Whizzbanger’s Ball | 06.14 - 06.15

The walk to the stage allowed me to take in our surroundings. Summit Bechtel Reserve covers 10,000 acres of beautifully managed forest and hills. The grassy stadium and the view of the lake enhanced the stage's setting. With a quick stop at the media room, I was greeted by the familiar faces of my local media friends. As I've said before, festivals are more fun with friends. Day one kicked off with an energetic performance from Of The Dell. The newest musician in the Whizzbang lineup, Tommy Prine, followed them up and kept the festival rolling. Between sets, I took the opportunity to check out the vendors and food trucks. Some of which offered food made from locally sourced produce.

On day two, some other photographers and I decided to go to the Narcan training truck between some sets. I didn't get time to check out the training tent last year at Healing Appalachia and have been waiting for the opportunity to come back around. If you ever get the chance, please get trained on administering Narcan in emergencies. You may save a life.

Day two started with a ride down to the lake behind the to capture some shots of the attendees fishing before the music kicked off. This is when I got some of my favorite photos of the Impact team that weekend. From where I was standing by the water, it looked like they were taking a jungle adventure through the grass over on the hill. I spent most of the day walking uphill both ways from the stage to the media room in an attempt to beat the heat and edit some photos. My calves may have hated all the walking, but my Pokémon Go eggs sure loved it. I made a pit stop at the merch table once the sun started to set to buy the official Whizzbanger's Ball sweatshirt. The genius I am forgot that 1. it gets cold at night in summer, and 2. my sweatshirt is in the car parked on the other side of the campground. Once we got the last shots of Tyler for the night, a few of us in the pit commandeered a golf cart, co-opted some beers, and rounded out the weekend watching Tyler Childers in Appalachia surrounded by friends. Whizzbanger's Ball is the annual family summer camping trip - hi-jinxes and all - you won't want to miss.

-Star