Happyland Music Fest 2013

How do I begin to tell the story of the best party of the year? I’ve decided that Happyland Music Fest (HMF) just has to be experienced in order to understand it. But since that’s not possible for all my readers I’m going to try to at least share a taste of it.

I think this first picture sums up Happyland beautifully:

I snapped this Friday evening as everyone was arriving and getting set up for the weekend. These guys are two of the musicians. Aaron, in the hat, plays in Rowdy Folk, an “alt-country, rock-n-roll, bluegrass, folk” band, while Casey, with the tattoos, plays in Our Mother’s Martyr, a heavy metal band. If you went strictly by appearances you might think they have little in common but you’d be wrong. I think the thing I love best about HMF is the genuine love and respect everyone has for one another. Not in spite of differences but in celebration of them. Peace, love and music, y’all!

A lot of work goes into pulling off an event like HMF. Thursday after work, David and Chris constructed a frame around and over our back patio. The purpose was two-fold. One, it gave us an easy way to string up lights and attach light bars and fog machines. But the primary purpose was to make it easy to cover the patio/band area if it rained.

And it did. Fortunately it only rained lightly a couple of times but it required some quick teamwork to cover the patio with plastic (I knew those rolls I bought back during the Anthrax scare would come in handy):

and bring the band equipment indoors.

Fortunately those brief showers didn’t interfere with the fun:

There was camping – and thanks to Joy’s great suggestion, many made flags for their tents:

The recent rains have our pond full so the paddleboat saw some action:

My mom made a big pot of stew for the group and I made two pots of jambalaya. And there was this:

That’s right. Not only do we rent a port-o-potty but this year we also had a food truck. I think that makes us an honest-to-goodness music festival, right? Cane’s offered to cater HMF Friday night. And get this…they did it for free! We took donations, though, and will be sending them to Oklahoma tornado victims.

Oh, and I also made these:

David made the ice luge this year. One of our bartender friends, Angela, took the first shift and then Matt took over:

There were games of Frisbee, hacky sack, and beer pong. But music is the main event:

We had five bands on Friday night culminating in a performance of Kashmir by Our Mother’s Martyr which melted our faces off:

We also had our first HMF mosh pit which David even joined briefly. He handed me Shiloh’s leash and said, “Watch this.” Yes, that’s my guy.

On Saturday the music began at 2 p.m. and lasted late into the night. We had fourteen bands and D.J.s. And dancing. Lots of dancing:

We have some very talented Happyland friends. For the second year in a row, Cas made the official HMF poster:

And Blake painted this amazing piece of art on canvas:

Shiloh adored all the attention:

We skipped the big bonfire this year but a couple of the campers brought a fire pit:

And there was fire spinning:

And morning circle time with coffee and sausage biscuits:

One of the drummers left this miniature campsite which totally charmed me:

And about 20 of us dragged our exhausted bodies to La Fiesta for the traditional post-HMF Mexican food lunch:

As I sat in my backyard listening to incredible music with about 100 of the best people I know, I was simply overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude for this life I’m privileged to live. Over the course of the weekend and in the days since HMF I’ve heard over and over again how appreciative the attendees are that we host this party every year. We have a HMF event page and “survivors club” page on Facebook and some of the attendees left notes for us:

Oh my god. What a party. Thanks to the Piercy family for letting this happen. I had a blast!!! See u next year.

It’s shows like HMF that keep me doing what I do. One of the coolest crowds we’ve played for, for sure. Thanks for the opportunity.

David and Deanna Piercy are quickly becoming two of my favorite people in regards to hospitality and genuine goodness. 6 years in a row is nothing short of a milestone for Happyland and it’s awesome to be a part of what it’s become.

We love the Piercy family 4-evz!! xoxox

Thank you David and Deanna for the most amazing weekend. Your kindness and generosity is legendary. I have never been a part of a more amazing, loving and talented group of people. I truly feel like HMF is our solace and sanctuary for the year. From the bottom of my heart thank you.

It’s so nice to be appreciated but the truth of the matter is that we enjoy HMF every bit as much ourselves. We had no idea that first year of HMF that it would become an annual event and much anticipated by everyone who has ever attended. We are more than happy to host it each year and are grateful for everyone who participates. David and I often say to one another:

“We have the best life!”

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