So, last year was my first Scamp. I volunteered and had the time of my life! The reason why Scamp is my favorite festival (and I’ve been to about 10 or so) is because of the incredibly long and crazy story you are about to read.
It all started Thursday afternoon. Waiting in line to get in was a drag, but I met some of the funniest and goofiest people, and it was well worth it. The guy behind me in line was wearing one of those raccoon hats. You know, the furry ones with the tail, and it was covered in pins. I immediately complimented him on it, and his response was, “Straight coon, homie. Straight coon all day”, and all of us just started cracking up. It turned out the group behind us was hilarious and we got to know each other during the 5 hour wait. We ended up camping together and hanging out the entire weekend, and still keep in touch to this day.
The next day was awesome! I fell in love with the layout, stages, and people at Scamp. Friday night, I went to all the shows I wanted to see, and around 3 am, I find myself in a giant jellyfish. Yes, I’m sure we all remember that jellyfish. I was swinging around on the tentacles, listening to Tycho on repeat, when I met amazing people who invited me to sunrise kickball with Umphrey’s. WHAT?!?!? “Yeah, they do it every year. This isn’t your first Scamp is it?” one guy asked. I replied yes, and was welcomed with a roar of applause and excitement. ALRIGHT, LET’S DO THIS! The next moment I am on the grounds in front of the main stage at sunrise, standing a few feet away from aStasik. Yup, this was the first night! Kickball was a blast, but I soon realized that it was 5:30 am and I was completely out of energy. I had a volunteer shift at 8:00, and my phone (only alarm clock) was dead. What am I gonna do now? So, I did the most logical thing at the time. I went to my campsite, grabbed my pillow, and brought it to the volunteer check-in area. Put my head on the pillow on the table and passed right out. I wake up to a supervisor nudging me, telling me to find somewhere else to sleep. I said, “is it 8:00?” He responded “Yeah, just about.” I replied, “Well, I’m here!”, and he started cracking up. I explained my story and he thought it was pretty damn cool. That’s what Scamp is all about! My shift was in the VIP area on greening duty while I caught the entire Keller Williams VIP set! All right, I can dig this!
After my shift on Saturday, I rested up. Obviously the nights are ridiculous at Scamp, and I faced the fact that I would become nocturnal. Lotus, Umphrey’s, Moe, and Koan Sound all kicked ass that night, and I, of course, met more amazing people. From 2-4 am, I saw an electronic Beatles cover band at the Soulshine tent. What a beautiful experience! There were spontaneous hugs given out, pow-wows, and there was a pile of water bottles, beer, snacks, glowsticks, cigarettes, etc. on the ground. Turned out, it was a “Leave a penny, take a penny” type situation. And this thing grew and grew! After that, I went to the woods where small bands (not on the lineup) broke out into some late night Jams. I could not get enough of it. This place does not sleep! Suddenly, I’m in front of a trampoline. I’m sure anyone who went in the woods last year remembers the guy with the trampoline. We’re talking a full size, backyard trampoline that this guy assembled in the woods, with LED wires all around. A sign read, “Take your shoes off, please.” This became quite a party! Musicians, artists, and Scampers of all sorts gathered around the tramp and hung out all night! I woke up the next day ON THE TRAMPOLINE with about 10 people I didn’t know. I slept there… in a ball of people. This was too funny! I asked someone the time, and it was 11:50am….Of course, my shift was at noon. I sprinted to my campsite, grabbed my shirt and a snack and ran back to the check-in area. It’s crazy how for these few days at Scamp, everything just seemed to work out. My shift, sorting trash on Sunday was a piece of cake, since had a lot of stories to swap with the other volunteers! Many of the volunteers traveled from very far, and everyone was so grateful for this magical place. The moral of the story: I LOVE SCAMP!!!!! I will be back every year! Memories like these are what life is all about, and I am all ready to make new ones this summer!
