Renowned guitarist Beppe Gemvatta at the Walnut Valley.

by James Jordan, Sumner Newscow — I have been to about 20 of Winfield’s Walnut Valley Music Festivals. The 50th version was last week. The weather was very hot, but that’s better than it being cold or raining so I won’t complain too much. It was a great time and remained my year’s highlight.

James Jordan

I have always been amazed at how many people I know in Cowley and Sumner Counties who have never been to the festival. It is kind of like when I lived in a resort town on the South Carolina coast, and I knew a lot of people who never went to the beach. I went almost every day.

There could be lots of reasons local people don’t go.

The ticket isn’t cheap, but it’s still a good deal. You could see about 15 concerts a day, costing at least $25 each if you went to them individually. I also get that bluegrass isn’t everyone’s favorite music, but there are many other kinds of music there.

The crowd during a Walnut Valley show.

There is also a difference between attending and participating. You will see a good show if you show up and sit in the stands for a couple of concerts. But honestly, that isn’t different from going to a concert anywhere. The perception of what it is about could be the main reason local people don’t go.

It was very hot this year, about 100 degrees in the afternoon. It’s hard to enjoy a concert in that weather. I was grateful for sunscreen and having an air-conditioned camper I could retreat to at times.

It is the campgrounds that make it a special event. People are camping there a month before the event playing music through the night. The music made by regular people, and many of them are very good, is what makes it such a great event. Even if you don’t camp, you can still hang out and enjoy the late-night jam sessions.

Unknown performer at Walnut Valley Festival.

I have camped a few times and did so this year. They streamlined the process a little bit, but I was still nervous about the land rush. They open the gates, and you are on your own as far as finding a spot to camp. It’s made more complicated by groups that camp together. They take up a lot of space quickly, making it harder for the individual camper.

Camping is also not cheap. They do the landrush a week ahead of the festival, and you end up having to pay for 10 nights to camp at the four-day festival. You could show up with your camper the night before, but you might also end up camping in Newkirk.

The landrush was less scary than I thought it might be. I am not all that good at backing up my camper. I was relieved that I did not have to.

I was in the fourth wave that was let into the campgrounds and was surprised that there was a lot of open space. I decided not to be picky. I parked in the first flat spot I found and called it good enough. It turned out to be a pretty good spot.

Land Run at Walnut Valley.

There is some competition for the best sports. Some people have been coming for 40 years and have their favorite spots. Even so, if someone got there first, it didn’t matter how long have camped in that spot.

What surprised me was the attitude of people. There is competition, but there is also a spirit of cooperation. I didn’t see anyone arguing about spots. I saw people helping each other, sharing extension chords, water connections, and everything else.

Someone asked me if I minded if they set up a tent about three feet from my camper. They didn’t have to ask, but that just shows how neighborly people are. Of course, I said it was fine.

By the time the music started on the real stages, I had already been there a week and enjoyed many days of music. By the time it started, the campgrounds were crowded with campers, tents, and people.

After leaving it in a closet for 25 years, I have started playing my guitar again. I was not that good then, and I am much worse now. I remember about three chords and still don’t have a sense of timing.

My camping facilities at the Walnut Valley.

On my first day at the campground, my neighbor asked if I needed help tuning the guitar I was banging on. It was no time to be prideful. I said yes, and we talked about getting started again. His tuning made playing easier, and he showed me some tricks I had forgotten.

I jammed with his group some late at night. I was not nearly in anyone’s league, but no one seemed to care.

By the end of the festival, I knew a couple of new licks on the guitar and a couple of new chords. It was amazing how hanging out with people playing music and trying to play along helped my playing.

The music on the main stages was great too. There are a lot of people sitting up front with lawn chairs. They often move to another stage when one show ends. That is an opportunity to snag a seat up front, and I am usually there like a vulture ready to pounce. Even there, people are good-natured and friendly.

I also worked on my ticket. That may be a bit of a secret, but you can “volunteer” as a worker and get paid. That payment can be a ticket if you like. Just 10 hours of work is all it takes. Some people work the whole festival like a full-time job to pick up some cash. They were hurting for people to work this year, and I almost felt guilty for not helping out. Almost.

The music was the thing, though. I watched the main stages most of the day and spent most of the night listening to people jamming in the campgrounds. There’s a coffee stand open all night, and that helped. I didn’t sleep much during the festival. It’s taken me a week to get over it.

I met one older man who was retired. He told me he has spent about six months going to a weekly festival and is planning on hitting one in 48 states before returning home. That sounds like a worthy goal.

He planned to stay in the area and go to the festival in Guthrie, Okla., next weekend. Not sure if I will camp, but I will go for at least one day. You never know; it could become part of my fall music routine.

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