Our story begins with a journey, rolling north from Grass Valley on Highway 5 in a possibly, ever so slightly, overloaded Ford F-350, towing a cargo trailer laden with deep-friers, freezers, coolers, a commercial-grade cotton candy machine, tarps, canopies, vast quantities of pole fittings, and including, for those of you who may have already guessed, a kitchen sink. This is not a severe hankering for midnight cotton candy and deep-fried Oreos for when I’m camping at bluegrass festivals. This is the stuff of a festival food vendor. This is my summertime gig with a gang called the Merry Popsters, and we aim to provide sustenance to hungry revelers at the Northwest String Summit in North Plains, Oregon.
The festival goes by the shortened insider name of Strummit, and it takes place at a family-oriented venue called Horning’s Hideout. It’s an incredibly relaxing and ethereal place, that fosters visions of Narnia and Wonderland. You can wander for hours through the festival and campgrounds, explore the numerous walking paths that lead out into the surrounding forest, throw a few discs on the wildly off-road disc golf courses, take a spin in a paddle boat around the lake, and STILL feel like you’ve visited a mere fraction of the festival grounds. And since the venue is basically a colossal, forested natural amphitheater, you can enjoy all of these things without a single hint of the outside world, which effectively escalates the other-worldly vibe. And speaking of other-worldly, the denizens of this festival are a vibrant melting pot of fans which I’d describe as Hippie-Grass meets Metro-Country meets Portland-Weird (Portlanders are very proud of their weirdness, by the way). There’s truly something for everyone at this festival.
Oh, and did I mention there’s a resident peacock population? They might be a surprising sight for the newbie festivator, but their presence becomes a part of everyday life for Strummit veterans, and a peacock even graces the festival logo.
This venue provides an eclectic experience for the bluegrass fan brave enough to step through the gate. Bands you already know and love will stretch their musicianship here, playing with a freedom and exuberance like nowhere else. Although it’s definitely not a traditional bluegrass festival, there are many bluegrass favorites on the lineup each year. You can lounge in a hammock by the lake and experience the soul-lifting harmonies of the Steep Canyon Rangers, stand in drop-jawed wonder at the creative output of the Infamous Stringdusters, dance until you trance with Greensky Bluegrass, and get your groove on with the Yonder Mountain String Band (originators of the festival). There is a strong family-community vibe during the day that transitions into hard-partying craziness at night, kind of like the Father’s Day Festival late-night hot dog stand frenzy, but on (organic and naturally occurring) steroids. The Cascadia stage hosts late-night music that projects a free-wheeling fantasy fervor. Although it can be popular and crowded, it’s intimate, and witnessing bands like Greensky Bluegrass and Darol Anger within touching distance is something everyone should experience if given the chance…
After four days of music and deep-fry, festivating and spectacle, the contented fans have gone, and most of us vendors are packed up and ready to go. The venue reverts to it’s primal state. Almost, but not quite. There is still some enchantment that lingers, that I’m sure greet us at next year’s Strummit. And of course, the peacocks will be waiting…
(Cameron Little is an soon-to-be nineteen year-old bluegrass fan and musician who might consider wearing tie-dye to the Father’s Day Festival in 2015.)
