It was evident that the hardworking folks putting this shindig together learned quite a bit since last years festival because this one ended up being bigger and better in many ways. As diligent as the staffers were, there were some things, though, that they just didn't have any control over, and that was the not so favorable weather! Unlike the clear blue skies experienced the year before, the majority of our day was spent beneath an overcast sky. Mid-afternoon, we had to dodge a light rainstorm, thankfully, it didn't last very long. One thing the dreary weather didn't do was dampen the spirits of the carefree crowd. I did my best to hang around the outskirts of the madness because I really wasn't in a party-time state of mind. Last time we were very close to the front, in the thick of it, but not this time. After waking up at 6:30am that morning, the only thing I really wanted to do was kick back and relax in my crazy creek chair, and I did so, waaaaay in the back.
In addition to listening to some live music, we also had plans to consume mass quantities of vendor food (as usual), which we successfully achieved! They had so many vendors to choose from at this years festival that it was very difficult to decide on what we would feast on. But that quickly turned into a dilemma we didn't mind dealing with because we just sampled as much as our tummies could take! Well, and then some. I am almost ashamed to list everything I ate.
Food Consumed: gyro with grape leaves, chicken on a stick, 2 orders of sweet potato fries, funnel cake with all the fixin's, famous grilled cheese, & a pesto quesadilla!! Yeah, I know, I paid for it a little bit at the end of the night. Talk about going overboard!
One thing, though, that I really liked about some of the food vendors were those who were a little more conscientious about what was being served. For example, the food made by students using locally grown produce, and another who offered antibiotic/cage free chicken. Small things. But a step in the right direction. It was refreshing to have these types of options at a 'green' event such as this.
I was also pretty impressed with the emphasis they put on recycling with signs and stewards who walked around passing out personal trash bags for groups accumulating cans and other garbage to help cut down on litter found later on. I was extremely pleased with the extra measures put in place. The Music on the Mountaintop Festival is clearly becoming a great example in keeping the focus on sustainability.
The musical line-ups seemed to be a series of crowd pleasers because they kept the crowd steadily swaying down in the 'pit'. I, on the other hand, kept my distance, viewing from afar. I didn't even attempt to venture down to the crowd below until it got dark. It was then that I figured the least I could do was try to get a few shots of the main stage closers, Sam Bush & Keller Williams. One thing lead to another, and the next thing I knew, I was standing only one row away from the stage. Taking photos was no easy undertaking either, especially with silhouetted heads popping up in the frame! It was fun being in the pit though, even if I didn't get any great photos!
At one point, after Sam Bush played, I had to run to our home base in the very back of the grounds to grab a fresh battery and memory card since I was on the brink of exhausting both. In a matter of minutes, and without too much resistance, I got my spot back down in the depths.
Ideally, the crowd would have hoped to dance the night away, but local law enforcement didn't allow the party to go on past midnight. As a matter of fact, they were forced to pull the plug early! It was sad, actually. The crowd was chanting Keller's name in hopes for an encore, but no amount of noise would bring him back out on stage. Not the best possible note to end on, but it was a great day despite the few uncontrollable conditions threatening to thwart our good time.
We are definitely looking forward to next year's event!
Did you see last year's photos? I was definitely a lot happier with those!
Wanna see?! Click Here (Post of Main Event) & Here (Favorite Photo 2008)
