More Than Just a Music Festival

Crisp morning air. Dewy grass. The sound of a tent unzipping. 

All of these things take me back to the side of a soccer field in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. 

This was the site of our campground for MerleFest, a music festival featuring a range of artists from different genres, but mostly bluegrass, Americana, and folk. My family has been going to MerleFest since 1997, and I had been every year since I was born until I was about 12. 

When we moved to Ohio in 2002, we still continued to make the 7 hour drive every April to see friends, family, and live music. This road trip included a stop at Tamarack in West Virginia both on the way to and from NC every time, without fail. 

MerleFest offered so much more than just live music. I have the best memories doing arts and crafts in the junk tent, making guitars out of cardboard, bottle caps, and other random materials. I remember eating corn on the cob in the food tent, which was filled with the delicious smells of North Carolina barbecue, street food, and more. 

I remember walking through rows of tents, each filled with a craftsman and their craft. I was mesmerized by the glass blower, who had shelves of delicate glass creatures on display and was actively working on a new piece right in front of me. I remember passing by the hair wrapping tent, begging my mom to let me get one and picking out my colors. I remember the different stages and how my parents would plan their day around who was preforming when. 

Henna tattoos, face paintings, hula hooping, and dirty feet are some of the things that defined the MerleFest weekend in April. My cousins, siblings, family friend’s kids and I would run around the soccer field next to the campsite with glowsticks around our necks late into the night catching fireflies and playing games. 

Eventually the tickets got more and more expensive and my family’s schedule became filled with soccer tournaments, school activities, and more, putting a pause on the annual trip to Wilkesboro for the music festival.

Although I haven’t been since 2013, the memories that I made at MerleFest will last me a life time. I hope to return back to the music festival in the near future to create even more memories with friends and family.