Well, at least a couple of people who showed up at last weekend's LumberJam II in Eighty Four said they heard about it through something I wrote. (Good to know someone is reading.)

I attended the Friday night portion of the three-day event and was impressed by everything about it. The outdoor venue produced an exceptional atmosphere, considering that the weather fully cooperated. The people were very friendly (even though I had a few years on most of 'em).



And the music was sensational. The opening act, CK9 and the Old E. Allstars, really blew everyone away with its funky rhythms and superb playing (definite touches of vintage Parliament/Funkadelic in there).







And for Grateful Dead fans young and old alike, Fungus brought back a taste of the good ol' days.

I'm told attendance for Saturday swelled to about 300, well more than the organizers' goal, and that everyone was well-behaved. (That's especially true compared with the goings-on across the county at Star Lake during the Ozzfest on Saturday.)

With success may come some changes, and we'll see if LumberJam is at a different venue next year. But wherever it lands, I'd certainly recommend checking it out in '06.

Thanks again to the guys from Doodis, the host band (Pete, Mitch, Shane & Jesse), for making me and everyone else feel right at home!