A short visit to my favorite festival, the ODPC Funfest. It seemed very different this time but maybe it was because it hasn’t officially start. Thursday, the 13th, is the first official day.

I was glad we went, but wish I’d come away feeling that it’ll always be the Evart we love. Instead we both felt it had “changed.”

Several workshop leaders brought their complaints to me and I listened, but obviously there’s nothing I can do and change is inevitable. Things like a different balance of instruments (which was always 50% hammered dulcimer and 50% all other instruments combined), no “festival ribbons” (instead wrist bands), a drastic change in admission fee.

The jamming was almost non-existant. We did hear a few tunes coming out of the rabbit barn, but that was all. (Of course we left about 6:45 so most hadn’t started.)

But friends are still friends and a lot of nice people welcomed us with open arms. Some things never change.