Love from Colorado: My Happiest Place: Folks Fest

Do you have a place where you feel you're at your best: Your happiest, your kindest, your peacefulest (most peaceful?) For me that place is Lyons Folks Fest. A weekend of camping, live music, beers, and friends all right on the river in the beautiful town of Lyons, CO.

This year Folks Fest was August 15-17 and by mid-morning Friday I was so ready to shut down my work computer and get the weekend started! I couldn't wait to make the hour drive north of Denver to Lyons and settle into the campsite and fest grounds. The energy and comradery of Folks Fest is like a different world. I mean, we're all just hear to have a good time, right? So what if you just bumped into me/spilled your beer on me/stole my music-watching seat when I was away. "It's all good," I think as my everyday regular life melts away. I should live everyday like it's Folks Fest.

The 2014 music lineup was like a dream for me. Some of my favorite artists like Sarah Jarosz, Josh Ritter, Ben Solle, and Lake Street Dive were performing and some legends and new favorite artists like Ani DiFranco, Brandi Carlile, Dispatch, and Randy Newman were also on the line-up. (Here is the full lineup.)

In addition to checking-out the music, I was pouring cocktails this year volunteering at the Libation Station. I was whipping up some bloodies, Moscow mules, and margaritas like an old pro! Volunteering got me a free weekend pass to the fest, and I spent three hours each day making sure the other fest-goers had their vodka and tequila. Plus it's an awesome group of folks running the Libation Station and I met some wonderful new festival friends.