PEI Rocks it with the Shoreline Festival

Virgin no more (to festivals that is)...I had a wonderful time in Prince Edward Island and the Shoreline Festival. I wasn't quite sure what to expect since it wasn't going to be bands I had ever heard of, other than through my friend M, with whom I went. I could ramble on into senseless nonense, but instead have chosen to outline what I saw as highlights of the whole scene, from my perspective...

1. the weather rocked. Some thought it chilly the first nice, I was super. I don't normally get chilled, so had on a skirt, t-shirt, long sleeved top, and a Shoreline hooded sweatshirt (that I bought that night). It alternated between sun, overcast, short spell of rain late Saturday night, and some fog. It was mostly hot sun!
2. performance art...while it wasn't super swarming with it, there was enough - huge hula hoops, marked with glow in the dark paint/tape and there were both guys and gals hooping; large flashing batons - they held my interest alright, but moved away from my space; ribbon twirling and pompoms on string - sweet!; jugglers with colored balls on the dance area; back-flip frisbee...well, ok, there as a light-up frisbee and one guy kept doing back-flips when he thew it; and tons of things that glow and move...
3. drumming - there was a booth set up for sale of drums, but next to it were many drums and a group that jammed between sets of the other music...and they still went on at 4am, very tribal and cool. I want a drum.
4. cool people. lots of "hippies" but many seemed more new age hippy. Loved the festival clothes, people...I got to get me some more.
5. the tent nazis police...when we got there our crew was moved 3 times before the feckers let us rest and get some serious alcohol consumption underway...but then we had a very "organized" tent city. We did end up with a nice enough area, right next to a screen tent so we used it as a landmark to find our way back. We also had some flags nearby, once from Finland.
6. the van that broke down a few times on the way there. Not mine. Someone else's. So glad you folks made it. We came over on the ferry with ya, and left you behind in the parking lot as someone was giving you a boost, then saw you pushing the van some miles later up into another parking lot. incidentally, you also ended up in the next row at the festival field too, fate, I tell ya.
7. bathrooms with endless toilet paper. I can't even tell you how excited I was about that. I do not DO porta potties if I can help it.
8. hot showers, any time of night. Again, very nice.
9. some very interesting people - the gal with gorgeous dreds who loved to dance and smiled from ear to ear each time I passed her in the bathroom line up; and the mushroom man with the green hat; the very tanned topless gal returning from the and provoked the guy sitting next to me to exclaim that he was now happy...he had seen some excellent bands, drank a ton, went to the beach and saw titties. its the little things, I tell ya...also of interest was the guy dressed as Homer, rockin' it up on the dancefloor; the gal who was on a little too much of something and was chewing her gum like no tomorrow, while fixing a very intense stare on you; the sweet kid who asked for a spare candle on Friday night to light up his corner of tent city who returned it today; the gal who we tried to warn from the meadow where we had tried to stumble to the beach on Friday night...she got into the poison ivy and poison oak that night...sorry gal, tried to warn you, even if it was about Samsqatch (gotta see the Trailer Park Boys to understand that) and so many more colorful people...
10. the lovely ladies selling the veggie wraps who cared enough to ask me if I had eaten today and then sold me two so my friend wouldn't be hungry either
11. the nearly total lack of flies was mint. I brought fly dope, but rarely used it, thankfully!
12. the fireworks that nearly got our buddies kicked out of the festival - oops! They looked great, I don't care boys, you guys rocked it.
13. the fact that it waited until 2 or 3 am to finally rain, so I just climbed into the tent and chilled there, watching the world go by until the worst of the rain and thunder came.

And of course, last but not ever least - the music. A fabulous effort by all. Although you folks were all strangers to me, I had a great time, danced a lot, and plan on looking for your music. Top picks for me would have to be Grand Theft Bus from Fredricton; Slowcoaster from Sydney, and The Jimmy Swift Band from Halifax.

ok, now I really have to go find my bed...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz