|
Following the festival circuit across North America can be an exciting
adventure, after all how many jobs provide a built in vacation
environment.
Your friends back home are jealous that you have seen the
four corners of the country and everything in the middle – you spend
hours showing them your trip pictures and home movies – trying
desperately to separate one highway from another and what state park you
saw a specific national monument, luckily you have your notes.
For those of us who have traveled thousands of miles, spent time in
big and small communities, lived in hotels and motels for months on
end and can write a book on fast food and clean restrooms in North
America, the life style of constantly being on the move, being a
road-warrior, is not for everyone. We miss our families and friends
back home, and we don’t always eat properly.
We have all made friends on the road, our traveling family. People
that we continually meet at different venues, we know their first
names; recognize their cars, trucks, and RVs. We can spend hours of
time catching up; how we spent our winter, where we have been, the
price of gas, problems encountered, where we are headed, our venue
plans and of course whether Hillary should be President
Who are these people that we call friends? There is Jeff and Wendy
from Maryland; they have the Silver Winnebago, with a big red heart on the
back bumper. There is Madeline and Cynthia they’re sisters from
Illinois, they tow a 12 foot, royal blue concession trailer, encased
in festival decals, behind their Dodge RAM 4X4 and lets not forget
Big Jim from Tennessee, the ham hock barbeque king. There is the
Florida Everglades, two brothers, and two sisters who dance and sing
and of course there is Baldy selling his state flags – we are all
jealous of Baldy, he can off load his table and set-up his flags in
less than 10 minutes and pack-up in five.
The people
that we meet year in and year out are acknowledged when met and
never forgotten as we see the back end of their vehicles leave the
festival grounds. Some go north others turn south, some east and
others west, some travel in mini convoys others journey on their own
and we are left wondering when and where we will meet up with them
again.
Following the
festival circuit is a lifestyle much more than it is a job. There
are times when life on the road can be lonely. One motel begins to
looks like another, TV reception leaves much to be desired, and
every highway exit has a McDonalds, KFC, and Taco Bell. After a
long hard day, we take in the local community atmosphere, nodding
our heads, smiling, and waving at familiar faces, have a dinner that
is based on cold beer, potato skins with cheese, and a few dishes of
peanuts or trail road snacks – I did say that we don’t always eat
properly!
There are
times when we forget what day it is, whether our current venue is
over on Saturday or Sunday and are continually plotting our route
for the next drive down an interstate highway. We try to remember
all of the family’s birthdays and anniversaries and acknowledge them
with phone calls, parcel post presents – thank God for Wal-Mart, and
greeting cards back home. The advent of cell phones gives us the
comfort of knowing we can be reached at any time.
So why do we
put up with this lifestyle – it’s not for the money! We may only be
in these cities and towns for a few days, and in some cases, we
can’t remember one from another, but that’s not the situation in
many cases.
We all have very special memories that will never be
forgotten. We know many people from all over North America from
different walks of life and yes, in most cases, they are not truly
friends, but there are exceptions, there are those people that you
meet that you do stay in touch with year around – people that you
consider special and have enhanced your life.
Following the
festival circuit is not for everyone, but my hat goes off to those
who spend months on the road to provide me with some fun,
entertainment, and good food when they decide to visit my community. |
