Bluegrass enthusiasts are happy as roadies
Jim and Sally Shamp of Cheney love pickin’ and jammin’.
At least six times a summer they pack his guitar and her autoharp into their 24-foot travel trailer and follow the music.
“We’ve been going to bluegrass festivals for about three years,” says Sally. “Before that, we were always singing around the campfire.”
Two years ago, the Shamps decided to buy an RV.
“When Sally retired as a school librarian,” says Jim, “she wanted to take a tour of Europe. I said: ‘OK, if we’re going to spend money on a trip to Europe, then I get to spend money on an RV for traveling to bluegrass festivals.’”
Sally got her trip to Europe and Jim got a 1990 Prowler.
RVin’ and jammin’
Because bluegrass is rooted in family, fun and community, many of the festivals are held in state parks or county fairgrounds where RV camping fees are very reasonable.
“I like having the trailer right at the gathering,” says Jim. “After a concert, there can be jams going until 2 o’clock in the morning and I don’t have to worry about having to leave to drive back to a hotel.”
“Besides,” he continued, “some of the smaller picking jams are in farmers’ fields where there are no hotels within 25 miles.”
“Last summer,” says Sally, “we were gone 33 days.” They traveled to festivals from Libby, Mont., to Moses Lake; and from Davenport, Wash., to the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
This May at the Pasture Pickin’ event in Libby, says Sally, “there were more than 200 RVs during the festival’s peak. People were coming and going. They were all drawn by the music.”
The Shamps usually arrive at a festival the day before it is scheduled to begin.
“Most of the time we end up dry camping,” says Jim. “Even at big fairgrounds there are a limited number of full hookups and the people who come early get them. The true RVers will roll in a week before the festival starts in order to get a good camping spot.”
Last year the “Moses Lake Oven Rendezvous and Bluegrass Festival” on the Grant County Fairgrounds drew hundreds and hundreds of rigs, says Jim. “They seemed to fill that whole fairground.”
Eastern Washington festivals
“If a person wanted,” says Julie Pyle of the Goose Creek Opry Association in Wilbur, Wash., “they could be in a different place each weekend, hear great music and meet new friends.”
Jim says, “We probably know a 1,000 more people than we did before we started going to the festivals.”
All of the following events are open to the public.
• This weekend—”Third Annual Wenatchee River Bluegrass Festival,” Chelan County Fairgrounds, Cashmere, Wash. Tickets at the gate are $10 today, free on Sunday. RV parking is $17 a night. Call: (509) 782-1230 or go online to www.wenatcheeriverbluegrass.com.
• June 24 to 26—”Huckleberry Jamm Bluegrass Festival,” Lincoln Country Fairgrounds on Highway 2, west end of Davenport, Wash., approximately 40 miles west of Spokane. Gates open on Friday, 4 to 10 a.m.; next Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; June 26, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (509) 725-8330 or go online www.davenportwa.org/huckleberryjamm.htm. Camping is available on a first come first serve basis for RV’s—$15 (dry); $25 (full hookups).
• July 29 to 31—”Annual Goose Creek Opry, Bluegrass Pickins and Fiddle Contest,” Wilbur, Wash., a family-oriented event featuring Americana folk-style bluegrass music. Most of the events are in the community center and/or city park. Contact: Julie Anne Pyle, Goose Creek Opry Association, (509) 647-2641 or pjp@centurytel.net. Wilbur is about 65 miles west of Spokane.
• Aug. 12 to 14—”Blue Waters Bluegrass Festival,” Medical Lake, call 235-8480 or visit: www.bluewatersbluegrass.org. RV camping is available.
• Aug. 29 to Sept 5—”Picking in the Park” takes place in Conconully State Park, 20 miles northwest of Omak, Wash. Jam around the campfires. No cost to pick, but $15 per day to camp in park.
• Sept. 16 to 18—”Moses Lake Dutch Oven Rendezvous and Bluegrass Festival,” Grant County Fairgrounds, Moses Lake. For information call (503) 829-8481 or e-mail bandrpage@aol.com. RV camping is available.
For more information
• The Shamps are members of the Inland Northwest Bluegrass Association. For membership information write to: P O Box 942, Spokane, WA 99210; or go online to www.spokanebluegrass.org. Dues are $15 a year.
• Prowler travel trailers are manufactured by Fleetwood. Read more about the 2005 Prowlers at www.fleetwoodrv.com/prowler.
Wheel question
What favorite hobbies or interests do you pursue in your RV?