When you think of the word vacation what do you think? Well, most stereotypical white collar families, on hearing the word vacation, are drawn to memories of vacations past. Whether it be white sandy beaches, a cabin in the mountains, or maybe that Christmas trip you took to go home and visit your family each one of these is a great example of a vacation. Now for me vacation is.. Well, vacation is an ESCAPE. It’s an opportunity to free yourself from the mundane activities of your day to day. It’s a chance for you to do something that makes you happy. For me, that’s Wakarusa.
Now a true festival goer on reading this is probably thinking, “how the hell can you compare something like a family vacation or a trip to the beach to something as life changing as a festival?” A festival is in fact all of those things, and not only those but so much more. Wakarusa is not just a trip or a simple vacation to me, it is my yearly escape. And just like a trip i get to venture out of my Atlanta home and up towards breathtakingly beautiful Mullberry Mountain.
Ok ok, so at this point you feel me on the whole traveling aspect of a vacation but I haven’t related a family vacation to a festival yet. Well thats just it, when i go home to see my family I go home. And not to be cliche but ‘home is where the heart is’ right? And my heart belongs at a festival. And not only that, when i go “home” i do go to see my family. Every single person on that Mountain becomes my family for the weekend. We’re all friendly, with positive energies, and a constant mentality to be kind to your fellow man. If you ask me thats more than I can say about the rest of the world as well as some of the people I’m related to by blood.
But my love for festivals is not my only reasoning behind why I should be chosen to blog about Wakarusa, it’s also my passion for music. From my teenage years of playing in punk,rock, reggae bands to my current involvement in the Atlanta electronic music scene I have completely immersed myself in a music based lifestyle. From the moment I wake up to the moment i return to dreamland there is music in my head, in my headphones, in my speakers, on my desk as I drum with my fingers. And I love all music, but specifically a lot of the music that will be happening at Wakarusa. The same tunes that’ll be on the Mountain are the ones keepin my toes tappin back home.
But when all this is said and done, lets be realistic. I’m sure theres boatloads of other people that loves festivals. And im sure theres thousands of other people that love the Waka line up as much as I do if not more so. But what I think sets me apart from the rest is not just my love for music, art, and festivals but also my love for writing. I will be finishing my college career Spring of 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. I have always wanted to have an opportunity to share my experiences that I feel so strongly about at festivals with the rest of the world. This could be my chance to do just that. I truly believe that I could capture the essence of Wakarusa in pen and paper. If given this opportunity I will not let a single reader down. If you’ve never been to Wakarusa with my stories I hope to put you right there next to me listening as Edwarde Sharpe’s “Home.” Or with my words I will paint the most perfect picture of the wicked lights at the satellite stage. And if you were up there on the Mount with me, when you get home and you want to reminisce the morning you and your friends spent down by the river, I want the chance for you to read my tales and see that you and I shared the same relief when you first got in the water to escape the heat and how good it felt when you finally dunked your head under the water.
Alright, so lets recap..
1.) Festivals are awesome.
2.) Wakarusa is… WAKARUSA!!!!!!!!
3.) I dig music.
4.) The pen is mightier.
5.) pick me and I wont let ya down.
Patrick Toney (scribble)
