Long Trail Festival at fairgrounds draws hikers, non-hikers alike - Rutland Herald

[WhiteBlaze]

<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="7" style="vertical-align:top;"><tr><td width="80" align="center" valign="top"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"></font></td><td valign="top" class="j"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br /><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1" /></div><div class="lh"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rutlandherald.com%2Farticle%2 F20090809%2FNEWS03%2F908090394%2F0%2FOPINION01&usg=AFQjCNH8pUS2vIOniuO0TPsmarVQHMOjBw"><b>Long <b>Trail</b> Festival at fairgrounds draws hikers, non-hikers alike</b></a><br /><font size="-1"><b><font color="#6f6f6f">Rutland Herald</font></b></font><br /><font size="-1">The Long <b>Trail</b> and <b>Appalachian Trail</b> intersect in Killington, but Saturday Rutland had all the <b>...</b></font><br /><font size="-1" class="p"></font><br /><font class="p" size="-1"><a class="p" href="http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&ned=us&ncl=d09vlduQSO03pcM"><nobr><b></b></nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>

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[Blue Jay]

This event is just pure fun from beginning to end. The organization is flawless. ALL the events from the camping registration, placement and setup, to the venders, to films and discussion groups, to the top level music, seem to come off completely without effort to maximum enjoyment. Anyone who has ever been involved with such event know that that is almost impossible. Yet somehow it happens every year. I was a little worried because security looked like Hell's Angels at Altamont, however even they were the correct balance of freedom and control which also added to the enjoyment. Hardcore was great. None of the young women and men stepped on my tongue as it lay in the mud under the giant punchion I was trying to carry up the mountain behind the Inn at the Long Trail. They carried 10 of these massive pieces of wood up to my one, however I enjoyed watching this as I tried to breathe. The music was just over the top and continued ALL DAY. As it got dark, Gelatin Overdrive, returning from last year, was again what drove the thrus out of their enclosure and down to the stage. Much of their act is taking popular but strange songs and changing them so they are even stranger, hysterical and completely original. You are compelled to dance hard and laugh at the same time. I actually witnessed Baltimore Jack dancing, something I never thought I'd never see. This set up the closing act, Avi & Celia who are as good as anyone I've ever seen and I love music. I know most of you have been listening to the same songs over and over for 40 years. Next years Long Trail Festival just might change that. If you come you will have a great time.