Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance

Guest Blog: Volunteer for the Tickets, Stay for the Magic

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Written by Guest Blogger: Taari Coleman, longtime Shakori Hills GrassRoots Volunteer

The first time you volunteer for the festival it will likely be for the ticket. And no one faults you for that, it’s the same reason most of us did.

You’ll sign up to do set up, or work in the kid’s tent, or in one of the food booths and as you scroll through the application you’ll be casually thrown by how many ways you can offer your time, how many ways you can make a difference.

Because it’s your first time, when you arrive at the Festival Grounds, you might be a bit nervous. And no one faults you for that either. Most are nervous when faced with meeting new people and potentially embarking on a new task. But the nerves quickly fade as you realize that everyone around you is exactly where they want to be, and very happy to be there.

And then you’re put to work. You’re painting faces, scooping ice cream, directing drivers to parking spaces, checking wristbands, or riding around with the trash and recycling crew. And everyone is excited to see you, even if they’ve just met you a half hour ago. Maybe you weren’t aware that the spirit of Shakori exists not only in each individual person, but in the very ground itself, in the effort put in to make this thing happen and make it good, in the way people smile and cheer as they pull slowly up the gravel driveway, but you know that now, because you helped pull it off and you feel it the way you can feel the beginnings of rain on your skin.

So the first time you volunteer it’ll probably be for the ticket; but the second time you volunteer for the festival, it’ll be because you know that the magic is real and you want to be a part of that.

Click here to volunteer.

Your Happy Place – Camping at Shakori Hills GrassRoots

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Camping at Shakori Hills GrassRoots Music & Dance doesn’t just provide lodging during the Festival; it completes your Shakori Hills GrassRoots Experience. Tents are nestled in the woods where the environment is shady and cool. Thousands of campers shout, “Happy Shakori!” to each other as they wander the trails. Passing theme camps and impromptu jam sessions as they make their way towards the sounds floating from the stages.

If tents aren’t adequate shelter in your book, RVs are welcome. If the late-night hangs aren’t up your alley, set up in our Family/Quiet Camping Area. No matter the camping experience you desire, you will find your happy place here at Shakori Hills GrassRoots.

If you want to extend your stay here and have a more extensive selection of spots to call home, early camping is encouraged. Find out more about early camping and anything else you would want to know about camping in the details below. See you at The Festival!

BUY CAMPING PASSES HERE

Photo by Madelyn Matthews

 

CAMPING GUIDELINES

Most importantly be respectful of your neighbors and the land! Please clean up your campsites and take home with you what you brought, we appreciate it. We offer trash and recycling bags at the ticket booth for sorting your trash.

Please keep the following guidelines in mind so everyone can enjoy their festival experience:

-Vehicle and RV camping area is limited, please park closely and considerately.
-Vehicle/RV and tent camping in designated areas only. There are marked nature preserve areas, please respect this and do not camp here or have fires here.
-Vehicle/RV campers must display vehicle camping pass on the upper driver’s side windshield. On an RV/camper without windshield: on the door of the RV/camper. The sticker must be on a vehicle that is camping, if you want to come in and out with a vehicle, you are towing the camper, etc. with you need to purchase a 4-day parking pass and park in the lot near the festival entrance.
-Regretfully, we must enforce towing in the marked NO PARKING zones. -Vehicles parked in no parking zones will be towed by a professional towing service to a parking area on-site.
-For safety, comfort and the environment please no driving around the festival grounds. If you are using a vehicle camping pass and need to leave the festival grounds, we request that you do so between 8 a.m. and noon.
-No driving in campsites after dark! If you arrive after dark and wish to vehicle camp, you must camp in the vehicle camping section of the main parking lot.
Motorized Vehicles are not allowed, if you have special mobility needs, please contact us in advance.
-Bicycles must have lights after dark.
-Camp Rangers are available to help you — look for people wearing Camp Ranger t-shirts.
-Outdoor hot-water showers are available

-ALCOHOL POLICY: We have a No Public Display of Alcohol Policy — meaning you must keep your alcoholic beverage in a cup – bottles and cans are no longer permitted in the stage and festival areas. We will ask you to conceal your alcoholic beverage if displayed.

-No radios, amplified music, generators or idling vehicles will be allowed.
-No outside firewood, please. It brings in bugs and tree diseases that our trees are not used to. We have firewood available for purchase on site.
-Sorry, NO DOGS! Service dogs will be permitted if they are for the service of the human they are with. Please check service animals in at the Ticket Booth upon arrival. See below in “Nearby Lodging” for pet boarding.
-Public intoxication and drug abuse are not acceptable, and we reserve the right to (and will) intervene if we believe anyone is acting inappropriate and/or disrespectful.
-Please take only memories, leave only footprints.




TENT CAMPING

Tent camping on-site is based on price per tent (no matter how many nights). Tent camping is $25 in advance and $30 at the gate. Each tent camping pass is good for a 10×10 tent/canopy/tarp or smaller, anything larger will need two passes. Tent campers note: Early tent camping (before Thursday) is an additional $10.

All camping is on a first come, first serve basis. Roping to save space is not welcome!

Shuttle: Tent campers without vehicle camping passes cannot drive a vehicle into the campsite, but there is a shuttle that runs from the parking lot to the tent camping areas.

Please read further vehicle camping guidelines below.

RV & VEHICLE CAMPING  (for 4-Day ticket holders)

Vehicle and RV Camping is for 4-day ticket buyers only. After Thursday, we can’t guarantee that there will be room for vehicles in the campgrounds.
A Vehicle Camping Pass (car or camper under 25 feet *not including tow vehicle*) is $84 in advance and $94 at the gate and includes space for a)one vehicle and b)one big tent/canopy (larger than 10×10) or two small tents. You can receive up to two tent camping passes with your Vehicle Pass. Tents larger than 10×10 will require two passes. For the vehicle/camper to enter the camping area (to drive past the ticket booth) a Camping Pass has to be adhered on the vehicle: on the upper driver’s side windshield; or on an RV/camper without windshield: on the door of the RV/camper.

An RV Camping Pass (camper + tow vehicle or RV/camper 25 feet or over) is $125 in advance and $135 at the gate and includes space for a)one camper + tow vehicle or large camper and b)one big tent/canopy (larger than 10×10) or two small tents. You can receive up to two tent camping passes with your Vehicle Pass. Tents larger than 10×10 will require two passes. For the vehicle/camper to enter the camping area (to drive past the ticket booth) a Camping Pass has to be adhered on the vehicle: on the upper driver’s side windshield; or on an RV/camper without windshield: on the door of the RV/camper.

Wednesday Vehicle and RV camping are an additional $10, you must check in when you arrive.

If you have a Camper (under 25 feet) + Tow Vehicle and don’t wish to pay the RV price, you are welcome to tow your camper to the campgrounds, unhook, and then park the tow vehicle in our main parking lot; otherwise, you must pay the RV price.

Large vehicle owners also note that RVs and buses 35 feet and over will be limited to the front camping area adjacent to the main parking lot.

Vehicle camping sticker needs to be displayed on each vehicle that is camping. If you are camping with a vehicle and a camper, each vehicle/camper must have a sticker. If you want to park the vehicle that is towing the camper in the parking lot, you can purchase a 4-day parking pass for it.

Sorry, there are no hook-ups and generators are not allowed!

FAMILY/QUIET CAMPING AREA

If you have children with you or enjoy quiet at the festival, you may want to consider camping in the family/quiet camping area. We have two of those on site, and they both contain tent and vehicle camping. Ask the parking crew where this is upon arrival.

EARLY CAMPING/SET-UP

We allow people to begin camping or set up camp starting the Saturday before the festival. There is a $10 early set-up fee. Early Vehicle or RV Camping is $10 per day.
If you plan to set up early or camp early, please pay your fee and pick up your camping passes upon entry to the grounds. Do not set up without receiving a camping pass! You may set up as much as you want, but you cannot rope off extra space to be used later.

CAMPFIRES

Please see the ticket booth for this year’s campfire notice. If the weather has been arid, we will not allow fires.

Shakori is Family

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photo by: Zach Poe

The Shakori Hills family lost one of our most beloved members on Saturday, February 16.

James Olin Oden has been a festival regular for the past ten years. He first came as a fan and quickly got involved as a performer and even as a staff member for a short time.

His uniquely uplifting musical sound, a blend of his Irish and American roots, wisdom of all manner of subjects, and love of the GrassRoots family will be missed dearly.

Details of a memorial being planned for the Spring 2019 festival will be announced once they have been finalized.

In the meantime, we felt James’ words and music were the best way to honor the man. Below, enjoy a piece he wrote for the Spring 2018 program followed by some clips we thought helped capture his spirit.

slán leat, James

 

Shakori is Family

Originally printed in the Spring 2018 Festival Program.

written by James Olin Oden

When I first came to Shakori 10 years ago, I really had no idea what I was getting into. I knew that I was going to a music festival and there would be campfires, with lots of musicians, music lovers and artists all over the grounds. Well, in between all the fun and camaraderie, what I found was family.

photo by: Madelyn Matthews, Fall 2016

We’re a peculiar family to be sure. Made of all kinds of different camps, many with names like Camp Sparkle, No Hope (and Know Hope), Rivendale, Frabjous, and Wayward Way to just name a few. There’s no rule that this should be; it just happens in a Grassroots kind of way. Each camp has its own peculiarities and proclivities, and we intermingle quite a bit, cross pollinating ideas and moments of utter silliness. Also, the camp decorations are something to behold. In Fall one of my favorites is the Festivarians site, where they have I think a 100 or so jack-o-lanterns hung in a grove.

The fires at each camp have always been a very central thing. We gather round and conversations flow freely as does music. Sometimes in the wee hours of the morning we just sit and stare and breathe together. Not that we can’t do a Shakori without fire (we just did; it was hard, but we did it, together!), but they have always proven to be a central part of the event. Amongst the fires, rocks and trees of Shakori we live freely enjoying one another’s self-expression and our corporate expression as a group. We learn hard lessons about living with each other and allowing each other to breathe freely within the group. This is not to say there are no boundaries, we just work really hard to uphold the real boundaries and allow freedom wherever we possibly can. Because of this, we have all grown as one big Shakori family.

Every family has a vision, and at Shakori you see the music and dance flowing from the camps like many vibrant streams down to the stages forming a great river of music and dance. We gather at the stages forming a unity of both musicians and dancers flowing as one big pool of united humanity. It’s really amazing to observe. There are, also, workshops covering all kinds of things musical and cultural. Even these ultimately stem from the camps. Over the years I’ve seen many a person young and immature in their art (whether it be music, dance or those other media (-;) become strong leaders and find their way to stages and workshops. It’s a beautiful thing seeing your family grow.

None of this could happen without the staff, and they are a beautiful and integral part of this family we call Shakori. There is the board of directors that set the vision, the staff that handle the operations and booking, the rangers that look out for everyone’s safety, and the security that is there to ensure everyone has a good time. They all work in unison to make sure the festival keeps going. Add to that all the volunteers that put in so much hard work to make this thing come together (tents don’t raise themselves). It really is much like someone preparing a beautiful feast for all their friends. Great hospitality requires a great amount of work, and they do all this work selflessly for one big happy Shakori family.

So please do enjoy your time here. The land and the people of Shakori greet you with open arms.

Welcome to the family!

James Olin Oden Videos

James performs “Friend of the Devil” and “Uncle John’s Band” with his longtime playing partner Joey Arcuri on the Meadow Stage at the Fall 2013 festival.

 

Here James performs “Dance Right Out of My Grave”, a song he wrote about a performance by Driftwood, another Shakori Hills GrassRoots regular. This clip is from the DooDad Farm, our Greensboro friends down the road.

 

James would narrate a video of his arrival at Shakori Hills GrassRoots every year. His Spring 2016 video has the added bonus of his album “Deeper Dance” as the soundtrack and a glimpse into his horticulture knowledge.

 

’Twas the Night Before Shakori

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’Twas the night before Shakori, when all through the ‘ground
Not a performer was playing, not even a sound;
The Ticket Booth was stocked by volunteers with care,
In hopes that all our Shakori friends soon would be there;
The Early Campers were snuggled all warm in their tent;
While dreaming of music and a weekend well spent.

The stages were set, the Dance Tent was ready;
How is it here? Shakori Season already?
And up in Middle Earth and down in Creekside;
Both children and adults all sit starry-eyed;
And all through the festival and all through the air;
You could feel GrassRoots coming, we’re practically there!

The moonlight was shining on all of Peace Park;
The night before it shares it’s magic in the dark;
And the banners are dancing, and the trees they are shining;
Leave all complaints on the road – It’s Shakori! No whining!
So pack up the campers, fill the coolers with beer;
We finally made it, Shakori is here!

The Grove Stage will be rocking, the Meadow enchanting;
After all the building and painting and planting;
All of us here at Shakori, we have waited since last fall;
We welcome you back – oldies, newbies, and all;
Take it all in, all the sound, smell, and sight;
‘Happy Shakori to all, and to all a good night!’

by: Sarah Cullen, Spring 2018

My First Journey to the Farm

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For families and friends who have been coming to Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance for years, this post will hopefully resonate with the feelings you have to come to know and love. For those who have not ever visited the special magic that is found on these 80 rolling acres, I hope this post will give you some insight on what it is like being a part of this festival for the first time and encourage you to join us this spring.

I have lived in Raleigh for the past seven years, and as I started my journey to ‘The Farm’ for the first time, I found myself leaving the busy, loud, bustling place I have grown to love for the quiet, beautiful, serene countryside of Pittsboro, North Carolina. I immediately felt myself relax, and that quick calm was only just the beginning of a weekend that was going to forever change what I thought a music festival was.

As you turn down the long gravel drive into Shakori Hills, passing the wooden sign gently welcoming you back, you are immediately greeted by smiling faces leading you to Parking, Camping, and Tickets. As someone who had never been, this was all very overwhelming. I had come on to help work the festival in August, but had never seen the land with this many people, all so excited to be back ‘home’. I was invigorated by everything – the striped Dance Tent, the lights that seemed to dance in every tree, the smells coming from the Coffee Barn, the hand-painted signs welcoming and guiding. I was barely parked before I jumped out of my car, camera in tow, and started making my way around the land.

Starting by The Garden, I walked back through the campsite full of people all catching up on what their ‘neighbors’ had been up to since the last festival. Babies being passed around and kissed. Beers being toasted and cheered. Music pouring from every campsite and trail. It was all so beautiful and comforting, but the true magic started when the sun set over the Grove Stage.

With the rising stars came the true enchantment of Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance. People brought their lights and dancing shoes (or lack thereof) and the party began. That easiness I felt while driving out to The Farm only grew with every beautiful shared moment I experienced while the festival days and nights continued.

That magic, those special moments of community and love all set to the soundtrack of incredible music, is what Shakori Hills is all about. It is what keeps people, including myself, coming back every spring and fall and spring again.

As the festival quickly approaches again, I find myself driving down that same driveway that first welcomed me to this place. Like the tire tracks down it made by artists, families, and friends you fall into a groove the moment you are on the land. A groove that feels natural and authentic. One that is easy to slip into and feel its significance. A groove that molds to you and welcomes you back again.

See you in the groove soon.

Love & Peace-

Sarah Cullen

Spring 2018 Ticket Locations

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Below is a list of all the locations you can buy physical tickets for the Spring 2018 Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schoolkids Records – Raleigh

2237 Avent Ferry Rd., Ste. 101

Raleigh, NC 27606

(919) 821-7766

 

Schoolkids Records – Chapel Hill

405-C W. Franklin St.

Chapel Hill, NC 27516

(919) 960-9272

 

 

Townsend Bertram & Company

200 N. Greensboro St.

Carrboro, NC 27510

(919) 933-9712

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Bank – Pittsboro

37 Hillsboro St.

Pittsboro, NC 27312

(919) 545-5533

 

 

 

Circle City Books & Music

120 Hillsboro St.

Pittsboro, NC 27312

(919) 548-5954

 

 

 

The Regulator Bookshop

720 Ninth Street

Durham, NC 27705

(919) 286-2700

 

 

 

 

 

Redix – Downtown Wilmington

104 Grace St.

Wilmington, NC 28401

(910) 726-1194

 

Redix – On the Beach

120 Causeway Dr.

Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480

(910) 256-2201

 

 

 

 

 

Contact

1439 Henderson Tanyard Road
Pittsboro, NC 27312
919.542.8142

General: shakorihills@grassrootsfest.org

Press/Media: shakorihillsmedia@grassrootsfest.org

Booking: shakorihillsbooking@grassrootsfest.org

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  • Thanks to all the volunteers who helped raise the Dance Tent this past weekend and to @bramblebrook.photography for capturing it! #shakorihills T-minus 8 days!

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