I camped at the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival for the fourth time this Labor Day weekend. We had a pretty big compound this year, I’d say almost 20 people, so lots of jamming went on. As for the acts this weekend, there were some great bands again. I really enjoyed Marty Stuart, who I saw a few years ago at Grey Fox, and the Steep Canyon Rangers, who I saw last year at Del Val. April Verch and Rhonda Vincent were good acts too. I did miss a few people since I spent a lot more time in the camping area than by the stage, but a lot of them I’d already seen before at past festivals.
I put new strings on my mandolin, which I’ve never done before. Considering I still had on the factory strings from two years ago, they made a huge difference in the sound. Apparently most people change their strings a few times a year. A friend we camp with who used to be a luthier also showed me how to set up the mandolin – lowered the action and set the intonation – so it’s also a lot easier to play now. I’m still not very good because I don’t practice very much, but I’m never home much either. Another friend told me about a workshop happening in Maryland in October so I signed up for that. I’ll actually already be camping near the location of it that weekend so it’s very convenient.
We had gorgeous weather the whole weekend. I rode down for it and managed to fit everything, including the mandolin and a ton of food, on my bike. I got new saddlebags earlier this summer and they can fit a whole lot of stuff. I had one completely filled with groceries. I added the tank bag just so I could bring two loaves of bread without squishing them. I forgot to take pictures the rest of the weekend but here’s me all packed up and ready to go home on Monday morning:
