Bonnaroo is Back!!! AAARRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

This is the weekend of Bonnaroo. If you don't know what that is, I'm sure you can find it on the web. We're maybe ten miles from the Bonnaroo site. We feel the bass here at night, when things are otherwise quiet. Sometimes we hear the music in addition to just feeling the bass. The area is being invaded quite heavily with what are called Bonnaroonies--basically modern-day hippies, to a large extent. Or at least, that's what they look like. Thankfully, the local police and the Bonnaroo staff have done much to improve traffic during the festival. Used to be terrible, but they've worked out many of the kinks, so that we're not too affected, generally, athough we do tend to avoid that town this week; we'll do without, or go to the nearest town in the opposite direction, if something is desperately needed.

We talked to someone a couple of years ago who said her son attended Bonnaroo once. (This is a wonderful, Christian family with whom some of you may have had some contact.) Anyway, this son had had sort of long hair when he went. When he returned home, he cut his hair and had kept it shorter ever since, saying he wanted to have absolutely nothing in common with the Bonnaroonies!

A number of local churches have been known to set up booths in the hopes of evangelizing.

Supposedly the local economy gets a big boost from the festival. I'm guessing that beer sales go up.

The service station/quick market at "our" interstate exit has brought in six or eight port-a-potties.

I recall being at our vet's office a couple of years ago the week of the festival. The office is also near "our" interstate exit. They are booked with critters being boarded that weekend. That's something I'd not thought of. I'm not sure if it's pets of Bonnaroonies or if it's pets of local folks who flee the area during the festival (Yes, some folks do leave the area for those four days.)

Passed a number of houses on the way to daughter's fiddle lesson today that are apparently renting out or otherwise providing housing for some of the folks attending the festival. Saw quite a few people seeming to have a leisurely good time. Also saw a house with a new sign up saying campsites and firewood are available there.

Going to be a hot few days, if the weather pattern continues. This has been a problem previously. From what I've heard, the festival-makers have helped this by having more water available for drinking, as well as having sprayers--from what looks like huge mushrooms in the photos I've seen. (How appropriate is that for a festival of hippies/hippie wannabes?)

Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, and Allison Kraus have performed at Bonnaroo. Loads of others, most of which I'd rather not see or hear--in person or otherwise. And as great as it would be to see those named and a few of the others, I'd rather do that at some other time and some other place than Bonnaroo!

(I can't believe I've devoted this much space to Bonnaroo!)

Mary Susan