WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival

Subject: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 03 Aug 08 - 05:17 AM

2008 WVA – Winfield Acoustic Music Festival
Officially the 37th year

Time is growing short, and I'm not packed yet.
[I copied that from last year's report]

In reverse order of happening - last first.

Official Festival Dates: September 17 – 21, 2008 (Wed thru Sun)

The official festival is when all the hired guns get there and put on their acts, and the hobby and craft people are set up to sell their stuff to pay the mortgages. A few music vendors bring their really high priced stuff – good place to look them over if you can look rich enough.

Landrush September 11, 2008 (approximately 07:00)

All campers must exit the campground and re-enter in lineup order as part of, or after, landrush to try to get their favored campsites and electrical and water hookups as needed. When you get to camp after landrush, you're "at the festival" even though it doesn't start for about a week. (The sole discernible purpose of this exercise is to tear up your camping gear in the hope that you won't come back next year, and to avoid the requirement for anyone associated with organizing the festival having to actually do any organizing associated with those who camp, but it's sort of a "tradition," I guess.)

Lineup 07:00 September 4, 2008

The WVA takes over the fairground and you're "allowed" to line up for the big Landrush. No permanent setup – it's just to get in line and wait, but the pickin' sort of gets started pretty regularly then. The OFFICIAL WVA announcement is that nobody is allowed to arrive before this time and that ALL CAMPERS must enter throught the back gate after 07:00 on this date.

Based on past experience, if you actually do arrive at this time, the "locals" (and some not so local, but who know the local back alleys) will have blocked all the public roads to the entrance to allow their "friends" from the pre-lineup (and elsewhere) to enter ahead of "the public" so you can expect about 300 – 400 campers to be in line ahead of you.

Pre-Lineup: 07:00 am 21 August 2008

Unofficially, you can camp in the RV park for 14 consecutive days, if the grounds haven't been reserved by someone. So far as is known, the campground will be open this year, but there are no guarantees. Since this happens before the festival assn "takes possession" they WILL NOT provide any information. In the early years of the festival, by "gentlemen's agreement" people lined up in fairly nice order during this period and proceeded to the official Lineup in good order. REFUSAL of the festival organizers to talk to the fairground people, or perhaps refusal by the fairground people to cooperate, has led to a "competitive" attitude on the part of some, with results that I find "annoying" but that some of the competitors seem to enjoy.

While posted park rules state that any "camping unit" left unattended for more than 24 hours will be impounded and removed, by tradition, for this festival, you may mark your "place in line" with a small brick, any hunk of junk, or an old T-shirt staked to the ground (all used last year), and may leave it unattended until Lineup day, as long as your "marker" has a "camping sticker" attached showing that you paid to camp.

It is, in fact, something of a handicap to actually be present in line as for those of us who require "medical provisions" securing an electrical connection during this period invariably (six years straight now) will result in "diversion" to a "more convenient location" some 50 to 100 "places" after your actual time of arrival. Since in past years approximately 30 – 50 campers have actually "camped" in line (of about 400 "spaces reserved" in line) the campground pickin' is irregular during this time, but some of it is pretty good, and you get more time to get acquainted with the folk who are there.

BUT DO CHECK THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE FOR LAST-MINUTE CHANGES.

For Reference: Previous Threads:

Winfield 2007 WVA Festival (36th year)12-16 Sept (first 50 of 105 posts)
Winfield (35th Annual) 2006 WVA Festival (first 50 posts, of 75)
Winfield (WVA) 2005
Winfield (WVA) Festival 2004

The Official website: Walnut Valley Festival. Check here for the lists of performers, contests, and schedules.

The "unofficial" site where all the good stuff is: Don Shorock's Unofficial WVA – Pickers' Paradise

Far too many pictures from past years on Lin's site at http://waterhole.smugmug.com/.
(Several other camps, and some mudcatters, have websites – see the WVA and/or Pickers' Paradise for links, or perhaps some of our people will add links here to their braggin' spaces.)

With less than three weeks to finish packing and get down there, my time is short; but with any luck we'll manage to get in. If all goes as hoped, "Thumper" (our camper's brand name, which is unique and well known) will be in the "Pecan Grove" for the festival.

Stop by and say "Howdy" if you get a chance.

John

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: WyoWoman
Date: 03 Aug 08 - 12:22 PM

Hi, John--

I won't be able to attend -- again! -- but two members of my band will, and I'm sure they'll stop by and pick a few with you.

--WyoWoman

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Sorcha
Date: 03 Aug 08 - 10:51 PM

One more year...can't get back. :(

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 12:27 AM

Two replies.

Two gorgeous gals.

Both "waiting another year" and hoping I'll be too old to make it again next time.

(sniff) (sob) (whine)

John

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Sorcha
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 12:34 AM

"Next year in 'Jerusalem'" I hope....

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Uncle Phil
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 09:10 PM

Damn, John, if you keep running off gorgeous gals at this rate I'll be forced to bring my own...again. More later.
- Phil

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Aug 08 - 11:19 PM

I wonder how I'd have dealt with the 'land rush' situation if I'd stayed in Wichita. I'm not real keen on spending 3-4 WEEKS elbowing my way into a situation when the object is supposedly fun & sharing.
I guess I'll just meditate on the great memories of the first 10 years...and a couple more.

Y'all take it easy now...

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 12:54 AM

The Land Rush and all the lineups aren't really a problem if you're young and healthy enough to get by without 1.) an electrical hookup, and 2.) easy access to water.

A secondary reason for going through the miseries would be if you are part of an "established camp." If a group wants/needs to camp together, and especially if they have a preferred place, a sufficient percentage of their people have to "get there first" to stake out the site.

I find it "astonishing" (in lieu of more appropriate but possibly offensive words?) that WVA awards "best campsite" trophies, but 35 years into doing this offers NO WAY that a camp can be assured of being able to setup their campsite in any appropriate place. Some (a couple of dozen) of the camps have very elaborate "setups" involving multi-K$ in "community" equipment, and can find themselves with no appropriate place to set up.

In our case, an electrical hookup is mandatory if we are to be at the festival. Lin requires insulin (3 or 4 different kinds) that must be refrigerated. When it's >$100 per bottle, and when undetected spoilage can be fatal, relying on ice chests is NOT AN OPTION. She also requires a mobility scooter if she's to be able to get more than about 100' from our site, which means frequent recharging of batteries. I'm supposed to use an oxygen concentrator while sleeping, which requires electrical power for four or five hours per day, at least. (I should be using a scooter to get around the campground, according to my doctors, but I can't figure out how to get another one in the van.)

If I'm not one of the first 40 through the gate at landrush - to the Pecan Grove - we will NOT (legally) have a hookup and will not be able to stay. This means, usually, being in about the first 250 total in the lineup, and there will be at least that many rocks, tarps, tree limbs, inoperable utility trailers, etc., unattended but with "camping permits" in the pre-pre-lineup on the first "legal" day when you can enter for the "Pre-lineup."

If you are part of a group that can secure their area, you probably - if you camp light and don't need electricity - can come in and be "squeezed in" at almost any time, without doing the lineup and landrush. That depends largely on how friendly your camp is, and how many "rules" the group is willing to break.

If you don't need the electrical hookup, you can bring a (small-to-medium) tent in at anytime, and can find a place to camp.

Water connections, via "community" garden hoses, frequently are extended far beyond where the electricity goes, although the pressure may be almost undetectable at the down-end; and (if we're there) I can probably loan you a garden cart if you need to "lug it" from a more remote water tap - if you can supply the bucket. (I do need the cart back, during the festival, since I use it to portage my blackwater to the dump - but I don't usually spill much on the cart.)

There are on-site "public showers" if you feel the urge to smell less bad.

There are on-site "fast food" vendors of a sort during "business hours," and the town has several "acceptable" restaurants. The Wally converted to a "super store" a year ago, so you can get some groceries there, and they seem to have an unusually good stock of camping and RV gear not carried by most WMs. It's next door to a Dillons market, and back down a different road there's another small market.

John

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Uncle Phil
Date: 05 Aug 08 - 11:33 PM

Put the coffee pot on. We'll get to Winfield sometime on the 12th, the Friday before the Festival, so we can go to the Great Plains Dulcimer Alliance picnic on Saturday.

We'll have to split time between the fairgrounds and family stuff, but it's nice having family in Winfield so we can roll into town without a lot of gear. I expect we'll pay the rent by spneding a day helping with the Downtown Association's fund raiser as usual.
- Phil

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 06 Aug 08 - 12:13 AM

Phil -

We enjoyed your pics from the downtown activities recently, but there was an argument here about whether you were pourin' or guzzlin'.

Maybe we'll look for some clarification this year.

John

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Uncle Phil
Date: 06 Aug 08 - 12:25 AM

Probably some of both since I don't remember it too clearly.
- Phil

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 06 Aug 08 - 04:26 AM

Uncle Phil and the Beutiful Girl You Bring Along--

Looking forward to seeing you again this year. I'm planning to be there by Land Rush day, but as you probably know, John's vacation starts when he leaves me at home all alone (sob) and goes off into the wilds of the fairground to "mark our space," usually the end of August.

Bring cool clothes this year; we've had several days over 100 degrees in the last couple of weeks. Of course, September may be a whole different story, too. John always tells me to pack for all four seasons, and most times he's right. We're bound to get rained on at least once...

Sorcha and Wyo, sorry you can't be there this year. We'll keep an eye out for the band members--names or nicknames, please?

LEJ, are you coming this year? Please stop in for a howdy and a beer.

Getting restless already,
Lin

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: GUEST,wlisk
Date: 06 Aug 08 - 10:00 AM

Deanna and I enjoy "The Line-up". We meet lots of new people as you camp in line in the order that you get there. We can bring our dog too (he likes to sing Old Blue). We just took the cover off of the Casita and opened it up and it smelled like Winfield.
See you in a few weeks John.

Bill & Deanna

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 06 Aug 08 - 07:32 PM

Bill--

So that's whose dog was singing last year! I thought I recognized the tune!

We sure enjoyed being near the Casita in lineup last year; hope we're close enough to hear y'all again this year. See you soon!

Lin

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Uncle Phil
Date: 06 Aug 08 - 09:07 PM

Hey, Lin. When you see Bill get his license plate number. He owes me a beer from NTIF this might be a good chance to collect without him having to come back to Texas or me go to Arkansas.

Michelle says howdy and to tell you she is still planning to bring her sewing machine this year -- even if she has to Fed Ex her clothes to make room.
- Phil

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 06 Aug 08 - 11:35 PM

Uncle Phil--

I can probably wrest your beer from Bill somewhere along the line...however, that does leave you the problem of getting it away from me. Bring wine and I'll trade ya.

Michelle, me too. I have plans for setting up a mini-sewing room under the canopy again and several projects I'm bringing along, just to make sure I keep busy, you know. As if . And who needs all those clothes anyway??

Looking forward to seeing you two again.

Lin

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: wlisk
Date: 07 Aug 08 - 09:28 AM

Uncle Phil
We usually camp across the street and north a little from the Front Porch Radio tent, come by anytime for that beer. Well anytime after 10am and before 3am! We're in a little Casita trailer that looks like a small plastic egg with Arkansas plates. We'll see Lin and John in the preline and have that beer/wine.

Bill

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: WyoWoman
Date: 07 Aug 08 - 10:09 PM

Aw, man. I wish I could meet you folks there.

Next year in Jerusalem, for sure ...

No, really...

--WW

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Al
Date: 08 Aug 08 - 04:01 PM

Al and Barbara will be there playing old time music at CAMP NOWHERE.

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Gary T
Date: 09 Aug 08 - 12:10 AM

I plan to get there sometime during the weekend preceding the festival proper. Most likely camping spot is on 14th St. between the Pecan Grove central oval and the re-entry gate, on the high-ground (south) side, but we'll see what I find when I arrive. My cell phone # is 816-812-1405.

I sure am looking forward to seeing all of you. I might enjoy the festival, too. :-)

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 09 Aug 08 - 06:54 AM

Al, Barbara, and Gary:

YAY! The crew is gathering! I hunted up Camp Nowhere last year, but y'all weren't home--I'll try it again this year, and listen close for dulcet strains of old-timey songs.

Gary, we'll (hopefully) be in the same place; as always, you're welcome anytime. Will try to find you on one of my "roll-abouts" in my little red scooter...or failing that, give you a call.

And BTW, y'all, don't miss going to hear Buddy Greene, the only (to my knowledge) guy to ever play harmonica in Carnegie Hall. See on You Tube.

Also highly recommended: the David Munnelly Band, The Wiyos, The Old 78s. See here for a full listing.

Lin

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 11 Aug 08 - 06:12 AM

Refresh

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Aug 08 - 01:43 PM

What advice do you old timers have for a first timer? Im driving up from Texas for the festival weekend mostly to see the Greencards My wife thinks we should get a motel room since its only a couple days, but I say bring the Boy Scout gear and camp out. I have not checked on motels yet, but would be surprised if we could find one on that weekend. Are there lots of camping places? How are camping spots assigned? How far is the camping from the stages? Thank you.

---

Please note that anonymous posting is no longer allowed at Mudcat. Use a consistent name [in the 'from' box] when you post, or your messages risk being deleted.
Thanks.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 11 Aug 08 - 02:44 PM

Guest

Motels really close are frequently booked a year in advance. The closest you can be reasonably sure of getting into may be in Wichita, about 40 or 50 miles northwest of Winfield. (Distance varies depending on whether you believe the publicists, the maps, or the odometer. Wichita is sprawled out about 20 miles wide, so location in Wichita can add some clicks on the odometer.)

At the first post in this thread, the 5th link: Official WVA website, I believe in the "Camping" section, theres a list of some "Alternatives to Camping" that some some possibles where you might find a closer one, but I'd recommend calling ahead as soon as possible to try to get a confirmed reservation if you want a hotel/motel. The list includes "alternative camping" at the County Lake about 15 miles north, but it's almost certain to be full by the time you arrive.

Camping is NOT ASSIGNED. It's first come, first planted, with the "Land Rush" to prevent anyone from getting in ahead of the crowd. A "Lineup for Landrush" starts a week earlier to decide who gets in first on Landrush morning, and you can "camp out" for up to two weeks ahead of that to try to be "early into Lineup."

If you have a tent and are reasonably self-sufficient, you can find a place to pitch a tent almost anytime, but you may have to poke about a bit and squeeze in.

There's a crude map at a subpage of Picker's Paradise that may give some idea of how things are spread out. There's no scale shown on the map; but you'll enter at the ticket booth off Highway 106 which is 7th Avenue out of Winfield. 14th Avenue is shown down toward the bottom of the map, so you can apply "seven small-town city blocks" as a dimension for the distance between those two.

The "purple" patch in the middle is the grandstand area. No vehicles (and no booze or other contraband) allowed there. Walk-in only and all persons entering will be "inspected," which may include looking in purses and any "carried items."

The green and yellow areas at top left are the regular park campground, which is equipped with numerous electrical hookups and pletiful water taps; but you're unlikely even to find a place to pitch a tent there if you arrive at the final weekend. The two "trails" that run under the bridge are "overflow" camping areas, and might have space left, technically in the "green" area.

The blue and peach areas near the bottom are in what is normally a "day park" where camping is "only during the Festival." A few electrical hookups are added and removed in the small oval, but they will be long gone. There are three water taps inside the oval, but outside it there's no immediately accessible water. You can probably carry enough water to get you through a couple of days, but bringing a good bucket (water can) is recommended.

The white area on the right (East) between Highway 106 (7th Ave) and 14th Ave isn't shown as a camp area on the map, but is being used in recent years. There is no electricity, no water, no shade, and campfires are banned there; but it's not too bad once it begins to fill up and a few RVs spread their canopies. Quite a few who were forced there in recent past years now just go there by choice.

You'll need a "camping permit" for each tent pitched. There's been an attempt to require an additional "camping permit" for each shade shelter people set up, but enforcement is "variable." Each camping permit gets you a "parking sticker" that allows one vehicle in the area for which you get the camping permit. The parking sticker does not assure you of finding a place to park in the campground, but "local arrangements" can usually squeeze in most of the people who need a vehicle close to camp. Lots of campers park in the "Day Parking" area, north of the grandstand, and walk in, or back in after they get setup, due to parking congestion in the camp areas.

How far it is to the grandstand and stages depends entirely on where you find your camping site, but do plan on doing some walking.

If you get "inside" one of the major camp areas, do watch which road you follow getting to the grandstand or to other camps. The camping area really isn't all that big, but it's "unorganized" and people have been known to get lost going back to camp, especially after dark.

John

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 11 Aug 08 - 03:10 PM

All that said, people are usually friendly and helpful to those who just want to pitch a tent. It's a huge place and upward of 18,000 (yes, eighteen THOUSAND) people camp there on the weekend of the Festival, so as John says, no matter where you find a spot, be prepared to do some walking to get to the grandstand and all the shows.

It's still the funnest thing we do all year long. [smile] Hope you make it there and enjoy the Greencards and other performers--there are some really good ones, on all four stages, not to mention some darned good pickers in the campgrounds. Go to the official website for a list and short biographies of those performing.

Lin

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Aug 08 - 04:38 PM

Wow! Thanks for the quick answer and all the info. Everyone Ive met who has been there says how awesome it is.

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Uncle Phil
Date: 12 Aug 08 - 01:15 AM

Sorcha and Wyo Woman, hope to see you next year. But, hey, if you do manage to catch a ride this year I think I know where we can score us some beers.
- Phil

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 13 Aug 08 - 05:12 AM

Refresh, as I've got just a week to finish packing and won't see comments after that.

Lin will probably go down about 1 to 2 weeks after I go, and may bring me later updates.

We'll likely also make "spot visits" back home to look in on the critters, so may be able to check in briefly at random times during the festival.

John

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 18 Aug 08 - 04:21 AM

Time to panic at our house.

The camper is partly loaded, moved to the back drive where it's more accessible than at the "storage" spot in the back yard. Except for the requirement to mow the two-foot high weeds to get to the camper, and hack a hole in the wisteria that was blocking the back door to the house, the movement was "uneventful."

The tow van, as usually, is bursting at the seams and sagging in the a** with my usual overload of "essentials." Left to load, or to organize for Lin to truck down later:

- - Her sewing table (she can take care of the sewing machine, material, threads, needles and other girly stuff).
- - Camp decorations (mostly lights we're in the habit of stringing).
- - The rumble seat for her "mobility" scooter. - necessary because tail lights are required at night in the campground, and the rear basket that I added is the only place to put them.

- - Oh yeah ... maybe an instrument or two, and I haven't picked out the pair of britches to wear for the next month.

Refrigerator turned on to cool down about an hour ago. It takes several hours to "stabilize" at safe temp when it runs off electric, and will do much better when I get parked and turn on the gas. Due to the slope in the driveway, and the necessity to "level" the camper to operate the reefer safely, the rear of the van is jacked up about two feet, so neighbors giggle when they jog past, but it should work.

Since I got such a late start packing up (almost nothing done before May 15 this year) I've got most of the repair parts to restore life to "defective and marginal" trailer systems after last year's outing; so I'll have something to do in the pre-lineup.

Some shopping to do tomorrow, largely for "perishable food" basics.

I've also barely started organizing the stuff that Lin will need to load when she comes down. The main problem is finding a place to "organize" where she won't be tripping over things before she's ready to come down, but where she absolutely will trip over them when it's time for her to load up.

Target TOA is 07:00 or slightly before, Wednesday morning for me. Lin is guessing she'll come down (to stay) about 01 Sept.

Lin suggests a warning for Bill and Deanna that Glenn (Murph/Murphy) dropped by and said he's anxious to play with them (he mentioned "in lineup"). He didn't comment on whether it's his dulcimer or his spoons he has in mind. If that merits special camouflage for the egg, let the rest of us know how to recognize it, or if you hide it from us let him know. (Plastic flamingos are still available, but does anybody make a plastic ostrich. A large bird would be a perfect and appropriate addition to the Lisk campsite, I'd think.)

Murph said that he intends to "dump his trailer" in the pre-lineup Wednesday, but will make "occasional visits" the keep an eye on things - if the jury summons he got a couple of days ago doesn't upset things. I got a similar one at about this time last year, but my doctor happily certified that I was incontipent, incontinept, inepticant. %#$@^@!! not healthy enough to participate.

John

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Uncle Phil
Date: 18 Aug 08 - 09:34 AM

I think the word you were looking for is incontinent. I'll be thinking about all the fun ya'll'll be having 'in line' for the next few weeks while I'm toiling away at the day job. We still plan to drive up on the 12th so no serious packing yet, though I'd be willing to bet real American money that Michelle is already making lists.
- Phil

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 18 Aug 08 - 11:29 AM

Uncle Phil -

She plans ahead and you don't have to start packing in March?

Lin only makes lists so she can tell me what I forgot to pack after she gets there. Documentary evidence and all that. (But I think sometimes she makes stuff up and back-dates the lists. I certainly don't remember anything I've forgot.)

I don't think "incontinent" was a word that the doc used. Winfield's only about 55 miles from the house so I don't have to leave the country, let alone the continent, even if it is a different world there.

The interesting thing was that the doc told the judge I've got problems she hadn't told me I have - and that I didn't think she'd noticed.

She explained later that "we didn't want to worry you 'till we got the serious stuff under control." Now I'm really worried. What if they're not telling me about something serious just 'cause they can't do anything about it? (There is a cure for decrepitus celeritus isn't there?)

John

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: wlisk
Date: 18 Aug 08 - 02:48 PM

Don't forget your tickets - hope there is room for them!

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 18 Aug 08 - 04:41 PM

Bill--The tickets have been packed since the day we got 'em--John just has to remember to give me mine from wherever he's got them stashed...along with some cash so I can buy groceries while he's gone, I hope.

And I could make lists till the cows come home (and do) but they don't mean a thing unless they contain something that John believes is essential. So usually I just make lists for MY stuff and try to remember to bring all that. And maybe some extra clothes for the man (he isn't kidding about the one pair of pants until I get there).

Getting downright antsy to get there, I am. See y'all soon!

Lin

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 Aug 08 - 10:31 AM

'Murph said that he intends to "dump his trailer" in the pre-lineup Wednesday, but will make "occasional visits" the keep an eye on things - if the jury summons he got a couple of days ago doesn't upset things.'


Once I had a trip to Scotland planned and the airline tickets bought. Then I got a jury summons for the same time. I called the office and they said, 'No problem. We'll take your name out and call you some other time. Thanks for calling!'

So much for all those rumors that you absolutely can't get out of jury service.


Have fun at the festival.

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 Aug 08 - 11:54 AM

Leenia -

In most places in the US the rumors are pretty much true. It's impossible to generalize, since the real situation is different for each court, and may vary from county to county, or even city precinct to precinct.

Here, where Murphy is affected, there are a very few statutory "excuses," that can be applied simply by presenting authoritative and credible statements that the specific causes apply - such as that you are "medically unsuited to perform jury service" as my doctor affirmed.

The judge here may excuse anyone else, but is not required to do so for any reason not listed in the jury rules of the specific court's jurisdiction. "Vacation plans" would not typically qualify for quick consideration and a rapid excusing of the victim potential juror here, although there is a mechanism for asking.

Even to present a reason for wanting to be excused often requires an appearance when the jury pool is assembled, where the judge may consider excuses. In a worst case, regardless of "excuse," the potential juror may have to wait "until called for examination" when a plausible argument may cause one of the attorneys to request that the judge excuse the juror "for cause." It's not uncommon for a potential juror to be required to sit in the "jury pool" area for a week, and never be called to serve on a jury - and never get an opportunity to ask to be excused. It's also not extremely rare for a prospective juror who offers an "unacceptable" objection to be threatened with contempt of court and a night or two in jail.

Your experience really is no cause for optimism here. What matters more here is which judge presides and what kind of day(s) (s)he's been having - - - and how many others have offered "lame excuses" before yours gets viewed.

John

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 Aug 08 - 03:27 PM

Surely it's worth one phone call. It certainly was in my case. I was excused even before setting foot in the courtroom.

In any event, I was going to face whatever penalties they dished out rather than cancel my trip.

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 Aug 08 - 06:55 PM

leenia -

Glenn's a big boy, and he's got the number to call if he wants to. He's almost as old as I am and maybe at least half as cute. He may be even better than me at the sweet talkin' - but I don't know if he intends to ask to be excused from the jury.

One thing in favor of him not having quite the usual difficulty, if he wants to try to opt out, is that he's apparently in a "standby pool." If he doesn't try to make arrangements to be excused, he has to call in, sometimes several days in a row, to see if they've used up the primary pool and then has a day to make arrangements to go in if his pool ( I think there may be more than one of "standbys") is needed.

Since he doesn't actually wait in line for the festival - just dumps his trailer and goes home until the fest actually starts - he has a couple of weeks to argue with them and could still make it to the festival when he needs to be there unless he's assigned to a jury that starts trial soon and runs more than a few days.

If he gets his trailer in line on 21 August, he doesn't need to be back there until 06 Sept to get his official "lineup position," and then has to be there 11 Sept to get his camping spot in the Landrush. Then the actual festival starts 17 Sept and runs through the weekend.

John

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Bill D
Date: 19 Aug 08 - 07:17 PM

If anyone loses their ticket, they can have mine. Who knows, it might be a collectors item!

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 Aug 08 - 08:59 PM

Bill D - I'll admit it's the oldest one I've seen.

The problem with it being a collectible is that the only people much interested in those kinds of collections are the ones who've been there, and they've all got their own collections. (Scars, rashes, and huge stashes of outrageous lies, mostly?)

John

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Bill D
Date: 20 Aug 08 - 01:17 PM

Yep...I have a few of those, too!( and a few outrageous truths!)

Some where, I 'think' I have a ticket from the first one, where they issued tickets for individual days. I taped mine to my autoharp case, and removed the previous....so the one I had saved was from Sunday. It finally came loose, and I stashed it away with the one I posted...I thought.

I think there were only a couple thousand that 1st year, and I had #900 or so.

The 2nd year, I talked it up and several friends came down with me. I gotta find the slides of those years and get them converted to JPEGs.

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 20 Aug 08 - 01:57 PM

When I dug out my old photos a few years ago, they were starting to fade so badly that I just scanned them all and shredded the originals. A fair percent of them are on our "camp site" at http://waterhole.smugmug.com/.

I believe pics there through 2004 and some of the 2005 were originally film. There are a couple of years when I took fewer pictures, and they apparently got misplaced so there are a couple of "blank" years. (Having nothing to do with my participation in the festivities, of course.)

There were several photos in the early years that looked - and scanned - as blank black rectangles, but that Photoshop Elements pulled fairly decent pictures out of. If I'd know a little bit about how to drive PE back then they migh have looked even better, but even if they didn't look better it would have been a lot easier.

Growth of the WVA festival was pretty slow in the early years, since it was known almost exclusively by the local college/juco students (and a few of their boyfriends at other nearby schools). They had to graduate, spread out, and form clusters of drunken/drinkin' buddies^** to drag into it. They didn't reach critical mass and start to grow rapidly until ca 1985 - '90(?) or so - based on how hard it suddenly became to snag the good camp spots (personal observation, FWIW).

** Someone once tried to bet that more than half of the first-timers in the early years "came with a nurse" on their first trip. My first group had four nurses, one drug dealer (really - a legit professional) and a couple of bartenders. The local Winfield college did train (or at least start) lots of RNs and LPNs.

John

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 21 Aug 08 - 03:29 PM

Well, John's off to the wilds of Winfield, dragging the camper and half the house with him. He called this morning (hey! the cell phones work there now!) to tell me he's parked, hooked up, and having his first beer, so things are going well. Wow, the house is sure quiet though... I expect to hear from him again in a couple of days, with a list of the rest of the things I'm supposed to bring when I go on Sept. 1st.

He says there are about 300 campers in "line" so far. They're separating the groups into Walnut Grove and Pecan Grove this year, which may help at Land Rush.

Bill D., if you find your ticket, for gosh sakes, frame the thing! And hang it on a wall where people will notice, so you can tell them all your outrageous lies (and some of the truths). Half the fun of wearing a Winfield tee-shirt is having people ask you, "where's Winfield?" so you can tell 'em what they're missing.

Lin

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Aug 08 - 06:40 PM

Lin...one outrageous 'lie' is the Winfield Festival tee-shirt a local (Wash DC) friend found for me in a thrift store several years ago. It is from 1989, and above the logo, in red letters, it says 'CREW'.

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 23 Aug 08 - 03:58 AM

Bill, that's too cool! Treasure that shirt; there likely weren't a whole bunch of them in 1989!

John told me today that he was on his way to a jam with some friends just down the road. I am jealous. Only a couple of weeks and another 100 pages, and I'll be there too. Can't wait.

Lin

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Art Thieme
Date: 23 Aug 08 - 07:52 PM

The slides I took at Winfield (the good ones anyway), plus the rest of my folk scene slides, are all now ensconced at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.

Once again, I wilkl not to be there with y'all. Have a fine time.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Sorcha
Date: 23 Aug 08 - 10:01 PM

Hee hee....Mr has a whole BUNCH of Winfield shirts that say CREW...they lie too. His mom gave them to him. She IS CREW!

Sure wish we were going but I have dogs to take care of. 'Should' be down to just 3 by that weekend but still......

My 'best' camping spot in the early years was my HOME....315 West 14th. Just 3 blocks from the 'dike' and Pecan Grove! Hell, in the early years we could sit on the front porch and listen to the music and get high just from the drifing smoke from the fairgrounds.....Oh, sorry. Right, we didn't 'do' that stuff, did we?????

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Tom James
Date: 24 Aug 08 - 02:56 PM

Hi John. I'm new to the cafe, still learning the ropes. Where are you from in Kansas? I don't run into too many other bones and spoons players around Wichita.

Way too long since Mr. Thieme has been around. Please come back sometime.

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Uncle Phil
Date: 25 Aug 08 - 01:10 AM

Tom -
John's not snubbing you. He's already camped out on the fairgrounds in Winfield, most likely with no internet access.
- Phil

Glen Murphy(left)on Dulcimer

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 25 Aug 08 - 04:09 PM

Art, we sure wish you were feeling well enough to come to the Festival again. It would be a treat and an honor to meet you. We will think of you often while raising hell the next three weeks.

Tom, sorry I didn't get back to you sooner! Phil's right; John's been camped out at Winfield for a week already, and though his computer's there, he's got no Internet (withdrawals are imminent).

Phil's photo shows Glen, who is from Newton KS, and plays one heck of a set of spoons in addition to his dulcimer. John and I are from Wichita. If you are too, do you know about the Monday night jams at Old Chicago Restaurant on Kellogg East? They play lots of Irish and folk, and Glen is usually there with dulcie and spoons. All listeners and most players are welcome!

Also, don't know if you've ever been to the Festival, but Winfield is a great place to meet players of all kinds of instruments, including cicadas (yes, I mean the bugs).

Sorcha, of course we never did that stuff. That's why we're all old, gray, wrinkled, and tired today!

Phil, looking forward to seeing you and Michele there! John and I BOTH got new cameras this last year, but he still says you cheat and take pictures in the daylight...gotta do something about that weird streak of yours.

Working madly to get my proof job finished so I can go out there and stay,

Lin

Subject: RE: WVA 2008 - Winfield Festival
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 30 Aug 08 - 03:01 PM

DONE! Out to Winfield for the duration, except quick trips back (like today) to feed the Brat Cats.

Hope to see a bunch of ya out in the Pecan Grove makin' music. (Or whatever...) There are about 300-400 campers, RVs, invisible blue tarps, fifth wheels, etc. parked out there waiting for Land Rush on Thursday, Sept. 11th.

Lin