By the fireside glow of the happy hippie house I heard of the legend of the Whippersnap Music and Arts Festival. It is a family friendly event of the new paradigm. I have heard of the mobile stage that visits the campsites as a parade for the kids that maybe can’t play well with others or for kids that prefer the shade of their own campsites and their iPods rather than communing together at the main stage. I’ve heard of a miraculous place where grandmas, mommas, babies and party kidz alike were together in a fabulous Midwest locale for a weekend of music, love, and family.
This year the festival caught my attention when they added Strange Arrangement. I have not seen Strangers out in 37 weeks, but who’s counting? I am. It’s actually been 37 weeks and 2 days at the time of writing this. Maybe they’ll bust out a 76 classic form the infamous Bells Halloween show. I’m really hoping for a Rich Girl cover. After 37 weeks, I’ll take a Bed Bugs happily and get my groove on with no complaints. This whole Whippersnap weekend at Hide-A-Way-Lakes in Yorkville will be some of the great Midwest family music.
What am I most looking forward to besides Strange Arrangement? I am highlighting and eagerly awaiting Goose Doctor, the DeKalb family of fine jams. They have taken on a Wednesday residency at The House Café in DeKalb which is one of the coolest places to hang out far from the city of Chicago. Yes, kewl things actually do happen far from the city. Genome, featuring Drew Littell of Cornmeal on drums, will be there. I’ve loved the horns and sound of Genome since before Drew 
began playing with Cornmeal. This is the sounds of the soulful singers that raise their families here. With that brings the family of Strange Arrangement, Cosby Sweater featuring Joel Cummings, and My Boy Elroy of Digital Tape Machine. When you factor in Jaik Willis, Thinner Teed, The Coop, and the original family feeling set from Ekoostik Hookah you know what kind of a funky kinfolk’s good people kind of gathering it will be.
The location is new for this year’s Whippersnap Fest. Hide-a-Way Lakes in Yorkville Illinois is actually a spot near and dear to my heart. This will be the first time I will have attended a festival that I am familiar with. I spent pretty much every weekend of my youth at this campground, not just returning to a same venue for a show every year. I am talking, I know every back trail, swimming hole, and the best place to fly a kite. That rilly brings it all the way around to a full circle. Hide A Way Lakes is a family place with residents that are happy to share the land. I feel like I was brought up by these folks.
This will be a piece of my childhood meeting up with my current self, a new mom bringing her kid to a festival. I’m so glad Revolution Brewing will be representing cuz I am actually a new step mom with a 14 year old freshman high school student and I hate how this may sound, but hey! This mommy needs a beer. Make mine an Anti-Hero IPA, thank you very much. See ya out there! J
