Music Fest Brings Out Hippies, Children

By Sydney Wilmer (Contact)

Monday, June 30, 2008

It's a bit of an odd juxtaposition, admits Vasha Khan, a student at Northern Virginia Community College, but she says she likes it—"the small kids and the hippies."

Sunday's installation of the Loudoun Summer Music Fest, featuring jam band and blue grass artists Keller Williams and the Yonder Mountain String Band, drew more than just families with small children to the outdoor concert. The dreadlocked and tie-dye adorned were out as well.

"Who knew there were this many hippies in Northern Virginia?" Khan asked.

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The gates for Sunday's Loudoun Summer Music Fest featuring Keller Williams and the Yonder Mountain String Band opened at 5 p.m. This left plenty of time for early birds to camp out and get premium spots on the Belmont Country Club property. (Sydney Wilmer)

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Folk artists Keller Williams drew an early, diverse crowd Sunday evening for the Loudoun Summer Music Fest. (Sydney Wilmer)

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By the end of the evening, most concert-goers were dancing, but groups of patrons directly in the front of the stage started the movement early in the evening during the opening sets of Keller Williams's performance Sunday evening. (Sydney Wilmer)

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Keller Williams opens for the Yonder Mountain String Band this weekend at the Loudoun Summer Music Fest. (Sydney Wilmer)

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Crowds camp out with lawn chairs and blankets in front of the stage at the Loudoun Summer Music Fest. The audience -- full of children and self-confessed hippies -- were waiting for the Yonder Mountain String Band to take the stage. (Sydney Wilmer)

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Loudoun Summer Music fest Sunday headliners the Yonder Mountain String Band played a combination of blue grass, folk and blues during their performance. (Sydney Wilmer)

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The sun sets on the Yonder Mountain String Band as they finish their final set at the Belmont Country Club's Loudoun Summer Music Fest. (Sydney Wilmer)

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The college student was not the only one to notice. "We come pretty regularly," explained Robert Rudd, 54. "The others are the typical Loudoun County Yuppie crowds, but this has more of the hippies. This one is different—you can tell just by the smell."

"I like the dancing," Priscilla Rudd, his wife, said.

Khan travels to a lot of outdoor music festivals—most of them have a similar feel, but the suburban Loudoun backdrop offers a different flavor, she said.

"This is so close and it's local," she said. "People can bring their families and be comfortable. It is definitely different."

For others, Loudoun County was the destination. "I drove from Cumberland, Maryland," Eric Tola said. "It has been totally worth it. Every time I come hear Keller it is so refreshing."

Whatever the case, the crowd all seemed out to achieve the same end—have a relaxing Sunday evening.

"We like coming out because it is one of the few places parents can come and enjoy themselves with their kids," said one parent, Ellis Wallenberg, whose toddler crawled from lawn chair to lawn chair through the field."

"There should be more venues like this."

Tagged: Belmont Country Club, concert, entertainment, Loudoun Summer Music Fest, music

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