Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Bear Creek Festival: 10 Things To Know Before You Go
2. Bear Creek has a special attribute that most other fests at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park lack: a stage in the campground on cypress-lined Rees Lake. This is great for a number of reasons, the first of which is that you can bring your own beverage to this stage. To get to all the other stages in the park, You have to go through a checkpoint and you are not allowed to bring in your own beverages, other than water.
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| The campground stage |
3. The white sand Suwannee River beach is not to be missed. Be aware that the river is a long walk from the fest site -- grab a bike, a ride, or a golf cart. Sooooooo worth it.
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| Beach on the Suwannee River |
4. Sunday night is awesome for those lucky enough to stay around for it. The musicians are loose and happy, the fest workers are loose and happy, there’s only two alternate stages running during the day (no decisions to make), then Dumpstaphunk and Lettuce (yes!!) close out the weekend in a funk frenzy. Plus, if your feet are all played out, you can chill in a hammock. The informal rule is you can use anybody's hammock until they get back.
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| Hammocks in the Ampitheater |
5. There's a giant bat house! It is just beyond lake camping in the field. At sunset, you can grab a beverage and go watch incredible numbers of bats fly out! Be aware, the people sitting closest to the bat house get sprayed with bat piss, so back off a bit. “Sprayed with bat piss” is a sentence I never expected to write. I also never expected to be sprayed with bat piss in my life, which is why I am warning you now. Back off a bit and enjoy the amazing bat show.
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| The bat house |
6. The on-site Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park restaurant has a good breakfast buffet. They have nice bathrooms. Also a really cool hand-painted mural of local wildlife. You can also get liquor drinks and good food from the restaurant while watching shows in the Technaflora Music Hall Stage.
7. This year, there are free, handy Bear Creek phone apps with schedules, maps, and other info.
8. The bathhouse on the road that says “Special Persons Camping,” just past the Purple Hat Meadow Stage, usually has the most hot water in its showers.
9. It can get chilly at night in North Florida, so don’t skimp on sweaters and blankets. We have been known to call this festival Brrrrrrr Creek. Fleece and ample firewood are your best friends. Bring your funky warmies -- the costume theme for Saturday night is “Warm and Fuzzy.”
7. This year, there are free, handy Bear Creek phone apps with schedules, maps, and other info.
8. The bathhouse on the road that says “Special Persons Camping,” just past the Purple Hat Meadow Stage, usually has the most hot water in its showers.
9. It can get chilly at night in North Florida, so don’t skimp on sweaters and blankets. We have been known to call this festival Brrrrrrr Creek. Fleece and ample firewood are your best friends. Bring your funky warmies -- the costume theme for Saturday night is “Warm and Fuzzy.”
10. There's an emu living at the park, back behind the horse camp. He's a freaky bird!
Monday, November 5, 2012
New Bear Creek Phone App - Handy dandy
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| Wonderful Wild Rumpus replica painted by Beth Hutchinson. Get the Bear Creek App and Let the Wild Rumpus Begin!! |
I don't know about you, but I have a great capacity for losing my printed fest program about six seconds after I arrive at my camp site. I usually find the program when I am packing up to leave -- then take it home in pristine condition for my vast collection of fest memorabilia.
So I am thankful to the folks putting on Bear Creek Music and Art Festival this week at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fla. Because now the schedule and other info will be on my phone, which I do a better job keeping track of, since I use it as a camera and to blog (if I remember to) during the weekend.
So here is where you can get this wonderful app:
Apple users can download the app here
Android users can download the app here
And here's a video to get us all psyched up for this weekend!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Riverhawk Festival near Tampa
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| Such a sweet stage and venue! |
The lineup looks great:
FRED EAGLESMITH TRAVELING SHOW
Sertoma Youth Ranch is a super-chill venue that is very family-friendly. There's a neat stream running through the rolling property, nice bathhouses, and everything is close together. There are scheduled activities for kids. And you can bring dogs!
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| Sertoma Youth Ranch entrance |
A 3-day ticket, which includes primitive camping, is $110 at the gate. Click here for more ticketing options, including extra days, etc. Water and electric sites are sold out at this point, and if you want to bring in an RV and camp in a primitive site, its an extra $60.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Bear Creek Next Week!
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| The Groove Patrol |
The funk fantasia that is Bear Creek Music and Art Festival at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl., is almost here -- it happens Nov. 8-11.
If you like the funk, this is the place. Funk players from all over the world convene for this throw-down in the moss-draped woods, and you will see shows you will talk about for years.
It's hard to put your finger on what, exactly, makes one festival good, or even great, and another festival Epic. Bear Creek has that Epic Something. There's the smiling fest family vibe, the New Orleans joie de vivre, the booty-shaking atmosphere everywhere you look, and the kick-ass performances.
The musicians are there to get down, the crowd is there to get down, and it's all good right there in paradise. This is what we're supposed to do in life, right?
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| Da Bear |
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| Everybody loves the bear! |
See you soon!
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| Reese Lake camping |
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