Off line for Wheatland

This is my fourth year of covering Wheatland. The first year, 2003, was a big photo-story package extravaganza, and in it, I quoted Patrick Holt, of Richmond, as extemporaneously saying this:

"Breakfast and a show, you just can't beat it. Damned if it ain't Wheatland."

At the time, he was eating breakfast in the little cafeteria for the Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination side of the big vendors hall. He sat down, quite unaware that I was a journalist covering the festival and blurted it out. Obviously, I jotted it down and got his name.

The band playing at the time ... it had no time. Some of the best music at Wheatland isn't found on the stages, but in the little nooks and hidey-holes around the festival grounds. In this case, it was a stage erected in the cafeteria that allowed musicians to filter in and out and play as long as they liked. None of them were professionals, they were all just novices who bought tickets to the festival and brought their instruments to spend some time playing with fellow music aficionados.

This year, if you're looking at updated coverage, you can find multimedia here and stories (written by me) here. Alas, hippies fear technology, and there is no way to directly update from the festival grounds. So, I myself will be offline until such time as I return from the festival on Sunday.