WOW! What a time we had in the Shady Grove at the Furthur Adventures Stage! I spoke with many of the Smilefest old-timers who remember the days of 600 people in a field (I'm one of 'em) and we all agree that the additional stage was the old-school Smilefest within the new-school Smilefest. Furthur Adventures represents the beating heart of Smilefest and the pulse is stronger than ever.

Thank you to everyone who brought their kind vibes to our Shady Grove. Thank you to the musicians for treating us to some incredibly special performances. Thank you to Barefoot Mannerland and the G'boro Crew for anchoring the points. Thank you to Joey B. and the Ambience Team for making the trip to the back field so magical. Thank you to Smilefest Productions for supporting the idea for the new stage. Thank you to the Smilefest staffers, especially HippyDaveFromVA and EmceeGrady, for coming to my aid everytime I yelled for help. Thank you to the sound team of SG & AL for providing tremendous stage support and quality sound.

Finally, thank you to the GoatCrew for donating your time and energy
to provide a wonderful experience for every visitor to the Furthur Adventures Stage:

Lida Witherspoon (Visiondance Scenic) - FAS Tapestry 'The Musical Landscape'
Dave & Melissa McCracken and Gay Holder - Signs for the path from the Main Stage
Randy, Frank, & Mandy - 'EyeCandyByRandy&Friends'
Suzanne & Arean Sherwood - Palm trees for FAS
Wayne Murray - Lonely Goat Lounge Tent

(click any image to make it bigger)

Larry Keel & Keller Williams Guitar Workshop - Friday Afternoon
We had a large crowd early on Friday afternoon for the Guitar Workshop.
We were treated to a lot of picking and a few question & answer scenarios

Larry Keel

David Via sat in on Mandolin Get up and dance folks. I came to get down!

Keller Williams

Vassar Clements & Sam Bush Fiddle Workshop - Friday Evening
The Shady Grove filled up again for an intimate session with two fiddle greats. As you might expect, Sam Bush eventually switched over to mandolin. We also got some great stories including Vassar's memory of riding by a billboard advertising the Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia and saying, "You know Jerry, that guy looks a lot like you." Sam Bush provided us with the quote of the set by asking, "How do you get kicked out of the Allman Brothers Band?"

T.H.H.E. Mood Cultivation Project - Friday Night
The local boys from Mount Airy brought the energy we've come to expect and delivered a soulful and uplifting set of good ole' jam rock.

Joel Woodson on bass

Zeke on lead guitar

Keller Williams - Friday Late Night
If you were there, you'll never forget it. If you weren't, you'll never understand. Those of us who made to the FAS for Keller's Friday closer were treated to one of the most magical sets I've had the pleasure to witness. The kind vibes of the crowd, the intimacy of the stage in a natural setting, and the amazing performance from Keller added up to something really special and inspiring.

Curtis & Ruth Burch & Friends - Saturday Morning
If Larry don't Keel us, Curtis won't hurt us!
Well, this turned out to be a lot more than expected. What was billed as a Curtis & Ruth dou quickly evolved into much more. What a way to kick off Saturday! This seemed to be the starting point for a blugrass jam of many intervals, culminating with the David Via closer Saturday night/ Sunday morning.

Larry Keel, Curtis Burch, Ruth Burch, Rex McGee, Jenny Keel

Curtis Burch, Ruth Burch, Rex McGee

Larry Keel, Mark Shimmick, Curtis Burch, Ruth Burch, Rex McGee

Plaid Iguana Project - Saturday Afternoon
Plaid Iguana Project was a late add and they did not get listed in the main program so I made handbills with the revised schedule that were avalable with the programs. Even so, not many folks made it back to the Shady Grove for their set. Make sure you catch them next time you have the chance! Those of us who were there thoroughly enjoyed their rhythmic jams.

A few staffers were even treated to a late night Saturday/ early morning Sunday set from a stripped down PIP that fit the vibe perfectly: spacey, jammy, and free spriited.

MD3 (Mad Dog Trio) - Saturday Afternoon
This must be heaven! The 4:30 Saturday afternoon set from MD3 was downright nasty and the flood of folks to their merchandise table afterwards confirmed it. MD3 has recently been added to the HGMN catalog so be sure to check out their cutting edge jamJazz sound.

Thomas Royal on bass

Amy Bowles on keys Post Postlethwait on the drum kit

Raphael Schiavone of Braco sat in on percussion for a few songs

John Molo & Futureman Drum Workshop - Saturday Evening
This was completely unexpected! You can magine my delight when I got word late Saturday afternoon that these two were coming for a workshop at the Furthur Adventures Stage. Again, since the set was not on the main program, there was a select few of us Smilefesters who savored the lengthy 'left turn at Albeqerque' explanation of how a piano is a drum from Futureman. This was the most actual talking that happened in a workshop all weekend. When you hear the tapes of Molo scattin' out 'The Way It Is' along with the drum parts you will know that you missed more than a workshop.

Moonshine Racers - Saturday Night
After an impromptu set at Brushy Mountain in 2001, the Moonshine Racers exploded at the Furthur Adverntures Stage at Smilefest 2002. With two former members of the fabled ' Newcastle Boys' (Smilefest veterans from waaaay back), we knew we could expect a long set of high energy rockin prograssive music. That's what Fudd and Co. brought us! ...and some Grateful Dead to boot!

David Via & Corn Tornado - Saturday Late Night
If you had to pick a bunch of musicians to close out Smilefest in the bluegrass way, it would be David Via & Corn Tornado. They have been the troubadors of Smilefest for years, playing mainstage sets at many of the past festivals. But we all know that a late night corn tornado jam is something entirely different. I have listened to them until late Sunday morning in the woods at campsites at so many NFA events. What would happen when we stuck them on the Furthur Adventures Stage?

We all knew it was coming. Even those of you who chose to hit the tents knew what you were missing. You had to have heard the chants when it was just getting warm: "Where's Larry Keel?! Where's Larry Keel?! Where's Larry Keel?!" After everything you had heard all weekend from start to finish, you knew something spectacular was going to happen. And it did . . . until 5AM . . bluegrass style . . . corn tornado style . . .Smilefest style . . . Lonely Goat style . . .

Morgan Morrison sat in on bouzouki

Will Lee sat in on banjo

Thank you to Chris Nelson for sharing this photo from the main stage...