Editor,
It's done. The 30th Rainier Pickin' Party is over. Who would have thought that such a hot and sunny festival season would have produced an honest-to-goodness, stereotypical Pacific Northwest weekend? Despite the damp, it went well. Thanks to hard-core campers and the general public's attendance, I would consider the weekend a success.
For those of you who don't know, the festival was started by Art and Char Runyan and the Rainier Lions but, with the Lions disbanding a few years ago, it is now put on by We Love Rainier, WA (WLRWA). Free admission and low camping fees are made possible through volunteers and the generous donation of time and talent by the bands and MC. The bands don't leave empty-handed, however. They are handsomely rewarded with wooden nickels redeemable for hamburgers. This year, using grant money, band members also got a T-shirt. Those braving the open mic received the traditional Snickers bars. Let me know if you would like to play next year. We had three bands lined up by the week's end.
Of course there are many others involved, including the sound, stage and WLRWA volunteers. In addition to the usual jamming and shows, there were food vendors, a corn feed and the Sunday gospel show. A short walk away, in town, other activities included the Roundup Days parade, craft market and street dance.
As in years past, performances were recorded by The Right Country, KYLM, Yelm, and will soon be available at therightcountry.com. Information about the Rainier festival, a list of Northwest bluegrass festivals and other information can be found at rainierpickinparty.com.
So, a big thanks to you all for making the festival possible.
Remember to mark the fourth weekend of August on next year's calendar and, when offered a wooden nickel, consider taking it.
See you at Rainier next year.
David Wuller
Eatonville
