April 2008
First Time At Merlefest: Lessons Learned
by Rosemarie

 The Wilders
Scroll Down For More Photos Of Merlefest 2008

My luck was running high. First, a week before the event, I won two tickets to Merlefest, courtesy of the Folklore Society and Bluegrasscountry.org. Second, Leslie agreed to go with me! But we had very little time to plan and no idea of what to expect. The first item of business was to find a place to stay because most accommodations book a year in advance.  Leslie worked the internet, and we decided to call the camp operated by the Wilkesboro Volunteer Fire Department (WVFD). They were no longer taking reservations! But we also learned about a bluegrass festival outfitter called Dancin’ Dave, who would provide a tent, cots, air mattresses, sleeping bags, canopy, table, chairs and lantern AND who would have them set up before we arrived. My luck held because, when we called Dave,  he'd had a late cancellation and he could arrange for us to camp with the WVFD. We still had a little trepidation, because the campground is on the grounds of the sewage treatment plant and is called “Sewerfest.” On the other hand, we read on the internet that there were no objectionable odors and there would be lots of jamming; also, time was short so we made our reservations.

 So off we went to Wilkesboro, NC.   It’s about 400 miles from Alexandria to Wilkesboro and the fastest route appeared to be to take I-66 to I-81; directions after that are on the Merlefest website.

When we pulled into the campground we found it was well-maintained, full of friendly folks and, best of all, our campsite was set up as promised.  That Dancin' Dave delivers! The equipment was good quality, in good shape, clean and there were even little extras, like a first aid kit and insulated coolers.  By letting Dancin’ Dave do the work for us, we were able to head to the festival right away.  Dancin’ Dave’s website is www.dancindave.com and he has a following so his spots fill up early.  But Dave returned our calls and e-mails promptly, so it’s worth it to check with him even if you find out you’re going only at the last minute, as we did.

All the campgrounds provide shuttle buses to and from the festival grounds, and though the buses appeared to be retired school buses, the service was very good. Tips go to the churches, Boy Scouts, and other civic organizations that run them.

Merelefest is an enormous festival so be prepared for crowds.  In 2008 over 76,000 friendly, polite people passed through (amazingly, we still managed to run into the two other FOB'rs that were there ~ Keith and Lauren).  Despite the crowds it is a well-organized and well-run festival that makes a major and positive impact on the surrounding community, both artistically and economically.   It takes place on the beautiful hillside campus of Wilkesboro Community College.

On Thursday night, we found the festival lightly attended. This allowed us to scout out the food tents and to get our bearings. It turns out that there’s a reasonable variety of food vendors, including some vegetarian options. Again, the vendors were civic organizations. We found decent pizza, breakfast foods, jambalaya, beans and rice, Thai, Burger King, and more. We thought that the prices were fair. The only problem was that, after the first night, the tents were very crowded and the lines substantial. We got around that by packing lunches on Friday and Saturday, which had the added advantage that we were able to hold on to the excellent seats we got at the Traditional Stage. When you’re packing, remember that Merlefest is strict about the “no alcohol” rule. Your picnic bags will be checked, and open bottles will be given the sniff test to see if you’re bringing alcohol in disguise! Alcohol will be confiscated and dumped out!

Merlefest has a very busy performance schedule, and it’s simply not possible to see every act. The biggest acts (Doc Watson, Ralph Stanley, Tim O’Brien, the Carolina Chocolate Drops and such) are on the Watson stage, or on the Cabin Stage right next to it.  There are three other stages, the Americana Stage,  Creekside Stage and the Traditional Stage which is in an enormous tent.  Most of the acts we wanted to see were at the Traditional Stage. Don’t be put off if there are no seats when you get to the tent, because the audience turns over between (and occasionally during) every act. With some jockeying, we managed to sit in the first few rows for most of the acts. The sound system was very good, if very loud, so if your ears are sensitive, you might want to bring light ear plugs.

A word about the Watson and Cabin stages: there are reserved seats, for which one pays extra and receives a different bracelet. We had general admission tickets. Until 5 p.m., people with general admission bracelets were allowed to sit in the reserved seats until and unless the owner of those seats appeared. (We learned this little secret too late to help us!) Behind the reserved seats, what we found was that people set up their camp chairs early in the day and then didn’t occupy them for most of the day! Unless you do this, you’re resigned to being far from the stage and watching the shows on the “jumbotron.”

We heard beforehand that Merlefest has another tradition: it rains at least once every year! This year was no exception. We had a knock-down, drag-out thunderstorm with deluge. We weathered that storm in the Traditional Stage. At times the power went out; at other times it was turned off because the power lines were submerged. The musicians kept playing, though, and we could hear because we were near the stage. Once it rains, the grounds become a muddy mess! Wear old shoes or hiking boots, even if it looks like it’ll be a nice day. Our rainy day started as a perfect spring day, but we slogged home through the mud.

No discussion of a festival is complete without a discussion of “facilities.” Merlefest has several options. There are large trailers parked on the grounds with men’s and women’s rooms in them. There are more conventional porta-potties, including some cute little mini-potties near the children’s activity tent. But nicest of all, some of the community college buildings are open and offer real flush toilets and warm water for hand-washing.

Merlefest seems to be unusually welcoming to families with young children. There’s a playground in the middle of the community college, there’s a tent with special activities for kids, and there’s a flea circus that appeared to delight young and old.

Now, about the music…I mistakenly thought that Merlefest was a bluegrass festival. It’s not. And it’s not old-time. And it’s not country! It’s got a little bit of everything. We saw acts from the Grand Ole Opry of long ago, and recent inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame. We heard flat-out bluegrass, old-time stringbands, and music that would have been right at home at a rock concert or Vegas. If you’re a music omnivore, as I am, it’s all delightful. In the Traditional Stage, we saw bands and individual performers that included Rafe and Clelia Stefanini, Dirk Powell, Riley Baugus, Bob Carlin, Cheik Hamala Diabate, Tara Nevins, David Holt, Laura Boosinger, Rick Good, Carl Jones, Joe Thrift, Martha Scanlon and more.

We were advised beforehand that there would not be much old-time jamming and we found that advice was essentially true.  Sewerfest has a large garage dedicated to a continuous bluegrass jam but we found very little campsite jamming and, compared to the old-time festivals we've attended, it was dead quiet (which I guess some folks would consider an attribute).  We heard that there was some old-time jamming at Rivers Edge Campground, so if we ever go again, we’ll plan to stay there.

Once home, I realized that for every act I’d caught there was at least one I wished I’d seen. Some of the concerts are available on the internet through radio station MVY, at http://mvyradio.com With a bit of a lag, other concerts are available with a fee from FestivaLink, at www.festivalink.net .  I should note that recording is prohibited, and we heard that recording gear found in backpacks can be confiscated, or at least checked until you leave! We didn’t risk it, but we certainly wished that recording HAD been allowed because many of the shows in the Traditional Stage were not available afterward.

So that’s my report on Merlefest 2008. I hope it’s of use to you when deciding about attending Merlefest 2009!