Music and mud Lanesboro festival slogs on
by Seth Rogovoy
Special to The Eagle

(LANESBORO, Mass., June 14, 1998) -- A steady rain and plenty of mud hardly seemed to dampen the enthusiasm of those attending the Berkshire Mountain Music Festival yesterday, the second day of the three-day event taking place this weekend at Steele's Farm on Bailey Road.

"The rain only makes it better," said concertgoer Kim Olson, 22, of Goshen, Conn. "Mud brings people's guards down."

Olson's comments seemed to reflect the prevailing sentiment of festivalgoers visiting for the day of camping overnight on the muddy hillside. By midday yesterday, nearly a thousand fans were seeking shelter from the downpour inside a big-top tent to where the performances had been moved from the larger main stage, which sat unused further down the hillside in a rain-drenched, muddy meadow.

In spite of the foul weather, which presumably cut into the potential turnout for the festival, the first of its type in the area, festival promoter Andrew Stahl pronounced himself "not discouraged."

"I'm having a blast," said Stahl, of Boston. "It's a little hectic the weather brought about some unforeseen troubles. But there's still a great feeling here. Everyone is smiling. Mud brings out the best in people."

Stahl said he is already hoping to bring the festival back to Lanesboro next summer. "I love it here," he said. "As long as they'll have us back, we'll be here."

Festivalgoers seemed determined to keep the best possible face on what might have been considered a wholesale washout or, as an emcee termed it from the stage, the "Berkshire Mountain Mud Festival." Several traveled from far away to the event, part of the burgeoning "groove" scene of post-Grateful Dead music and culture.

Tom and Robin Palmer stumbled across notice of the festival while surfing the World Wide Web and decided to make the trip from their home in Norwalk, Conn. The Palmers were originally going to be joined by three other couples, but the others bailed out at the last minute because of the poor weather.

Susan Owen, of Canton, N.Y., near the Canadian border, also learned about the festival on the Internet, and made the six-hour trip with a friend in order to enjoy a weekend "getaway." Keriann Kilgore, 22, from Worcester, found out about the festival on the web site of her favorite band, the Big Wu.

From closer by, Karen Scheurer, 22, of Lee, credited promoters for doing a great job organizing the festival. Marcel Holland, 33, of North Adams, said, "Nothing beats outdoor music surrounded by the Berkshire hills. We need this sort of thing around here to liven things up."

While the crowd seemed composed primarily of college-age and twenty-somethings, some older people were visible, as well as a sprinkling of toddlers and schoolchildren.

Retired firefighter Kenneth Scully, 52, of Waterbury, Conn., chose this weekend to go camping for the first time in 22 years, and to catch Los Lobos, one of his favorite groups. Scully said he wasn't bothered by the bad weather, but that he was going to pass up a planned hike up Mount Greylock.

"It's a nice crowd," said Scully. "Everybody is helpful. There is a real community feeling and understanding. I've even seen people offering each other food."

By midday yesterday, promoters were estimating the entire festival community, including staff, vendors and musicians, at about 2,000. Carloads of concertgoers continued to arrive throughout the afternoon. Yesterday's music was expected to culminate with a performance by Los Lobos around 8 p.m.

The festival is scheduled to continue today, with music starting at 10 a.m. and running throughout the day. The last band, the Funky Meters, is scheduled to go on at 8 p.m. Tickets for today's show will be available at the gate. Other musicians slated to appear today include folksinger Loudon Wainwright III, jam-band the Slip, jazz group Charlie Hunter and Pound for Pound, and folk-pop singer Jennifer Kimball, formerly of The Story.

The Lanesboro police dispatcher said there were no festival-related incidents to report.

[This article originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on June 14, 1998. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1998. All rights reserved.]