Folk Fest 2011

The mood was set right from the parking lot where a parking attendant gleefully hula hooped at the same time she waved those orange directing cones around. Multi-talented! I immediately grabbed a jumbo lemonade to keep myself hydrated and found a space in the shade to park my things.
Some highlights: singing along to Fred Penner singing Sandwiches are Beautiful and the Cat Came Back. Seeing the man who usually wears all yellow (reminding me of the Man With the Yellow Hat) wearing blue pants this year, so I guess he's mixing it up. Basically I think Folk Fest is an excuse for everyone to act and dress as silly as they like without feeling out of place. Some of these people would probably love to wear mismatching or eccentric clothing in day to day life but are worried about censure or losing professionalism. But it's so much more interesting to people watch at festivals like this.
I saw Bones again this year but he was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt and a baby, and he barely danced at all, probably because it was so freaking hot outside and, well, he was wearing a baby.
Sadly there was no sign of Hands but I was only at the Festival on Friday and Sunday, so I may have just missed him. I did spot a boy with the most incredible green mohawk. It was such a stiff pointed wedge it looked as if it had pizza-slicing abilities. And of course there is the tapestry of skin: dimpled, moled, mottled, rashy, smooth, and rainbow-coloured with tattoos.
At the mainstage K.D. Lang crooned out songs and danced like a spaz, and Lucinda Williams was awesome, and then I headed home before I got too sleepy.
On Sunday the tally was two lemonades, a smoothie, an iced chai, and two water bottles and I still felt dehydrated. I listened to some stunning banjo performances, then was entertained by Joy Kills Sorrow, Blind Pilot, and Spiro. Danced to Trampled By Turtles. Watched my artist friend sketch Chuck Prophet during his concert.
At Main Stage we were distracted from the music by a pair of rambunctious children who waved feathers in our faces and hissed (they had their faces painted like cats). It finally started cooling off and the gibbous moon had a mischievous look about it. We headed to Big Bluestem to hear the alternate bands. Blind Pilot was probably my favourite group overall, and that's how my Folk Fest ended, with an up tempo number still echoing in my head as I headed to the parking lot where I anticipated clogged traffic but all was smooth sailing.
Good friends, good food (I tried a tofu burger for the first time! It was delicious!), good music, and I am one thankful festival-goer.