Many of the residents of Jefferson County are familiar with the All Good Festival which took place this year at a privately owned farm along the dinky backroads of Summit Point.  I live on those very same backroads.  In fact, I could see the festivities from my backyard!

I've heard a lot of negativity regarding All Good, but I've also heard a lot of positive outlooks on it as well.  I can't say that it was one or the other, because there are pros and cons to every situation, but I can share my individual experience as an up close and personal resident of the Rippon/Summit Point area.

I began to see changes about a week before the festival started.  "EXPECT DELAYS" signs were aligning Rt. 340.  An absurd amount of "POSTED", "NO TRESPASSING", and "PRIVATE PROPERTY" signs were popping up in nearly all of my neighbor's yards. (By the way guys, All Good is over sooo you can take your signs down now...we are beginning to look like the least friendly neighborhood in all of West Virginia lol). And the seemingly endless, serene field that I admired nearly every day slowly became enclosed by fences, uprooted by trucks, and disbanded by people.

The first day, I left my house in the midst of action.  (This girl's got places to be and things to do!! I will not be deterred!)  With my neon yellow "LOCAL TRAFFIC" sign in hand, I braced myself for the worst.  My backroads were fine, but a friend informed me Route 340 was impossible to maneuver that day.  I, however, had no difficulty getting to where I needed to be all week long via backroads.  (And a huuuge thanks to the PoPo for keeping the local routes clear for locals only. You guys did awesome!)

The second day, I decided to grab my #rideordie girlfriend and dive into the action.  I mean, I had free week-long passes because I lived so close, so was I gonna hit that up?? Uhm, YEAHHH! And honestly, I'm glad we did.  The music was fabulous, the food (or at least the hushpuppies there) were great, and ohhh my gosh, don't even get me started on how magnificent the people watching was...  As day turned into night, more people came out in the yard area to grab a bite, listen to great tunes, and nurse a beer (or five).  My friend and I ended our night by watching a talented group of fire dancers perform before starting on our quiet walk back home.

For the remainder of the festival, I was stuck at work, but I do plan on attending next summer. And as for the field, well, it's working it's way back to looking like the rolling green hills I know so well.

Crappy phone pics for your viewing pleasure...