Blue blazes – Oakhurst fest a hot hit

Posted by Dan Whisenhunt August 17, 2014

This baby is hot and, unlike his father, does not have the option of drinking beer to cool himself down. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

The first beer to go at the Decatur BBQ, Blue and Bluegrass Festival on Saturday was the New Belgium Summer Helles.

Attendees lapped it up as they wandered from corner to corner of the Oakhurst Family Dollar parking lot in search of some shade. Crowds huddled by the whirring mist fans, sometimes six people deep. They also formed a steady line in front of the barbecue vendors, piling up sandwiches with meat and sauce before seeking out a cool place to relax.

In the the center there were grass-colored mats spread over the asphalt.

This man judged the festival to be a success, as indicated by his “thumbs up” gesture. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

It was hot, as you might expect. It’s also the exact opposite of what happened at last year’s festival, where unseasonably cool, rainy weather kept attendees away. This year festival organizers relocated to the parking lot from nearby Harmony Park, which still served as the kids’ area, to attract a bigger crowd.

Guests were more tolerant of the weather this time. This year’s festival brought out hundreds of people willing to put up with a little heat for a chance to chill out and listen to some tunes.

In between sets, the MC reminded guests to drink plenty of water in between beer runs. Helles has water in it, right?

This is Roxie Watson. They rocked it out. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

This is Larkin Poe, channeling some Jack White. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

This concert was attended by many clever individuals who brought chairs. The Family Dollar was also selling chairs, but ran out shortly after lunch. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt