After four days of music, camping, partying, and an epic rainstorm, Bruce and I are back from Magnolia Fest, unscathed. We had a great time at the Suwannee River Music Park in Live Oak, FL, and met a lot of interesting folks. And here is how it all went down. We arrived on Thursday night and set up our tents. Our friends from Jacksonville had already set up the "primitive" campsite, that included a bar, kitchen, campfire, and music jam area. Oh yes, and a large hammock, because nap-taking is a must when you stay up until 2 a.m. Music began on Thursday night with Canary in the Coalmine, who received rousing applause from concert goers. Thursday's highlight, though, was Mosier Brothers at 9 p.m., fronted by Jeff Mosier on banjo and Johnny Mosier on guitar. After that concert we hung out at the campsite and played music until the wee hours of the morning. At around 4 a.m., we were awakened by a monumental thunderstorm that flooded our campsite. Although we all managed to get some more shut eye after the storm, there was a lot of clean up to do the next morning.
On Friday we spent much of the day wandering around the festival, checking out the bands playing at the various venues around the park. As you would expect, there are a lot of food vendors, and a favorite is The Solar Cafe, whose vegetarian food is powered by the sun (well, their electricity is, anyway) and served by super cute girls. A carton of stir fry noodles with peanut sauce hit the spot for me. They also make smoothies and homemade lemonade sweetened with maple syrup. Best bands that day were Grandpa's Cough Medicine, whose devilish blend of blood and beer-soaked orginal music has been rocking Atlantic Beach for several years. Del McCoury Band and Emmylou Harris were also a big hit on the ampitheater stage that night.
On Saturday morning we attended a New Orleans-style parade, led by Tornado Rider's cello-wielding Rushad Eggelston and a myriad of colorful characters including our own friends, Cristy and Wendell Holmes from Jacksonville. I spent a good part of the day seeing various bands while my friends hung out at the campsite, playing music. I especially liked Sloppy Joe, a bluegrass/hillbilly-style band with great song lyrics and traditional instruments. Favorites on Saturday were Tornado Rider, Donna the Buffalo, and of course, Bonnie Raitt, whose late night concert in the meadow sent me to my tent, exhausted from the day's activities.
On Sunday morning, Practice World Peace Yoga was held in the meadow, where I witnessed a girl stand on her head for nearly 45 minutes, while I sipped coffee on the sidelines, ready to head back to civilization. Sunday's concerts run from noon until 8 p.m., but many of us packed up and drove home after breakfast. Four days of music and fun is great, but the clean up and unpacking is a dreary chore. Perhaps next year we'll take Monday off. Did I say next year?
AGAIN...the last five words!
ReplyDeleteThat is how traditions begin!