With cooler temperatures sneaking in, hours of daylight getting fewer and fewer and holidays just over the horizon, we have come to the time of year where we sadly bid farewell to festival season on the east coast.  Thankfully, one last trip to the stage was available and thoroughly enjoyed by those of us who were able to attend the first ever Ramble Festival in Darlington, Maryland October 7th, 8th and 9th. 

Hearing of the inaugural event when they announced themselves onto the scene back in the Spring and continuing to build anticipation with a stellar lineup announcement a few months later, organizers of the brand-new festival definitely did NOT disappoint.  Headlining acts The Travelin McCourys, Leftover Salmon and Keller Williams I Grateful Grass set the scene for a great time, while Harford County proved to be the perfect setting to enjoy a beautiful few days of Fall festival fun (say that three times fast).  Adding in some late-night fun with Neighbor, fan favorite covers thanks to Pink Talking Phish, one helluva get-down, care of Big  Something and a collective three band super-group to close out the weekend on Sunday, and there was no doubt some off-the-charts fun that was awaiting ticket holders.

An almost textbook example of ‘takes one to know one’ was more than obviously the reason that the atmosphere was so relaxed and enjoyable down at Ramble's inaugural year.  Due almost all in part to the fact that the organizers of the marvelous event, Brandon ‘Brick’ Lohr and Jason Hubert are two frequent festival goers themselves – these two know what crowd-pleasing means.  Clear detail and thought were put into every nook and cranny of the experience and easily justify why we, as ticket buyers, continue to do what we do and how much we have come to love it. 

The absolutely amazing group of volunteers that worked at Ramble, certainly lived up to their name ‘Vibe Tribe’ and were one of the best things about the festival, in my personal opinion.  From the moment you arrived at Camp Ramblewood, the tie-dye, t-shirt-wearing crew welcomed you and directed you to parking and camping as well as provided positivity and smiles the whole weekend through.  They could be seen helping folks find things that were lost, telling you where you could find the Chill Pavilion to participate in activities and even creating a parade of their own that wandered through the festival grounds to spread the festival cheer.

Kicking the music off day one and following suit the next two mornings as well, Naptown Brass Brand marched their second line straight to the stage to get things started.  Waking up to the sounds of New Orleans brass to winding down the nights at campfire jams that kept the music going until the wee hours of the morning, are just two more examples of how well thought out  and planned the experience of the whole weekend was by organizers.  The two festival-friends-turned-business-partners in this venture, figured that they should give organizing one of their own a try and were an undeniably success!  In this attendee's opinion, they definitely know what they’re doing and truly outdid themselves, hitting it out of the park. 

Ramble was a festival where there are no VIP’s because "we’re all VIP’s" and that mentality alone worked to make everyone feel equally welcomed and excited to be together.  The campsites and cabins that were available for the folks who were staying overnight were set in locations easy to get to and had incredible access to the stages. If you arrived early enough on Friday, you were even granted time to take your car to your site to unload your gear as opposed to schlepping it across the camp, which was a true blessing and usually unheard of. 

Another easy addition that any party planner worth their weight in fun knows, is that a good theme can only add even more pizazz to an event or gathering.  Themed nights that included ‘Light It Up’ (Friday), ‘Roar It Out’ (Animal Onesies - Saturday) and ‘Drink It Down’ (Octoberfest – Sunday) giving everyone even more opportunity to apply some uniqueness to their own experience over the weekend.  Additionally, the Chill Pavillion had fun to offer in different ways with a crystal ball relaxation, plant propagation party (LOVE THIS), and of course the standard options - to take care of our bodies after boogying all night - with some stretch and flow options.  If you took the time to stop by and see what the area had to offer, you were definitely not disappointed and the peaceful glow that was given off at night was just another variety of wow that Ramble had to offer up.