We can’t appreciate the present without remembering the past. There are many Folk Fest moments that have knitted together to form the fabric we now call the McCune Ridge Festival. This tab is to remind and remember some of our favorite characters, activities and moments on Memorial weekend over the past 30 years. For example, do you know why Bob McCann earned the nickname “Acapulco”, or why Ron is called “Mr. Big” and Matt is "Dr. Snoop", or why Langs’ change in the Saturday night line-up makes baseball fans think of BALCO?
The pedigree of the McCune Ridge Festival can be traced to the Adams County Folk Festival, which was born to humble beginnings in 1975. It was held on Willis Mountain near Peebles, Ohio for 10 years. The quality of the entertainment and the quantity of campers grew each year. The last Folk Fest was celebrated in 1984. We called it “The Last Dance” because it was the last time we visited Willis Mountain. It was a memorable Memorial weekend, as most years are, and as this year will be. Below is an excerpt from the invitation to “The Last Dance”, written by Ron Wheeler. You’ll notice that the times have changed, maybe we have aged a bit, but the spirit that brings us together is the same now as it has been over the last 35 years. Here is part of Ron’s message from 1984:
Contrary to Ordinary . . . The Last Dance
When one stops to reflect upon the last ten years of Folk Fest activities I suppose the meaning of “contrary to ordinary” is as appropriate an evaluation as one could make. You only need to look as far as your TV to be reminded of how impossible it is for large groups of people to get together without chaos, disturbances, and violence. Maybe we should package some “good old folk fest spirit” and sell it to the UN as a foreign relations package. I am also reminded that “contrary to ordinary” could refer to some individual characteristics. This is fine, for I like to think that there are many contrary and above ordinary folks who make the yearly mecca to Willis Mountain. It came to my attention one evening that Jerry Jeff’s album title, “Contrary to Ordinary” is exactly what we have been about for ten years.
Since 1985 the Folk Fest crowd has continued to travel south, yet once they reached Chillicothe they now head southeast on SR35 to The McCune Ridge in Jackson County. At this new site they have continued to "howl at the moon" every Memorial Day Weekend for some 25 years. How was that even possible?
So, today, here we stand looking back at 35 combined years of camping, music, and camaraderie and can't help but to feel blessed for having been part of such a wonderful gathering. And as we reach to 2010 and beyond we gather around a new mantra, as Maurice Sendak says in the book for all ages Where the Wild Things Are, "let the wild rumpus start!"
The pedigree of the McCune Ridge Festival can be traced to the Adams County Folk Festival, which was born to humble beginnings in 1975. It was held on Willis Mountain near Peebles, Ohio for 10 years. The quality of the entertainment and the quantity of campers grew each year. The last Folk Fest was celebrated in 1984. We called it “The Last Dance” because it was the last time we visited Willis Mountain. It was a memorable Memorial weekend, as most years are, and as this year will be. Below is an excerpt from the invitation to “The Last Dance”, written by Ron Wheeler. You’ll notice that the times have changed, maybe we have aged a bit, but the spirit that brings us together is the same now as it has been over the last 35 years. Here is part of Ron’s message from 1984:
Contrary to Ordinary . . . The Last Dance
When one stops to reflect upon the last ten years of Folk Fest activities I suppose the meaning of “contrary to ordinary” is as appropriate an evaluation as one could make. You only need to look as far as your TV to be reminded of how impossible it is for large groups of people to get together without chaos, disturbances, and violence. Maybe we should package some “good old folk fest spirit” and sell it to the UN as a foreign relations package. I am also reminded that “contrary to ordinary” could refer to some individual characteristics. This is fine, for I like to think that there are many contrary and above ordinary folks who make the yearly mecca to Willis Mountain. It came to my attention one evening that Jerry Jeff’s album title, “Contrary to Ordinary” is exactly what we have been about for ten years.
Since 1985 the Folk Fest crowd has continued to travel south, yet once they reached Chillicothe they now head southeast on SR35 to The McCune Ridge in Jackson County. At this new site they have continued to "howl at the moon" every Memorial Day Weekend for some 25 years. How was that even possible?
So, today, here we stand looking back at 35 combined years of camping, music, and camaraderie and can't help but to feel blessed for having been part of such a wonderful gathering. And as we reach to 2010 and beyond we gather around a new mantra, as Maurice Sendak says in the book for all ages Where the Wild Things Are, "let the wild rumpus start!"
