OKEMAH - While the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival attracts world-famous musicians to its venues, its true spirit is found in the campgrounds.
The festival this year hosted 58 different artists and bands from all over the nation and abroad, filling the four-day event with hours of music and drawing record crowds for both the festival and the town of Okemah.
But when the concerts stopped, the music had just begun. The festival campgrounds, which hosted over 450 campsites and several hundred overnight visitors, came alive with the sounds of music and merriment that lasted until sunrise.
Those attending could find music to suit just about any mood while walking from campsite to campsite and even join in if they had an instrument. Friends were made instantly and old acquaintances were rekindled.
"Everyone becomes family for the weekend," said OU alumnus Chad Burrow.
"You don't get this grass-roots raw feeling at any other festival," said Cole Perryman, public relations and English senior.
Many attendees feel that the experience of the festival overrides even the inconvenience of the scorching July heat.
"We're down with Oklahoma and this festival is the best way to show that." Perryman said.
The attitude expressed at the campsites is expressed all over town. The citizens of Okemah put their best faces forward and the headlining artists blend in and mingle with the masses.
Part of the reason for this is the relaxed security that the festival enjoys. Many of the artists like the festival because they can sit back and just be normal people.
During the heat of the day, the festival venues are stretched between two locations downtown with an open mic at the third.
"One minute you can be in Ace Hardware, the next you can be listening to Pete Seeger," said folk singer Jimmy LaFave.
Now in its sixth year, is now growing nearly too fast for its planners, the not-for-profit Woody Guthrie Coalition, to keep up.
"Our advertising budget is you guys," said Coalition president Randy Norman to a packed house of festival goers at the Crystal Theatre Sunday. Obviously, the investment paid off.
The festival saw its largest crowd ever last weekend. While an official head count was not available, Saturday's peak crowd parked nearly 900 vehicles packed with people at its main event in addition to the hundreds who either walked or were shuttled.
Past parking problems in the campgrounds prompted a $5 per person fee for outsiders to access the campgrounds in hopes to deter a part of the crowd. The plan failed, but the Woody Guthrie Coalition benefited greatly from the proceeds.
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