The Crystal Lake Lakeside Fest - June 26 -29 2008

Here we go .... Crystal Lake Fest Season. I'll start out with the Lakeside Fest

In this post, I feel compelled to make a few personal comments first before getting into the bands I saw. First and foremost ... the beer. I know that we have the same company providing the beverages every year and I know it's one of the local distributors whom everyone knows and loves but ..... I just can't handle Old Style. I mean it. I can't. I can't handle Honey Brown either. And to make matters worse, it was not very cold. Now I don't think it's a huge stretch of the imagination to see what a direct comparison is to warmish Old Style. At least last year they had Amstel which is a drinkable beer. I really mean no direct offense here but I equate Old Style beer with toothless old geezers who are drinking Old Style only because they couldn't find any Blatz or Schlitz anywhere. I feel this needs to change. There ... I said it.

Beside the obvious disappointment I have in that The Gala has moved and I have a hard time figuring out why the direct locals can't handle a community event which was taking place only 8 days out of a year, has anyone noticed that a lot of the long-term locals did not gather there this year as they had in years past? The times they are a-changing.

I like the fact that the Lakeside folks at least look to some local talent which the Gala group is quickly abandoning. I really wanted to see Kimberly Wolff and I couldn't break free to see her. I did see one group which I will comment on.

Well, the Lakeside Fest was certainly plagued with rain and otherwise nasty weather and that's something totally out of any one's control. The time I spent there was not real memorable this year. And that's too bad.