Maybe it was finding myself smack dab in middle age, but last year I made my first-ever bucket list. I made it specific—it’s my Kentucky Proud Bucket List. Kentucky is such a beautiful and amazing state that I came up with a list of things I think every Kentuckian should do before dying. Or moving to Indiana.
My list includes wearing a Derby hat, seeing Cumberland Falls, hiking the Red River Gorge and more. Last summer, I talked an old college buddy into joining me in putting a checkmark on my list next to “Attend ROMP Fest.”
If you’re not familiar with it and you love music, you’re missing out on something special. ROMP Fest, presented by the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum (formerly International Bluegrass Music Museum), is an Owensboro music festival at Yellow Creek Park that’s been held at the end of June for the past 14 years. It’s a musical buffet for fans of bluegrass, old-time country and Americana music. It’s affordable and it’s fun, with amazing bands and singers performing live for four days.
This year’s festival is June 27-30 and features Alison Krauss, Sam Bush and Leftover Salmon. Rhiannon Giddens is back, and Robbie Fulks and Parker Millsap are there for the fans of the more offbeat side of Americana.
Last year’s festival brought some of my personal favorites, such as Los Lobos, Giddens and Dailey & Vincent. Just those three acts offered Tex-Mex Americana, a bit of rap and a banjo breakdown. The Punch Brothers, led by Murray’s Chris Thile, performed, as well. It was enough to bring this music lover to her knees.
With an eye on keeping costs down, I opted for camping rather than a hotel. I hadn’t camped since a weekend at Kentucky Lake when I was 5, so I figured this would be an adventure.
Fortunately, Brenda, my longtime friend, grew up in a family that camped. That was perfect, because I come from a mixed family: My mother’s side of the family hunts deer with bows and arrows, while my father’s side of the family considers barbecuing in the backyard with a glass of bourbon in hand roughing it. In fact, when I was a child, my father wanted to buy an RV. My mother was stunned. We were going camping? My father looked equally shocked when she asked that. He told her he just wanted to drive from hotel to hotel in comfort while on vacation.
Luckily, the ROMP Fest homepage included a link to Dancin’ Dave’s, a wonderful company that will set up a tent for you, have it ready when you arrive, and break it down when you leave. It was cheaper than a hotel and didn’t require a trip to Cabela’s or figuring out how to get those sticks into the ground and make a tent stand up straight.
Feeling flush, Brenda and I decided to spend a little extra for the shower tent, which would be set up right next to our tent.
We decided to get there on Wednesday, which is more of a setup day. And what a setup it is. When you get off the parkway, you spot signs leading to Yellow Creek Park. I’m too young to have gone to Woodstock, but I imagine it looked somewhat like Owensboro that day.
There’s a big stage in one field with giant screens behind it. To the right of the stage are food trucks and booths selling festival fare, with vendors’ booths beyond. Behind and to the left of the screens are tents and campers—thousands of them. It’s an entire small village united in the love of music.
After Brenda and I settled into our two-person tent and figured out the lay of the land, I went out to meet people. How people camp at ROMP Fest is as varied as the people we met there. Some people were minimalists with just a hammock and a cooler; others were in portable palaces.
The RV section is divided into folks with generators and those without. One particular crew had me standing outside their compound in wonder. Trailers were pulled together to form a U shape. The middle area (dare I say courtyard?) was shaded with a canopy, and a variety of outdoor rugs covered the ground. A giant, glorious grill was at the edge; there were comfortable camp chairs everywhere; and huge fans—6 feet in diameter—kept the residents cool.
I stood awestruck … and apparently a little sweaty, because Josh Franey and Glenn Taylor invited me over to cool off in front of the fan. It turns out they and their friends have been attending ROMP Fest since it began. Now, most of them are married with children and live throughout the state, but they get together every year for the event and create their own little Brigadoon for a few days. “We relax. It’s vacation. We plan our summer around this,” Franey said.
Taylor still lives in Owensboro and works for the family funeral home. A big supporter of the festival, he goes around and assists the volunteers. Over the years, he’s shared 48 cases of Gatorade, 3,000 Popsicles and innumerable funeral fans sporting the music lineup. Taylor said ROMP Fest treats volunteers well and gives them lunch, but he likes to add a little extra to show his appreciation.
A visit to the vendor section was next. The area was divided into food on one side, dry goods on the other. The food section boasted burgers and oven-baked pizza, but local foods were the highlight. Chaney’s Ice Cream from Bowling Green and Moonlite Bar-B-Q from Owensboro kept the feeling regional. Owensboro’s O.Z. Tyler Distillery may be up for a humanitarian award for selling cups of ice for $1 and entire bags of ice for $3. That was a true act of kindness on those hot, muggy days.
The vendors featured home décor, folk art, clothing and more tie-dye than I’ve seen since the Grateful Dead toured. With three booths specializing in vivid colors, the sellers took care of all your tie-dye needs, from baby clothes to T-shirts to shade blankets. And there was a booth selling patchouli to keep that hippie vibe alive and well. A children’s art area kept the young ones amused.
While Brenda and I were expecting something epic, we hadn’t really anticipated the epic rains that came on Thursday. It rained. It poured. The shows were delayed. Then, they were delayed a little more … and a little more. We decided exploring Owensboro sounded better than sitting in a tent in the rain. We treated ourselves to Wonderburgers at Wyndall’s Wonder Whip, met a drag queen at Jo-Ann’s Fabrics who was buying feather boas for her costume, and even fit in a movie at the local theater before heading back to camp.
Finally, the clouds cleared, the music started and the magic began. Bluegrass icon Peter Rowan played with his band, while Giddens performed a powerful set, her songs often chilling in their stark beauty. Los Lobos made accordions absolutely cool.
After the last set, Brenda and I slogged our way back to our tent. The mud was thick, but people didn’t seem to mind. Full disclosure: I did. I found out camping wasn’t for me. I didn’t care for sharing porta-potties with hundreds of people. I was surprised to discover our shower was more like an IV drip hanging in a changing booth. I’m a real wimp when there’s no air conditioning in an enclosed in area, and I didn’t think the Franey/Taylor crowd would want us crashing their Kennedyesque campground. Brenda, kind soul that she is, was fine with heading home to Louisville.
So with somewhat heavy hearts and super soggy shoes, we packed up after the show and headed out of town. I got some sleep in a real bed and drove back and forth for two more days of music. It was worth every mile.
There are so many ways to do ROMP Fest. You can stay in a tent you bring yourself or one that Dancin’ Dave provides. You can bring a big RV for luxurious glamping or a pop-up camper for a simpler stay.
If camping’s not your thing, there are shuttles from the festival to two hotels in downtown Owensboro. You can stay in town but leave the driving and traffic to someone else. You can drive back and forth daily for the festival or buy a one-day pass and make a day trip of it.
The only wrong way to do ROMP Fest is to not attend it at all.
If You Go
ROMP Fest
June 27-30
Yellow Creek Park, Owensboro
Ticket prices vary from $60 for a one-day Thursday pass to $160 for a four-day pass. The website includes reservations for campsites and information on music lineups and artist workshops.