Month: July 2019

The Bubble Has Burst

I’m back from camping for four glorious days at the Hillside Music Festival with my family. We were part of the 1,400 volunteers, musicians, artisans and food-makers who helped to create the magic for the three day festival on a small island in the middle of a lake.

Hillside is really like living in a bubble – a bubble filled with music, singers and poets. It’s filled with drummers and dancers, parades and gatherings, art and artisans, beauty-makers and joy-creators. Tantalizing aromas fill the air with sizzling sausages, spicy tacos and curry fries. Colours and textures infuse the eyes with tie-dyed fabrics, twisted metals and gems, and carved wood pieces. Workshops offer new experiences of living and loving, moving and creating. The Children’s Zone is full of bubbles and paint, sand and water, music, crafts and laughter. The smoke from the Sacred Fire rises to the skies all weekend long, circling around the poles of the tipi in the Indigenous Circle.

Volunteers get to stay on the island where we create Volly Village with tents and trailers, banners and pennants. In the village are old friends and new friends, stories and gatherings, love and sharing. After hours, campfires burn and spontaneous musical jams and drumming fill the nighttime hours until the sun rises and a new day begins.

Yes, Hillside Music Festival is a delicious escape from reality. Now the bubble has burst and we all have returned to our homes. The secret lies in keeping the memories and magic alive in our own little worlds with photos and mementos, shared stories and friendships. It truly was a Happy Hillside and I am looking forward to next year.

My Hillside, My Community

This week I am busy preparing a special secret project that I am making for the Hillside Music Festival Volunteer Village. This will be my 18th Hillside, all of them as a volunteer or as family helping out by looking after little ones so others can work.

Hillside is more than just a festival to me. It’s a community of like-minded people brought together to celebrate summer, music, art, food, the environment and each other. As a volunteer, I have found a new family with other like-minded souls; generous, hard-working, fun-loving people. People who care about me, acknowledge me, sometimes infuriate me, and always make me laugh and feel great.

I am a better person when I’m with my Hillside community. I work hard to make others experiences better. I share my food, my time, and my belongings. I contribute to the greater cause by creating a fun, enjoyable experience for other volunteers with food, stories, music, firewood, singing, dancing, games, or arts and crafts made just for the joy and beauty of it.

Volunteerism brings together people for a common cause and the Hillside Music Festival is a great reason to come together, whether that be as a volunteer or an attendee. Consider coming out to it this weekend. If you miss this one, there’s always next year. I’ll see you there!