The weather was just perfect! Nights were kind of cool, but I kind of like that. Gettin' all snuggly under the covers! I got to sleep in the trailor, keeping me off the ground, and shutting out the morning sun with the doors. It was great!
My vending partners and I worked SO well together. It was SO awesome meeting Kristy, from Homesown. She makes great clothing, and was a great team-member. She brought stuff for us to use, was helpful with the set-up and made a great sales-person. She was so kind and generous, which was SUCH a blessing; beautiful! compared to some previous vending experiences.
We arrived in Rothbury, MI around 3pm on Wednesday, July 2nd. First we had to go to the local high school to check in and get our credentials. I'm not sure they had anticipated on that much traffic, because the tour buses and the new trailer made maneuvering around the parking lot a bit of a task. But we were here. The official start of our Rothbury experience had begun. Welcome to hippie land. Hairy legs, the smell of patchouli and body odor emanated from the gymnasium as we entered and waited our turn in line. Kristy was to meet us here and follow us in with her friend who drove them from Asheville, North Carolina. Our turn came, we got what we needed and went back outside. A bit later we agreed to meet Kristy down at the venue, as she was still about 25 minutes away
It took us a while to figure out how to get into the gates for the vendors. We drove around the ranch for a while and found the line we were supposed to be in. Rain had washed out several vending locations so they were leading us in slowly. We waited at the gates for almost 2 hours, but we were patient and calm, glad to be there, and off the highway. We met other vendors while we waited, and excitedly waited for Kristy to show up. It started raining a bit, but it wasn't too bad. Kristy came, we got to hug and see eachother in person for the first time. I was so happy to see another dread-lock mama! I had no idea! Her friend was cute, nice and had a great CD collection that I browsed thru as we waited some more. The rain had us back in our cars, then it was into the venue grounds.
We were escorted into a lovely little nook in the forest that accommodated about 25 vendors. After a little shuffling of tents and whatnot, we were thoroughly pleased to find out that we could set up two tents deep, giving us room in the back to hang out and sit in our chairs thru-out the festival. It was nice to have a whole evening and morning to get the booth set up before customers starting flowing in. We moved the Jeep down to vendors camping lot, which, disappointedly, as around 1 mile away. Thank goodness we could camp behind the booth, because walking a mile at night, fearing our goods may get stolen was NOT a good thought!
I just could NOT get over how amazing the vibe was at this place. I have NEVER seen a festival that was so clean. The Clean Vibes crew was literally sweeping the entire grounds the entire time. The energy from the people there was incredible. Everyone was there to have fun, share with others, and experience an amazing pull from the force of music and kindness that we have created in this world.
The landscape was simply beautiful. Flat lands, with soft rolling hills of green grass and trees, trees, trees! Lots of places to sit and chill, take some time to yourself, or to sit with friends. The Sherwood Forest was certainly one of those places. All throughout the day, people were sitting amongst the trees, hanging from hammocks, playing drums, and sharing the sunshine. At night, the light show stimulated your soul and brought you closer to the stars. Walks thru the forest and dirt paths lead you from stage to stage.
Wildcat Lake
Check out the rest of the pics here: Rothbury Festival 08 Pics
Thanks to all who stopped by and we will definitely see you next year!
Thanks to all who stopped by and we will definitely see you next year!
I shall cherish my experience with Rothbury forever and always.
No comments:
Post a Comment