My first music festival was just a few miles outside of the town I went to school in and it was being thrown by a fantastic guy who helped coach our individual speech teams in high school, Hippie Bill. I believe it was the first year that events were being held at Hidden Acres Music Farm, and it was the last event of the year: Fall Frolic Festival. At that time in life, I was fresh out the mental hospital and pretty fragile. I was still depressed, unsure what to do with my life, unsure who I wanted to be or how I would ever be happy (you know, typical 19 year old stuff!) I saw a posting on Facebook about a contest for free tickets to the festival, so I entered and won 2 "VIP passes".
I gave one ticket to a friend, bought one ticket for a friend, and then loaded up a tent and a bag of chips and a bottle of water and got in the car, having absolutely no idea what to expect.
When I got to Hidden Acres, I experienced a huge deal of culture shock. There were women running around in tutus with wings and bells on, shirtless men with long hair, beards, tie dye and face paint. There were children handing out flowers and giving people hugs. Each time we passed a stranger, we were greeted with hugs and smiles, with "welcome homes" and "have fun's". An entire flock of people put up our tent and then pranced off into the cornfields. For someone who grew up in a small community, being universally hated and mistreated, sticking out like a sore thumb, it was wild.
I remember wandering around the grounds over and over. I walked past the stages and the food/jewelry/clothing vendors. I didn't care about the music or the entertainment, I just wanted to see more of these people---my people. I remember thinking, "Oh my god, my fellow freaks!! Where have you been my whole life?!"
Eventually, I kind of settled into the experience. Being that I have always been anxious and socially awkward, I didn't go out of my way to make friends or even talk to people, really. I had a few conversations throughout the night, but mostly I just wandered around in awe, trying to take everything in. I ventured through fairy and pirate themed camps, sitting down when I found a fire surrounded by other quiet contemplatives.
It was the first time I'd ever experienced a sense of belonging. I'd never, ever felt like I'd had a place or a tribe before, but as I looked around at all the free-spirits, freaks, hippies, gypsies and flower children, it occurred to me that THIS was exactly what I had been searching for.
I remember trying to go to sleep that first night. My friends and I laid in the tent giggling hysterically for hours. We developed a closeness and bond that I don't think we would have been able to discover otherwise; it was just kind of understood that it was where we all belonged.
After that I was hooked. I became a regular at Hidden Acres, volunteering every chance I could. I still felt a bit out of my element, but I knew with absolute certainty that I belonged there.
More of my friends started trekking out to the festivals and suddenly we had transformed from a group of friends to a family. Instead of hanging out and watching a movie, we were building fires together, cooking together, going on road trips, dancing and playing together. We were gathering in this beautiful place with beautiful people, finally realizing that without judgment we could be whoever we wanted. We were opening our minds, learning about new religions and philosophies and ways to identify ourselves. We got to learn about each other and ourselves in the safest, freest place I've found (in the Midwest, that is. Perspective, people.)
Even now, though it's been almost 2 years since I last went to a festival, I see the lasting effects of this lifestyle all around me: it's in the music I listen to, the books I read, the art that I enjoy, the people I relate to, the friends that I have, the activities I enjoy. In fact, I owe Hidden Acres a huge debt of gratitude because that's where my husband proposed to me--it was a safe place for us to be open and vulnerable with each other when our relationship was still new and unsure. Had things turned out differently, we would have been married there....
But that's a story for a different day.
I have so much love in my heart for those immortal summers at Hidden Acres, and I owe so much of who I am to the path I started down at Fall Frolic 2008. If there was a time in my life I could go back to, that would be it.....
I'm so glad I got the chance to experience it.
And that's where I first met you. ;) Also, I remember when you two got engaged...I was so happy to hear it!
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