the weekend the pork burgers served up at the Lions Club trailer kept appearing on the list. Per my count, I took down four of those bad boys this week and I don’t feel the slightest bit guilty. And here’s a note to those who make it to the festival year in and year out: if you hang around as they’re closing the joint each night you might be offered a free pork burger. Worked for me. 🙂
4.ICE COLD BEER. There I said it… And I’d say it again. Sure alcohol is supposedly off limits at the festival… but who are we kidding, the stuff flows in the campground like the waters of the Walnut.
And I’ll say this, I killed a few cold ones while watching The Wilders on Stage 5 and I don’t feel guilty about that either. In fact, with the weather the way it was and the festive atmosphere, I saw more than a few folks joining me. I even saw some locals cracking open a frosty that I didn’t know touched the stuff. But hey, what happens at Winfield stays at Winfield. 😉
3. THE GREENCARDS. Dakotah tells me the Greencards have to rate high on the list, so here we go. And I agree, the sweet-singing Carol Young brings to life the wonderful music that this trio ? oops it’s a foursome now ? performed at Winfield for the third straight year.
I missed their one performance of my favorite song “The Ghost of Who We Were” but enjoyed them none-the-less. They closed down Stage I Saturday night with an extra long set that included a couple of guest performances that wowed a crowd buried under blankets and sipping hot chocolate.
2.CHASE FOSTER. We’re watching this local kid grow into a talented vocalist and musician. Foster has turned from a cute kid who happened to play an instrument into a talented singer and fiddle player who can hang with the likes of Tommy Emmanuel. Foster was on Stage I Saturday night and delivered a vocal performance of Van Morrison’s Moondance that was as good as any number heard at this year’s festival. Budding singers should stay away from classics like Moondance unless they’re really good and can make the song their own. Foster did that Saturday night.
1. THE WILDERS ON STAGE V. I kept telling a buddy of mine that he needed to get his butt down to the festival and catch the Wilders’ show in the Pecan Grove. He got away from work in time, then proceeded to crash on his couch for the evening. Oh, well.
It was really great this year because the Wilders weren’t scheduled to play on the main stages until Saturday afternoon, so the midnight show on Friday night/Saturday morning was the first chance to catch them. They didn’t disappoint the large crowd. Fiddler Betse Ellis arrived on stage first decked out in Goth wear that is best described as Beetlejuice meets the Nightmare Before Christmas ? nothing beats short shorts and black and white striped leggings.
Ellis used a voice altering mini-megaphone to talk to the crowd in a slightly twisted Alvin and the Chipmunks-type voice. It was creepy, surreal and had me wondering if someone in the crowd had slipped a mickey in my Budweiser. Great fun indeed. The best part of the set for me was the opening number, a cover of the Knack’s “My Sharona.”
