Old Blog Stories
December, 2010
It's winter and really crappy outside, but I know that many of you like the "White Christmas" theme. On that note, I would just like to say, I'll take a green, warm Christmas any day. I know, I know, I'm a bah humbug. But as most of you know, I hate the cold. You can't go outside without freezing your keester off, the roads are terrible and there are no festivals in Michigan, unless you like driving on bad roads and freezing your keester off, then you could go up to "Tip Up Town" at Houghton Lake or some other Winter Festival where the main theme is frozen extremities.. Maybe some day Josh will get some real heat in the Volkzy and then the Festival Fanatics could actually go somewhere int he winter, but I don't think that's happening any time soon. He does have a gas heater, but carbon monoxide tends to give me a headache. So I'll just sit here at my computer and dream of the summer and where we will be going next year.
As you know, Festival Fanatics started off with just something fun to do in the summer, but turned into more as this blog testifies. Last summer was just a trial for us. Josh and I thought that we could check out some cool places and see how things go and then really start the blog next year. Well we made it to four festivals last year and got our feet wet and learned some things along the way and met some interesting people. We partied (I hate using that word as a verb) and celebrated and drank a little too much on several occasions, but this year, we are going to get down to business. We are going to get some sponsors and back-stage passes and really interview people and gather some interesting stories.
We figure with advertising and sponsors we should be able to make enough money to pay for our trips. That would be awesome. But we also want to create something that people will enjoy reading. Maybe even turn some people into Festival Fanatics themselves. By the way, if you ever want to ride along on one of our adventures, just shoot me an e-mail at festivalfanatics@yahoo.com. We can't take everybody along, but we would like to let as many people as we can carry go with us and experience what we experience. Michigan festivals are fun and very entertaining and I know most people have just experienced the local festivals like Lapeer Days, Mayville Sunflower Festival, Cheeseburger Festival and so on, but there is nothing like camping out for 2-3 days and experiencing the full Monty. The trip to the festival is always fun too. As the mouse story will attest to.
What is the mouse story? I may have told a few of you about it, but basically it goes like this: Me, Josh and my brother JR were heading to the Wheatland Festival, which I will be writing about next year, and on the way we discovered a stowaway. JR was riding in the back of the Mystery Machine and Josh was driving and we are talking about "whatever" and all of a sudden JR lets out a shriek. I spun around in my seat and said "what the hell." He blurted out that a mouse was climbing up his arm and he slapped it off of him. "We have to find the damn thing because I'm not sleeping in this van with a mouse," I said. Jr said it must have been in his sleeping bag or something or maybe it got in when the van was parked in the pole barn at Josh's house. "Look around for it. Do you see it anywhere?" I'm pretty much freaking out at this point, but it was hilarious. JR re-hashed the story again telling us about feeling something crawling up his arm and seeing the mouse's little beady eyes staring up at him and then freaking out and slapping it off his arm. Me and Josh were cracking up and I went to slap myself on the knee and guess what? The friggin' mouse was on my knee! He's like just chillin' there and saying in his little squeaky mouse voice "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"
Well in the calmest manner that I could muster, I reached down and coaxed the little fellow in the palm of my hand and gently stroked his furry little head... Yeah right. I screamed like a little girl and side-slapped it off my leg. I looked down and he was running around below the door where the little step thingy was indented into the body of the van. I stomped and stomped him with my shoe. Missing him every time. "Stop the damn van Josh," I yelled frantically never missing a beat as I kept stomping the mouse on the floor. "Just open the door and kick it out," Josh laughed as he slowed down to about 60 mph. I opened the door as much as I could at that speed and went to kick him out but the mouse stood at attention, saluted me and yelled "Geronimo" and jumped out of the van committing suicide kamikaze-style. When we reached our destination, we had a short service at our campsite. JR played "Taps" on his guitar, I sang "Amazing Grace" and Josh did the eulogy. We're gonna miss you Micky.
I wish we would have had a video camera going because it was freaking hilarious. Josh and I plan on installing a camera in the van so that we can capture those little moments. It would be cool to post the video here instead of just writing about it.
Well, I hope that you all enjoyed the story. Me and Josh wish the very best for all of our followers and look forward to sharing some interesting stories with you as The Festival Fanatics hit the road again.
From the back roads,
Tim
December 2010
Dear friends, followers, and sponsors.
I wanted to take an opportunity to wish all of you a merry Christmas, and happy holidays for all. Christmas in Michigan is the most wonderful of holidays with the white snow, green Christmas trees, colorful lights, and if you're lucky a little mistletoe. It is the time of year where we find ourselves busy moving about preparing for the holiday season and when I find myself reflecting back on the year and appreciating all the blessings that I 've received. This has been an extraordinary year with Tim and I begining our travels with the bus and attempting to create Festival Fanatics.
With the festival and camping season drawing to a close, I like to take stock in the wonderful people that surround me and enjoy the chance to celebrate Christmas with them. I'm so busy all year long that even when I am around friends and family, I'm not "really" around. Festival Fanatics takes me far from home but I remember that I'm not far from my roots and remembering family and friends always makes me feel like I am coming home. The opportunity to share some time with siblings, nieces and nephews, friends and extended family is the most rewarding part of the Christmas season for me.
In the rest of this post you will find that I have a slightly opposing view to that of my couragous counterpart. Winter to me is a time of exciting outdoor activities that make Michigan even more unique and enjoyable. While I will agree that travel can be sometimes laborious and even"crappy," it is well worth it when you have arrived in the company of fellow Michiganders embracing the winter season.
Perhaps the differences in our opinions concerning winter exposure is partially because of a difference in heritage. Tim, while a long time Michigan resident has ties to a warmer southern Kentucky climate. Moreover, perhaps the difference in opinion towards Michigan's winter activities is something that comes with age (Tim's age that is). Whatever our differences may be I am excited about the events that lay ahead of us in the Michigan winter and I am looking forward to reviewing those events for you on this site. I am sure Tim will enjoy these events as well. After all when I hog-tie him and throw him in the van his choices are limited.
One of the most artistic and interesting festivals we will be attending is Zenders Snow fest in Frankenmuth. This festival is a competition of artists creating some of the "coolest" ice and snow sculptures you will find anywhere. This top-notch snow sculpting event is one of the best in North America. Another great festival that should be embraced by all Michiganders is "Tip up Town" at Houghton Lake. This is Michigan's largest winter festival and I have already promised Tim that we will make it there and back with all his "extremities" intact. It's best in Michigan to have a little extra body fat for winter festivals and we definitely are prepared in that respect. The other recommended "bio-wear" is a good full-face beard. The full-face beard keeps you warm and allows you to fit right in at Petosky's winter blues festival. Who knows, maybe we can even win the prize for growing the best beard (I hope it is not a candle-lit dinner with a female contestant in this contest).
At any rate, there won't be much curling up and getting cabin fever for us. We won't just be waiting for the green grass of summer to motivate our spirits to travel. Now that we have sponsors and advertisers on our web site we're excited about introducing ourselves and all of you to the world of festivals that await us. We hope to hear from you in the coming year on our guest blog or by email to Tim at festivalfanatics. Write and tell us about festivals you have attended or festivals you want us to attend. @yahoo.com
In the beginning this endeavor was just a way for us to have some summer fun. However, after meeting the artists and the enthusiasts at each of these festivals over the last couple of years, I'm glad that Tim came aboard to create an organization that promotes the arts and artists that make America great. For a long time it has been a dream of mine to endorse, support and publicize the arts. As a person with little artistic ability myself, I envy those who possess talent and hope that Festival Fanatics will provide exposure for artists of all types.
With that, I leave you with "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night." Stay tuned for more reviews and insights of our travels. Be safe, and remember we are all in this together.
Merry Christmas and Happy holidays,
Josh
August 2010
Bay City Pig Gig
I hate writing these when the event took place so long ago. My memory isn't what it used to be, but here goes.
As most of you know, my girl friend of five years dumped me this past summer and I was heart broken to say the least. All that I wanted to do was sit around the house and be depressed. I didn't want to see or speak to anyone, but I was fortunate that I had my sister Jenienne and her son Isaiah and Josh to help me through it. Thanks guys. You'll never know how much you helped me.
Anyway, Josh wanted to go to the Labadie Pig Gig up in Bay City. I tried to come up with a dozen excuses not to go, but Josh wouldn't let me back out, so go I did. The Pig Gig is held the first weekend in August at Bay City's Veteran Memorial Park along the river. I had heard about the Pig Gig on WHNN for years, but never had an inkling to go to it, as I said though Josh insisted. So Friday night he came by in the Mystery Machine and picked me up and off we went. As I said, all I wanted to do was stay home and pout. Josh knew that wasn't healthy for me so he threatened to do me great bodily harm if I didn't go. Now, I'm pretty sure that I could take Josh, but I still remember the story he told me of how he jumped over a counter and pinned a scrap dealer that wasn't gong to pay him up against the wall, so I thought I'd better not piss off the Jew in him (Josh is 1/4 Jewish. he says that's why he's so good at selling, but I digress).
The ride up to Bay City was uneventful. Josh drove as usual and I did my best to keep him awake and keep from having a heart attack. Anyone that knows Josh knows that he has a sleep apnea problem and would tend to drive the mystery machine with his eyes closed. Because of this problem, I invented some "awake" words that I yell at Josh while he is driving. Such as, BRAKE LIGHTS!, STOP SIGN!, RED LIGHT!, BIG ASS TRUCK! I would yell out these words whenever it looked like Josh wasn't going to stop in time. He would snap to and always say "yeah I see it" but I knew damn well he was taking a cat nap. "Your freakin' eyes were closed," I would yell at him and then he'd say "I just wanted to see if you were paying attention." I never realized how important the role of navigator and Josh keeper-awaker was until the Pig Gig trip. We made it there and back without incident though.
As we drove to Bay City we discussed some add-ons for the van. We talked about getting a dash cam to record all of our lively banter because we say some pretty funny stuff when we're on a trip, but I usually can't recall it when I sit down to write about it. I want to be able to post video of our trips for all to enjoy. Of course I'll edit out the boring stuff. We also talked about mounting a table for the lap top in the dash on the passenger side so that I could write about events as they occur. That would be awesome. The story would probably start off very legible and coherent and then gradually get unreadable as the day progressed. That's because Josh is always twisting my arm to drink alcoholic beverages with him when I don't really want to, like at the Wheatland Festival (story coming soon). He made me drink a whole half gallon of Captain Morgan's Long Island Ice Tea. I didn't want to, but it was there and so...
We arrived in Bay City with our usual level of preparedness...we both realized that we had no idea where the Pig Gig was being held. At a traffic light, we asked some guy who looked like he may know (how we determined that I'll never know). He told us how to get to Veterans Memorial Park and we eventually made it, only making one wrong turn. Which reminds me...in the mystery machine, wrong turns are no problem for Josh. He generally whips the vehicle in such a tight circle when doing a u-turn that my face is plastered up against the side window and all the crap on the dash (cigarettes, lighter, sunglasses, etc...) come flying off and become dangerous projectiles. One time on this trip, we were doing about 45 mph down a four-lane highway when Josh realized we were going the wrong way and without batting an eye he whipped into an alley just wide enough for the van to pass through (if I would have had my arm hanging out the window, this blog would be harder to write one-handed) and buzzed through a parking lot without ever slowing down. The hand grip located above my head that I usually hold onto until my knuckles turn white is practically torn off because of these little episodes. Oh yeah, and did I mention that the seat belt won't fit around me so I never wear it. I only have it hooked around the arm rest so it looks like I have one on. I have since made sure that I carry lots of blood pressure medicine and Zoloft with me because I'm usually a nervous wreck by the time we arrive at our destination. Josh however, is just as calm as could be (if he was any more calmer, he'd be asleep).
Once we arrived at the park, we had to find a place to park. We ended up parking about 30 miles from the entrance (I exaggerate. It was only 20 miles). We found a spot and prepared ourselves mentally for what we were about to partake in. When our beers were gone, we walked the railroad tracks to the entrance and paid our ten bucks to enter the park. I couldn't believe that there was actually a guy standing outside the gate scalping tickets. Who would do that? I guess entrepreneurs can be found at any venue.
Once inside, the smell of barbecue was overwhelming. We decided to have a few more beers, so we went to the beer tent and bought some tickets to purchase beer. I bought twenty bucks worth and got each of us a 16-ouncer. All that they had was Miller Lite...not a big fan, always gives me a head ache. As we stood at the back of the tent listening to the music, we were amazed at the number of women that were there. But Josh and I figured hitting on them would be a useless pursuit. The music was really loud and distorted. I found out later the music was being performed by Taylor Hicks. I don't know. I know he was on American Idle (spelled that way intentionally), but I wasn't really impressed with his music.
After we downed our beer, we set off through the crowd scoping out the chicks. We saw a couple of nice looking women, but we soon gave up on the idea of hooking up and focused on the task at hand...just having a good time. We found a giant pig (not one of the women) and took a photo of Josh standing by it. Walking around near all of the food vendors made us very hungry so, we walked back to the beer tent and bought another couple of beers and then decided to buy some barbecue. There were a lot of barbecue vendors to choose from and we settled on Famous Dave's because the line was shorter. Mmmmm what a good choice.
After stuffing ourselves with barbecue,, we felt like we had to walk it off, so we decided to go back to the van and drink some more beer. Once there, I parked my ass in the passenger seat and settled in for a little nap. Josh wouldn't stop talking so I didn't get my nap. We talked about girl friends and philosophies of life and I began to feel better about my situation. Josh can be quite the therapist when he wants to be and that's why I value his friendship so much (when he starts getting metaphysical though, he freaks me out). Josh has always said that riding in the Volksy was very therapeutic and I never really understood until then. Just the thought of being out in the great outdoors doing what we want when we want was very liberating. I really began to not miss my girlfriend so much.
Josh wanted to go back into the festival and listen to some more music, but I was incapacitated. Something happened to me that I can't explain, but it was like I was in a trance...I couldn't function at all....all that I wanted to do was sit there and watch all the people streaming out of the gate after Taylor Hicks quit singing. Josh kept pestering me to come on and go back in and I kept telling him that I needed a few minutes to collect my thoughts. It was a very chronic situation. Eventually we decided that the barbecue was gong to be the highlight of the night anyway so we decided to leave. I don't think the short amount of time that we were there was enough time to take in all that the Pig Gig had to offer, but we decided to leave anyway and head to Mayville and do some much needed karaoke at the lounge.We've since decided not to eat too early at these festivals because it makes us (me) too lethargic. Going to the Mayville lounge was definitely an anticlimax. We got to Mayville around 9 or 10 and there was only a few cars in the parking lot. So, we headed for home.
Josh and I give the Pig Gig two thumbs up for the incredible food that was available. The barbecue was world class, but neither of us feel comfortable rating the overall festival because we weren't there long enough to offer a good review. We'll definitely go back next year once we are more experienced at doing this and try it again. I would recommend the Pig Gig to anyone who likes good food, music, a big crowd and lots of beer (damn I went home with six beer tickets in my pocket...wonder if they'll use the same ones next year).
From the back roads,
Tim
August, 2010
Some History
What Tim says about this being my idea and that his writing skills bring all this together is absolutely true. My actual idea however was to write and promote a book. What Tim forgot to mention is that when this opportunity revealed itself to me, I realized that this project was bigger than myself. So as I have always done in the past, I attempted to find the best people available to help accomplish the task that lay before me. The blog idea came about when Tim and I attended the Cow Pie Festival when our camping neighbors suggested that we start a blog. Tim and I began discussing the notion and the possibilities that a blog would bring to the table and as they say....the rest is history.
There are others who are partners behind the scenes that make it possible for Tim and I to go to and fro so carelessly. Our engineering staff at Infinity Roll Form helps develop new and innovative ways for us to “lighten our load” and condense space. They also help produce some of the gadgetry that we use and they have saved us a ton of money by making things that we need instead of us having to go out and buy them.
Chief midnight mechanic and alternative energy engineer Mike Miller is always hard at work improving our fuel efficiency and prolonging our ability to be self sustaining and free of the electric grid, as that many of the places that we visit have no electrical hook-ups.
The idea of traveling around to various festivals and events was not where this project originally started. It began with the idea of just taking off and telling about my experiences. However, as I traveled I found that more and more people wanted to come along. I began to fill the bus and watch people have a good time at places they never even knew existed. I watched them walk away from each trip enlightened to a new way of life and with a better understanding of the subculture they had been exposed to. Time and time again I heard “look at them, they're having fun, and not worrying about anything.” That seems to be a repetitive theme of the people that follow us, or that we take along, which is an important part of what this project is all about.
This project was meant to make people understand that life can be enjoyed and lived fully on less than a 5 digit salary. We say that you do not need to have a lot of toys or a million bucks to see the world and that the saying “I wish I could do that” is only in your head, because whatever your means, you can still see the world....and trust me the view is sometimes breathtaking.
All this inspiration began with three people on the side of a city street back in 2001. I had contracted a landscaping job with Don Morey. I had met with him and his wife to talk about designing the landscaping for the front of his studio that he created out of the church. Don while a native to North Branch, had recently moved back to town and had purchased the old Lutheran church on Jefferson Street just south of the downtown district. Don is an artist by trade and an extremely talented musician.
Don being of a great hippie spirit and myself a being a true Jew, we agreed upon a price for the job that would also include a 1972 Volkswagon Westfalia, subject to inspection by my brother who was a possible purchaser of the machine. Everything worked out well. I landscaped, Don paid, and my brother bought the van and stored it at his house telling his frustrated wife that it was mine and that he was storing it for me.
It didn’t take her long to figure out that the Volkswagon was not mine (could have been the missing check in her check book) and she forced him to sell it to me.
Along with the landscaping job came two great relationships. Don became a very good friend and I had the fortune of meeting his daughter Erin. Erin at the time was a total free spirit and a great person to have fun with. I was divorced and living alone at the time and through a series of events had a new roommate as Erin needed a place to stay. The stay worked out well, and for a year and half I had a great travel partner, friend, and resident artist.
Time moves on as it always does and new circumstances made it impossible for Erin and me to share the same home or our traditional breakfast of mimosa in the solarium, so ways led to ways and we traveled different roads. However, the Volkswagon was still mine and the modest traveling lifestyle I had learned from my friends Don and Erin was still strong in my blood so I set forth on adventure after adventure finding new horizons to enjoy......JOSH
August 2010
Elvis Fest
As many of my friends and family know, I'm a huge Elvis fan. Every year, in Ypsilanti, MI, the Michigan Elvis Fest (MEF) is held usually in July. MEF is one of four Elvis Presley Enterprises-sanctioned festivals in the nation. This year the festival was held July 9 & 10. Situated on the beautiful banks of the Huron River in historic Depot Town, the MEF is definitely a must-do for any Elvis fan or for anyone that likes to party for that matter. The festival features many of the best Elvis Tribute Artists from around the country as well as some artists that do tributes to other entertainers like Johnny Cash (Josh's favorite) and Tom Jones.
This was my third and Josh's 2nd trip to Elvis Fest. We loaded up the volksy with all the essentials, beer and ......uh.....hmmm....can't think of anything else...oh yeah I did buy a lighter on the way down also. My sister Jenienne went along for the ride even though she's not an Elvis fan. She does like to party however. She road in the back and drank her Miller Lite all the way to the festival (since the volksy is registered as a camper, you can have an open container in the vehicle as long as the driver is not drinking..or so Josh says any way). It's about a two hour drive from Lapeer to MEF. Take I-69 to US 23 south to I 94 east. The park is located at 10 E Cross Street in Ypsy.
The festival is held on Friday 5 PM to midnight and on Saturday 11 AM to midnight. I've been to MEF on Friday night and on Saturday. I think the festival is more family-oriented on Saturday. Friday seems to be a little rowdier. Since we don't camp for Elvis Fest, we usually make a day trip out of it. I went to my first MEF four years ago with my two brothers Bruce and J.R. and we went on a Friday night after work. It was a rockin' good time, except for when my brother J.R. fell on an Elvis Fester and burned her with his cigarette and broke her lawn chair. During the festival that year they were serving guitar-shaped beer decanters that held about 2 1/2 beers. My brother, who loves guitars, drank about 6 of them. Thanks to Chris, our designated driver that night.
Anyway, back to this year. Josh and I decided to go down on Saturday and spend the day. We left around noon and got there in abut 2 1/2 hours. It took a little longer this time because we made a wrong turn and my stupid GPS wasn't working. But we made it and parked in a church parking lot. Parking has never been an issue for the three years that I've attended. You can park on the streets or in the empty church parking lot as we did. We decided to drink one beer at the van to help get us in the mood (is that sacrilegious?) and then we walked about a block and a half to the park. The festival was already under way and we could hear the Elvis tribute artist barking out "Hound Dog" as we walked.
Tickets are $15.00 on Friday night and $25.00 per person for all day Saturday. Make sure you take lawn chairs because seating is not provided. But please be considerate to other Elvis fans and don't block other people's view with big beach umbrellas like the lady that sat in front of us did. After purchasing our tickets, we went immediately to the beer tent. You must purchase tickets for $5.00 each to purchase beer in a 16 oz cup (no guitars this year) and you can carry your beer anywhere in the park without being busted by the beer cops. We then walked around and checked out the various vendor tents.
Vendors sell mostly Elvis memorabilia. I spent about $100.00 on a lighter, a key chain and a T-shirt adorned with the likeness of the king. I bought my Elvis sunglasses last year and forgot to take them, damn it but just about every vendor sold them for anywhere from $8.00 to $15.00 (same glasses). Prices for items weren't bad, but they do not have enough big size T-shirts and I had to buy one that really wasn't my first choice because it was the only 3XL they had. I buy 3XL because no matter what the T-shits are made of, they always shrink and I can't wear them anymore. I think I'll start a T-Shirt company called "Chubbys" and market to all the big guys in the world like myself. Jenienne bought some "Love Me Tender" boxers. I thought they were cool (on her, but not for me). Josh bought a T-shirt, some TCB glasses and an Elvis "Aloha From Hawaii" bead necklace with a likeness of the king attached to it (they are now hanging from the rear view mirror of the Mystery Machine).
After purchasing our treasures, we went to sit down and enjoy the show. The pictures I took weren't that great because we were so far from the stage and I was taking them with my cell phone. But Josh took some really good pictures that I'll post soon. The tribute artists were pretty good although none of them sound or look just like the king. I have never been to a real Elvis concert, so I close my eyes and imagine it is the real thing when I listen to them. Some artists are pretty passable, while others aren't that good. One artist stands out in my mind. He is the only African-American tribute artist I have ever heard. His name is Robert Washington from Maine. If you follow the link I've posted for MEF, he is featured on the home page.
I feel Washington was the best because you can tell he's not trying to sound like Elvis. A lot of artists manipulate their voices to try and sound like the king, but they just don't pull it off. Washington's voice sounded natural and you could tell that every song that he sang came from his heart just like Elvis' did. I prefer the natural sound of an artist's voice. Some artists try so hard to sound like E that it sounds really hokey. Washington crooned some of Elvis' best ballads and the girls up on stage really liked him.
I told my sister, who was about 9 sheets at this point, to go and get me a scarf from Washington so that I could add it to my collection. Josh bet her 20 bucks that she wouldn't do it, but one thing I've learned, you never dare Jen to do anything. Off she went to the stage to get my scarf. Washington saw her and bent down to kiss her and she snatched the red scarf around his neck and brought it back proudly and gave it to me. It's now hanging on the "shrine" of Elvis memorabilia that I've got on my entertainment center at home. I wish it had real Elvis sweat on it instead of Washington's but beggars can't be choosers. I don't know if Jen ever collected her 20 bucks from Josh. For a list of the other artists at the MEF, log onto to their website. They do not have the line up yet for next year, but they should have it up soon.
I'd like to mention that the tribute band "The Change of Habit" (COH) from Chicago are one of the best tribute bands that I've ever heard. They are recognized by Elvis Presley Enterprises as an official Elvis Tribute Band and play at Elvis tribute shows all over the country. The lead guitarist Cliff Wright is awesome and plays his guitar licks almost identical to that of James Burton, Elvis' tour lead guitarist and Wright has actually jammed with Burton and other original band members. The COH band really adds to the authenticity of the sound and makes the shows very believable..
We listened to all the Elvis Tribute artists and then came the Johnny Cash tribute artist Rock Harley from Detroit. It was at this point that Josh disappeared. Apparently he was up by the stage taking pictures. Josh loves Johnny Cash and Harley did a really good impression his idol, but I came to hear the king, so I got up and wandered over to the Michigan Elvis Fan Club tent and signed up to win some really cool prizes. Jen signed up too and promptly lost her copy of the raffle ticket. One of the prizes wasn't claimed by the end of the night and I told her that she probably lost the winning ticket. Try as she would, she couldn't convince the lady that she was the winner though.
All in all, the Elvis Fest was a great time for fans young and old alike. I would give the Michigan Elvis Fest four stars out of five for its pure entertainment value, but I know that I'm biased. Josh gave it three stars overall, so we'll settle on four stars. If you're an Elvis fan, you really need to attend this festival and if you are not, go to one with an Elvis fan and you'll be hooked like Josh was. I can't wait til next year.
From the back roads,
Tim
June, 2010
It's winter and really crappy outside, but I know that many of you like the "White Christmas" theme. On that note, I would just like to say, I'll take a green, warm Christmas any day. I know, I know, I'm a bah humbug. But as most of you know, I hate the cold. You can't go outside without freezing your keester off, the roads are terrible and there are no festivals in Michigan, unless you like driving on bad roads and freezing your keester off, then you could go up to "Tip Up Town" at Houghton Lake or some other Winter Festival where the main theme is frozen extremities.. Maybe some day Josh will get some real heat in the Volkzy and then the Festival Fanatics could actually go somewhere int he winter, but I don't think that's happening any time soon. He does have a gas heater, but carbon monoxide tends to give me a headache. So I'll just sit here at my computer and dream of the summer and where we will be going next year.As you know, Festival Fanatics started off with just something fun to do in the summer, but turned into more as this blog testifies. Last summer was just a trial for us. Josh and I thought that we could check out some cool places and see how things go and then really start the blog next year. Well we made it to four festivals last year and got our feet wet and learned some things along the way and met some interesting people. We partied (I hate using that word as a verb) and celebrated and drank a little too much on several occasions, but this year, we are going to get down to business. We are going to get some sponsors and back-stage passes and really interview people and gather some interesting stories.
We figure with advertising and sponsors we should be able to make enough money to pay for our trips. That would be awesome. But we also want to create something that people will enjoy reading. Maybe even turn some people into Festival Fanatics themselves. By the way, if you ever want to ride along on one of our adventures, just shoot me an e-mail at festivalfanatics@yahoo.com. We can't take everybody along, but we would like to let as many people as we can carry go with us and experience what we experience. Michigan festivals are fun and very entertaining and I know most people have just experienced the local festivals like Lapeer Days, Mayville Sunflower Festival, Cheeseburger Festival and so on, but there is nothing like camping out for 2-3 days and experiencing the full Monty. The trip to the festival is always fun too. As the mouse story will attest to.
What is the mouse story? I may have told a few of you about it, but basically it goes like this: Me, Josh and my brother JR were heading to the Wheatland Festival, which I will be writing about next year, and on the way we discovered a stowaway. JR was riding in the back of the Mystery Machine and Josh was driving and we are talking about "whatever" and all of a sudden JR lets out a shriek. I spun around in my seat and said "what the hell." He blurted out that a mouse was climbing up his arm and he slapped it off of him. "We have to find the damn thing because I'm not sleeping in this van with a mouse," I said. Jr said it must have been in his sleeping bag or something or maybe it got in when the van was parked in the pole barn at Josh's house. "Look around for it. Do you see it anywhere?" I'm pretty much freaking out at this point, but it was hilarious. JR re-hashed the story again telling us about feeling something crawling up his arm and seeing the mouse's little beady eyes staring up at him and then freaking out and slapping it off his arm. Me and Josh were cracking up and I went to slap myself on the knee and guess what? The friggin' mouse was on my knee! He's like just chillin' there and saying in his little squeaky mouse voice "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"Well in the calmest manner that I could muster, I reached down and coaxed the little fellow in the palm of my hand and gently stroked his furry little head... Yeah right. I screamed like a little girl and side-slapped it off my leg. I looked down and he was running around below the door where the little step thingy was indented into the body of the van. I stomped and stomped him with my shoe. Missing him every time. "Stop the damn van Josh," I yelled frantically never missing a beat as I kept stomping the mouse on the floor. "Just open the door and kick it out," Josh laughed as he slowed down to about 60 mph. I opened the door as much as I could at that speed and went to kick him out but the mouse stood at attention, saluted me and yelled "Geronimo" and jumped out of the van committing suicide kamikaze-style. When we reached our destination, we had a short service at our campsite. JR played "Taps" on his guitar, I sang "Amazing Grace" and Josh did the eulogy. We're gonna miss you Micky.
I wish we would have had a video camera going because it was freaking hilarious. Josh and I plan on installing a camera in the van so that we can capture those little moments. It would be cool to post the video here instead of just writing about it.
Well, I hope that you all enjoyed the story. Me and Josh wish the very best for all of our followers and look forward to sharing some interesting stories with you as The Festival Fanatics hit the road again.
From the back roads,
Tim
December 2010
Dear friends, followers, and sponsors.I wanted to take an opportunity to wish all of you a merry Christmas, and happy holidays for all. Christmas in Michigan is the most wonderful of holidays with the white snow, green Christmas trees, colorful lights, and if you're lucky a little mistletoe. It is the time of year where we find ourselves busy moving about preparing for the holiday season and when I find myself reflecting back on the year and appreciating all the blessings that I 've received. This has been an extraordinary year with Tim and I begining our travels with the bus and attempting to create Festival Fanatics.
With the festival and camping season drawing to a close, I like to take stock in the wonderful people that surround me and enjoy the chance to celebrate Christmas with them. I'm so busy all year long that even when I am around friends and family, I'm not "really" around. Festival Fanatics takes me far from home but I remember that I'm not far from my roots and remembering family and friends always makes me feel like I am coming home. The opportunity to share some time with siblings, nieces and nephews, friends and extended family is the most rewarding part of the Christmas season for me.
In the rest of this post you will find that I have a slightly opposing view to that of my couragous counterpart. Winter to me is a time of exciting outdoor activities that make Michigan even more unique and enjoyable. While I will agree that travel can be sometimes laborious and even"crappy," it is well worth it when you have arrived in the company of fellow Michiganders embracing the winter season.
Perhaps the differences in our opinions concerning winter exposure is partially because of a difference in heritage. Tim, while a long time Michigan resident has ties to a warmer southern Kentucky climate. Moreover, perhaps the difference in opinion towards Michigan's winter activities is something that comes with age (Tim's age that is). Whatever our differences may be I am excited about the events that lay ahead of us in the Michigan winter and I am looking forward to reviewing those events for you on this site. I am sure Tim will enjoy these events as well. After all when I hog-tie him and throw him in the van his choices are limited.
One of the most artistic and interesting festivals we will be attending is Zenders Snow fest in Frankenmuth. This festival is a competition of artists creating some of the "coolest" ice and snow sculptures you will find anywhere. This top-notch snow sculpting event is one of the best in North America. Another great festival that should be embraced by all Michiganders is "Tip up Town" at Houghton Lake. This is Michigan's largest winter festival and I have already promised Tim that we will make it there and back with all his "extremities" intact. It's best in Michigan to have a little extra body fat for winter festivals and we definitely are prepared in that respect. The other recommended "bio-wear" is a good full-face beard. The full-face beard keeps you warm and allows you to fit right in at Petosky's winter blues festival. Who knows, maybe we can even win the prize for growing the best beard (I hope it is not a candle-lit dinner with a female contestant in this contest).
At any rate, there won't be much curling up and getting cabin fever for us. We won't just be waiting for the green grass of summer to motivate our spirits to travel. Now that we have sponsors and advertisers on our web site we're excited about introducing ourselves and all of you to the world of festivals that await us. We hope to hear from you in the coming year on our guest blog or by email to Tim at festivalfanatics. Write and tell us about festivals you have attended or festivals you want us to attend. @yahoo.com
In the beginning this endeavor was just a way for us to have some summer fun. However, after meeting the artists and the enthusiasts at each of these festivals over the last couple of years, I'm glad that Tim came aboard to create an organization that promotes the arts and artists that make America great. For a long time it has been a dream of mine to endorse, support and publicize the arts. As a person with little artistic ability myself, I envy those who possess talent and hope that Festival Fanatics will provide exposure for artists of all types.
With that, I leave you with "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night." Stay tuned for more reviews and insights of our travels. Be safe, and remember we are all in this together.
Merry Christmas and Happy holidays,
Josh
August 2010
Bay City Pig Gig
I hate writing these when the event took place so long ago. My memory isn't what it used to be, but here goes.
As most of you know, my girl friend of five years dumped me this past summer and I was heart broken to say the least. All that I wanted to do was sit around the house and be depressed. I didn't want to see or speak to anyone, but I was fortunate that I had my sister Jenienne and her son Isaiah and Josh to help me through it. Thanks guys. You'll never know how much you helped me.
Anyway, Josh wanted to go to the Labadie Pig Gig up in Bay City. I tried to come up with a dozen excuses not to go, but Josh wouldn't let me back out, so go I did. The Pig Gig is held the first weekend in August at Bay City's Veteran Memorial Park along the river. I had heard about the Pig Gig on WHNN for years, but never had an inkling to go to it, as I said though Josh insisted. So Friday night he came by in the Mystery Machine and picked me up and off we went. As I said, all I wanted to do was stay home and pout. Josh knew that wasn't healthy for me so he threatened to do me great bodily harm if I didn't go. Now, I'm pretty sure that I could take Josh, but I still remember the story he told me of how he jumped over a counter and pinned a scrap dealer that wasn't gong to pay him up against the wall, so I thought I'd better not piss off the Jew in him (Josh is 1/4 Jewish. he says that's why he's so good at selling, but I digress).
The ride up to Bay City was uneventful. Josh drove as usual and I did my best to keep him awake and keep from having a heart attack. Anyone that knows Josh knows that he has a sleep apnea problem and would tend to drive the mystery machine with his eyes closed. Because of this problem, I invented some "awake" words that I yell at Josh while he is driving. Such as, BRAKE LIGHTS!, STOP SIGN!, RED LIGHT!, BIG ASS TRUCK! I would yell out these words whenever it looked like Josh wasn't going to stop in time. He would snap to and always say "yeah I see it" but I knew damn well he was taking a cat nap. "Your freakin' eyes were closed," I would yell at him and then he'd say "I just wanted to see if you were paying attention." I never realized how important the role of navigator and Josh keeper-awaker was until the Pig Gig trip. We made it there and back without incident though.
As we drove to Bay City we discussed some add-ons for the van. We talked about getting a dash cam to record all of our lively banter because we say some pretty funny stuff when we're on a trip, but I usually can't recall it when I sit down to write about it. I want to be able to post video of our trips for all to enjoy. Of course I'll edit out the boring stuff. We also talked about mounting a table for the lap top in the dash on the passenger side so that I could write about events as they occur. That would be awesome. The story would probably start off very legible and coherent and then gradually get unreadable as the day progressed. That's because Josh is always twisting my arm to drink alcoholic beverages with him when I don't really want to, like at the Wheatland Festival (story coming soon). He made me drink a whole half gallon of Captain Morgan's Long Island Ice Tea. I didn't want to, but it was there and so...
We arrived in Bay City with our usual level of preparedness...we both realized that we had no idea where the Pig Gig was being held. At a traffic light, we asked some guy who looked like he may know (how we determined that I'll never know). He told us how to get to Veterans Memorial Park and we eventually made it, only making one wrong turn. Which reminds me...in the mystery machine, wrong turns are no problem for Josh. He generally whips the vehicle in such a tight circle when doing a u-turn that my face is plastered up against the side window and all the crap on the dash (cigarettes, lighter, sunglasses, etc...) come flying off and become dangerous projectiles. One time on this trip, we were doing about 45 mph down a four-lane highway when Josh realized we were going the wrong way and without batting an eye he whipped into an alley just wide enough for the van to pass through (if I would have had my arm hanging out the window, this blog would be harder to write one-handed) and buzzed through a parking lot without ever slowing down. The hand grip located above my head that I usually hold onto until my knuckles turn white is practically torn off because of these little episodes. Oh yeah, and did I mention that the seat belt won't fit around me so I never wear it. I only have it hooked around the arm rest so it looks like I have one on. I have since made sure that I carry lots of blood pressure medicine and Zoloft with me because I'm usually a nervous wreck by the time we arrive at our destination. Josh however, is just as calm as could be (if he was any more calmer, he'd be asleep).Once we arrived at the park, we had to find a place to park. We ended up parking about 30 miles from the entrance (I exaggerate. It was only 20 miles). We found a spot and prepared ourselves mentally for what we were about to partake in. When our beers were gone, we walked the railroad tracks to the entrance and paid our ten bucks to enter the park. I couldn't believe that there was actually a guy standing outside the gate scalping tickets. Who would do that? I guess entrepreneurs can be found at any venue.
Once inside, the smell of barbecue was overwhelming. We decided to have a few more beers, so we went to the beer tent and bought some tickets to purchase beer. I bought twenty bucks worth and got each of us a 16-ouncer. All that they had was Miller Lite...not a big fan, always gives me a head ache. As we stood at the back of the tent listening to the music, we were amazed at the number of women that were there. But Josh and I figured hitting on them would be a useless pursuit. The music was really loud and distorted. I found out later the music was being performed by Taylor Hicks. I don't know. I know he was on American Idle (spelled that way intentionally), but I wasn't really impressed with his music.
After we downed our beer, we set off through the crowd scoping out the chicks. We saw a couple of nice looking women, but we soon gave up on the idea of hooking up and focused on the task at hand...just having a good time. We found a giant pig (not one of the women) and took a photo of Josh standing by it. Walking around near all of the food vendors made us very hungry so, we walked back to the beer tent and bought another couple of beers and then decided to buy some barbecue. There were a lot of barbecue vendors to choose from and we settled on Famous Dave's because the line was shorter. Mmmmm what a good choice.
After stuffing ourselves with barbecue,, we felt like we had to walk it off, so we decided to go back to the van and drink some more beer. Once there, I parked my ass in the passenger seat and settled in for a little nap. Josh wouldn't stop talking so I didn't get my nap. We talked about girl friends and philosophies of life and I began to feel better about my situation. Josh can be quite the therapist when he wants to be and that's why I value his friendship so much (when he starts getting metaphysical though, he freaks me out). Josh has always said that riding in the Volksy was very therapeutic and I never really understood until then. Just the thought of being out in the great outdoors doing what we want when we want was very liberating. I really began to not miss my girlfriend so much.
Josh wanted to go back into the festival and listen to some more music, but I was incapacitated. Something happened to me that I can't explain, but it was like I was in a trance...I couldn't function at all....all that I wanted to do was sit there and watch all the people streaming out of the gate after Taylor Hicks quit singing. Josh kept pestering me to come on and go back in and I kept telling him that I needed a few minutes to collect my thoughts. It was a very chronic situation. Eventually we decided that the barbecue was gong to be the highlight of the night anyway so we decided to leave. I don't think the short amount of time that we were there was enough time to take in all that the Pig Gig had to offer, but we decided to leave anyway and head to Mayville and do some much needed karaoke at the lounge.We've since decided not to eat too early at these festivals because it makes us (me) too lethargic. Going to the Mayville lounge was definitely an anticlimax. We got to Mayville around 9 or 10 and there was only a few cars in the parking lot. So, we headed for home.
Josh and I give the Pig Gig two thumbs up for the incredible food that was available. The barbecue was world class, but neither of us feel comfortable rating the overall festival because we weren't there long enough to offer a good review. We'll definitely go back next year once we are more experienced at doing this and try it again. I would recommend the Pig Gig to anyone who likes good food, music, a big crowd and lots of beer (damn I went home with six beer tickets in my pocket...wonder if they'll use the same ones next year).
From the back roads,
Tim
August, 2010
Some History
What Tim says about this being my idea and that his writing skills bring all this together is absolutely true. My actual idea however was to write and promote a book. What Tim forgot to mention is that when this opportunity revealed itself to me, I realized that this project was bigger than myself. So as I have always done in the past, I attempted to find the best people available to help accomplish the task that lay before me. The blog idea came about when Tim and I attended the Cow Pie Festival when our camping neighbors suggested that we start a blog. Tim and I began discussing the notion and the possibilities that a blog would bring to the table and as they say....the rest is history.
There are others who are partners behind the scenes that make it possible for Tim and I to go to and fro so carelessly. Our engineering staff at Infinity Roll Form helps develop new and innovative ways for us to “lighten our load” and condense space. They also help produce some of the gadgetry that we use and they have saved us a ton of money by making things that we need instead of us having to go out and buy them.
Chief midnight mechanic and alternative energy engineer Mike Miller is always hard at work improving our fuel efficiency and prolonging our ability to be self sustaining and free of the electric grid, as that many of the places that we visit have no electrical hook-ups.
The idea of traveling around to various festivals and events was not where this project originally started. It began with the idea of just taking off and telling about my experiences. However, as I traveled I found that more and more people wanted to come along. I began to fill the bus and watch people have a good time at places they never even knew existed. I watched them walk away from each trip enlightened to a new way of life and with a better understanding of the subculture they had been exposed to. Time and time again I heard “look at them, they're having fun, and not worrying about anything.” That seems to be a repetitive theme of the people that follow us, or that we take along, which is an important part of what this project is all about.This project was meant to make people understand that life can be enjoyed and lived fully on less than a 5 digit salary. We say that you do not need to have a lot of toys or a million bucks to see the world and that the saying “I wish I could do that” is only in your head, because whatever your means, you can still see the world....and trust me the view is sometimes breathtaking.
All this inspiration began with three people on the side of a city street back in 2001. I had contracted a landscaping job with Don Morey. I had met with him and his wife to talk about designing the landscaping for the front of his studio that he created out of the church. Don while a native to North Branch, had recently moved back to town and had purchased the old Lutheran church on Jefferson Street just south of the downtown district. Don is an artist by trade and an extremely talented musician.
Don being of a great hippie spirit and myself a being a true Jew, we agreed upon a price for the job that would also include a 1972 Volkswagon Westfalia, subject to inspection by my brother who was a possible purchaser of the machine. Everything worked out well. I landscaped, Don paid, and my brother bought the van and stored it at his house telling his frustrated wife that it was mine and that he was storing it for me.
It didn’t take her long to figure out that the Volkswagon was not mine (could have been the missing check in her check book) and she forced him to sell it to me.
Along with the landscaping job came two great relationships. Don became a very good friend and I had the fortune of meeting his daughter Erin. Erin at the time was a total free spirit and a great person to have fun with. I was divorced and living alone at the time and through a series of events had a new roommate as Erin needed a place to stay. The stay worked out well, and for a year and half I had a great travel partner, friend, and resident artist.
Time moves on as it always does and new circumstances made it impossible for Erin and me to share the same home or our traditional breakfast of mimosa in the solarium, so ways led to ways and we traveled different roads. However, the Volkswagon was still mine and the modest traveling lifestyle I had learned from my friends Don and Erin was still strong in my blood so I set forth on adventure after adventure finding new horizons to enjoy......JOSH
August 2010
Elvis Fest
As many of my friends and family know, I'm a huge Elvis fan. Every year, in Ypsilanti, MI, the Michigan Elvis Fest (MEF) is held usually in July. MEF is one of four Elvis Presley Enterprises-sanctioned festivals in the nation. This year the festival was held July 9 & 10. Situated on the beautiful banks of the Huron River in historic Depot Town, the MEF is definitely a must-do for any Elvis fan or for anyone that likes to party for that matter. The festival features many of the best Elvis Tribute Artists from around the country as well as some artists that do tributes to other entertainers like Johnny Cash (Josh's favorite) and Tom Jones.
This was my third and Josh's 2nd trip to Elvis Fest. We loaded up the volksy with all the essentials, beer and ......uh.....hmmm....can't think of anything else...oh yeah I did buy a lighter on the way down also. My sister Jenienne went along for the ride even though she's not an Elvis fan. She does like to party however. She road in the back and drank her Miller Lite all the way to the festival (since the volksy is registered as a camper, you can have an open container in the vehicle as long as the driver is not drinking..or so Josh says any way). It's about a two hour drive from Lapeer to MEF. Take I-69 to US 23 south to I 94 east. The park is located at 10 E Cross Street in Ypsy.The festival is held on Friday 5 PM to midnight and on Saturday 11 AM to midnight. I've been to MEF on Friday night and on Saturday. I think the festival is more family-oriented on Saturday. Friday seems to be a little rowdier. Since we don't camp for Elvis Fest, we usually make a day trip out of it. I went to my first MEF four years ago with my two brothers Bruce and J.R. and we went on a Friday night after work. It was a rockin' good time, except for when my brother J.R. fell on an Elvis Fester and burned her with his cigarette and broke her lawn chair. During the festival that year they were serving guitar-shaped beer decanters that held about 2 1/2 beers. My brother, who loves guitars, drank about 6 of them. Thanks to Chris, our designated driver that night.
Anyway, back to this year. Josh and I decided to go down on Saturday and spend the day. We left around noon and got there in abut 2 1/2 hours. It took a little longer this time because we made a wrong turn and my stupid GPS wasn't working. But we made it and parked in a church parking lot. Parking has never been an issue for the three years that I've attended. You can park on the streets or in the empty church parking lot as we did. We decided to drink one beer at the van to help get us in the mood (is that sacrilegious?) and then we walked about a block and a half to the park. The festival was already under way and we could hear the Elvis tribute artist barking out "Hound Dog" as we walked.
Tickets are $15.00 on Friday night and $25.00 per person for all day Saturday. Make sure you take lawn chairs because seating is not provided. But please be considerate to other Elvis fans and don't block other people's view with big beach umbrellas like the lady that sat in front of us did. After purchasing our tickets, we went immediately to the beer tent. You must purchase tickets for $5.00 each to purchase beer in a 16 oz cup (no guitars this year) and you can carry your beer anywhere in the park without being busted by the beer cops. We then walked around and checked out the various vendor tents.
Vendors sell mostly Elvis memorabilia. I spent about $100.00 on a lighter, a key chain and a T-shirt adorned with the likeness of the king. I bought my Elvis sunglasses last year and forgot to take them, damn it but just about every vendor sold them for anywhere from $8.00 to $15.00 (same glasses). Prices for items weren't bad, but they do not have enough big size T-shirts and I had to buy one that really wasn't my first choice because it was the only 3XL they had. I buy 3XL because no matter what the T-shits are made of, they always shrink and I can't wear them anymore. I think I'll start a T-Shirt company called "Chubbys" and market to all the big guys in the world like myself. Jenienne bought some "Love Me Tender" boxers. I thought they were cool (on her, but not for me). Josh bought a T-shirt, some TCB glasses and an Elvis "Aloha From Hawaii" bead necklace with a likeness of the king attached to it (they are now hanging from the rear view mirror of the Mystery Machine).
After purchasing our treasures, we went to sit down and enjoy the show. The pictures I took weren't that great because we were so far from the stage and I was taking them with my cell phone. But Josh took some really good pictures that I'll post soon. The tribute artists were pretty good although none of them sound or look just like the king. I have never been to a real Elvis concert, so I close my eyes and imagine it is the real thing when I listen to them. Some artists are pretty passable, while others aren't that good. One artist stands out in my mind. He is the only African-American tribute artist I have ever heard. His name is Robert Washington from Maine. If you follow the link I've posted for MEF, he is featured on the home page.
I feel Washington was the best because you can tell he's not trying to sound like Elvis. A lot of artists manipulate their voices to try and sound like the king, but they just don't pull it off. Washington's voice sounded natural and you could tell that every song that he sang came from his heart just like Elvis' did. I prefer the natural sound of an artist's voice. Some artists try so hard to sound like E that it sounds really hokey. Washington crooned some of Elvis' best ballads and the girls up on stage really liked him.
I told my sister, who was about 9 sheets at this point, to go and get me a scarf from Washington so that I could add it to my collection. Josh bet her 20 bucks that she wouldn't do it, but one thing I've learned, you never dare Jen to do anything. Off she went to the stage to get my scarf. Washington saw her and bent down to kiss her and she snatched the red scarf around his neck and brought it back proudly and gave it to me. It's now hanging on the "shrine" of Elvis memorabilia that I've got on my entertainment center at home. I wish it had real Elvis sweat on it instead of Washington's but beggars can't be choosers. I don't know if Jen ever collected her 20 bucks from Josh. For a list of the other artists at the MEF, log onto to their website. They do not have the line up yet for next year, but they should have it up soon.I'd like to mention that the tribute band "The Change of Habit" (COH) from Chicago are one of the best tribute bands that I've ever heard. They are recognized by Elvis Presley Enterprises as an official Elvis Tribute Band and play at Elvis tribute shows all over the country. The lead guitarist Cliff Wright is awesome and plays his guitar licks almost identical to that of James Burton, Elvis' tour lead guitarist and Wright has actually jammed with Burton and other original band members. The COH band really adds to the authenticity of the sound and makes the shows very believable..
We listened to all the Elvis Tribute artists and then came the Johnny Cash tribute artist Rock Harley from Detroit. It was at this point that Josh disappeared. Apparently he was up by the stage taking pictures. Josh loves Johnny Cash and Harley did a really good impression his idol, but I came to hear the king, so I got up and wandered over to the Michigan Elvis Fan Club tent and signed up to win some really cool prizes. Jen signed up too and promptly lost her copy of the raffle ticket. One of the prizes wasn't claimed by the end of the night and I told her that she probably lost the winning ticket. Try as she would, she couldn't convince the lady that she was the winner though.
All in all, the Elvis Fest was a great time for fans young and old alike. I would give the Michigan Elvis Fest four stars out of five for its pure entertainment value, but I know that I'm biased. Josh gave it three stars overall, so we'll settle on four stars. If you're an Elvis fan, you really need to attend this festival and if you are not, go to one with an Elvis fan and you'll be hooked like Josh was. I can't wait til next year.
From the back roads,
Tim
June, 2010
This blog is dedicated to all those poor working slobs who always wanted to just head off down the road and leave the cares of this world behind.
We are the Festival Fanatics. My name is Tim Thornsberry and my traveling companion and minion is Josh Johnson. This blog was Josh's idea. At first I just came along for the ride, but I soon got caught up in the spirit of freedom that is the Volkswagen Westfalia van that I call the Mystery Machine.
So, climb aboard as Josh and I visit some really cool places as we travel the state of Michigan in search of fun, food, music and mayhem. This blog will highlight the travels of the Festival Fanatics as they roam the highways throughout the great state of Michigan and experience places that most people never see.
The state of Michigan is a visitors paradise filled with fun events and festivals that are unique to Michigan. Every small town and hamlet has its own festival. There are festivals to celebrate potatoes, sunflowers, beans, tulips and cherries. Most of these events occur in the summer months and usually last a weekend or longer. And every festival is unique in its own right.
So, ride with us as we travel to Caseville and savor the sights, sounds and delectable aromas of the Cheeseburger Festival. Come along and experience the absolute joy of camping out in a Volkswagen Westfalia as our hearts and ears are filled with the sound of blues music at the Cowpie Blues Festival or experience the freedom of venturing off 
with us sometimes not knowing where we'll end up.
This blog will include short narratives and reviews of festivals and events, places of interest, a guideline of what to expect and just a dash of satire to spice things up. We'll introduce you to the many characters that we've come across in our travels, some of their life stories you'll admire and envy, some will just down right crack you up.
So climb aboard, leave your worries and hang-ups behind and come with us as we discover the beauty, history and pure fun that is found down the two lane roads and side tracks of our state.
Josh would like to dedicate this blog (soon to be a book) to his father and mother.
"To my father, who, over time, has become my best friend and confidant and who has been my partner and emotional backer and who spent a lifetime paving the road for his childrens' success. As a member of the greatest generation, that has viewed the world through the eyes of war, he traveled feverishly in his youth and enjoyed the outdoors with his brothers and friends and savored life. Through his experiences he taught us about the land, nature and the importance of seeking new horizons and anticipating new adventures. To my mother who is still the tireless soul and matriarch of four generations, who always found a way to make our vacations and travels possible, traipsing down muddy trails, across sand dunes and across clear streams so that her children could experience new adventures. To this day, in spite of graying hair and advanced years, they are both still full of the adventuring spirit...always ready to explore new horizons and never letting an opportunity to travel pass them by.
I also dedicate this blog to my brother Brad, who has always supported my habits and defended my renegade ways. He also shares a love for Volkswagons and travel and has been a great inspiration and mentor in my life. Also, I give special thanks to all my friends and family that took time to venture with me on my journeys....and to Tim whose impeccable character, love for adventure and fun has made him one of the greatest friends I've ever had the opportunity to know (not to mention his writing skills, without which this blog would not be possible)."
We hope that you enjoy our stories and anecdotes as much as we have enjoyed experiencing them and sharing them with you. Until next time....peace, love and happiness.
Tim
