a festival hoot...

I have told this story now a couple of times in the last couple of days...totally by accident; sometimes stuff just comes up in a conversation, you know....
I live only about 10 miles from one of the biggest country music festivals in the country, the Hodag Country Festival, in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. This festival has been going on since the mid-70s, and draws huge crowds, all fired up to see and hear alot of the biggest country acts around. (it's hard to imagine how much beer is drunk during the Hodag, which actually starts weeks before the festival, with a line of Rvs parked alongside the road, waiting in line to get in!)(very similar situation to Greyfox, actually...>g Anyhoo, I have attended a few days of this festival, and one day/night stands out in particular, for it was a major festival hoot.
There were so many people there that no matter where you walked you walked in a line. There was nothing you could do about it, and I didn't like it much. I was slowly making my way along with the line that I was in, when I was approached by a woman in an opposite direction line, who asked me if I had a light. I didn't, but my line and her line had stopped long enough so that I was able to ask her what she was standing in line for....and it turned out that she was waiting to get an autograph from some country artist that I can't remember. We chatted for awhile, and then word came down the line that the artist had had enough and that the autograph session was over.
The woman was bummed!`She had two programs, one her's and one her sister's, and she really wanted what's-his-name's autograph.... So, I consoled her by telling her that as a matter of fact I know how to spell what's-his-name's name, and that I'd be glad to sign her program for her; and she loved it! (at this point I have to confess that I don't remember the artist, but I'm thinking he was a good country-goodin'....) I signed both of her programs and the woman behind her joined in on the fun, and we all giggled as our lines dispersed.
About two hours later I was walking down an aisle and when I came to a "t" I took a right, and immediately heard a woman's voice call out: "There's that guy that signs autographs!" Well, she and her funtime group called me over and we were both excited to see each other. (and I'm bettin' that they had consumed much more beer at this point than I had...>g<)
And....there was a woman there who asked me if I knew how to spell Billy Ray Cyrus and I told her that I could close enough, so she opened up her flannel shirt to expose her Billy Ray Cyrus t-shirt and a huge mound of breasts that she had me sign Billy Ray on, which involved signing up and then down and then up and then down again, and there was lots of giggling going on during that autograph session!
And then yet another topper came about when the last lady wanted me to sign her Hodag Festival jacket, which probably cost in the $35-$40 price range at the time, with a Marie Osmond!
Man, I just gotta' love them festivals, even the ones that I don't normally care for...>g<
And here's another non or non-non bottom line deal: the Hodag Festival happens in July every year, the weekend before Greyfox. It sure would be a smart move business-wise if I took in a festival that I would probably sell out easily and one that is only 10 (!) miles from home, right? BUT>>>>would I trade that for driving 1200 miles to take in the best damned festival that I know of? Right.....
Peace, David