Comfortable Shoes Camps Past
Original Comfortable Shoes
In Memory of Tammie Adams - The Heart and Soul of Comfortable Shoes.
Home (Winfield) Pictures 1999 Pictures 2000 Pictures 2001
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Pictures 2007 Pictures 2008 Pictures 2009 Pictures 2010 Pictures 2011 Pictures 2012 Pictures 2013 Pictures 2014 Comedy Jam
That Dead Armadillo
History
Listening to Ron tell
his story of how he came to be connected to Comfortable Shoes Camp( through
knowing Doug at work), it became obvious that everyone had a story to tell, and
I set off to make a “camp-web” of the various connections. I know I failed
to get everyone’s story, but we want it, so please send to me (wests@ipa.net)
or to Doug via the Web Site E-mail.
MOOSE/JIM: Eddie
met Chip because Eddie was wearing a Winfield shirt at a college class. Chip
invited Eddie & Tammy to a party where he was a no-show until much later.
But Eddie and I met at the party. I
grew up in
TAYLOR
: Mannie & I met in
We’ve been to Winfield 9 or 10 years. EVERYBODY was telling us to come—we just couldn’t see going to camp with 10,000 people when we live out in the country. It has really rejuvenated and re-inspired our music-playing.
DOUG: Linda and I came with Patti and Randy, and immediately knew this was home. Been coming home ever since. Randy and I work together and went to school together from kindergarten on. When Comfortable Shoes formed Randy invited Linda and I to come listen to their performances. He is now the shoes camp breakfast manager and short-order cook. “I bought the griddle from my mother-in-law in ’99 or so. How long have you been coming? Come around to the front of the R-V. He has a sticker for each WV since ’96
MOOSE: The Shoes camp and Comfortable Shoes is about something bigger than just one band. So it is now Comfortable Shoes camp where Contents Under Pressure, Aunt LuLu, Crazy Horse, Subject to Change, High on the Hog, Indagrass, and other members of the tribe are camped. “Just my opinion”.
GEORGE: I have known Dennis & Shereen the longest—we met in Cassville in ’75. In ’77, Dennis, Marshall Wilborn and I came to Winfield in Dennis’ van. We parked in day-parking, went to the festival, looked for music pickers but there didn’t seem to be any (didn’t even find the Pecan Grove at all!). Another funny part is: we got all the way back to Boulder City (just a short drive from home) and just COULDN’T go any further—had to stop and sleep before we could get on home.
After ’81 we came and camped with
‘We Love Bluegrass in Liberal,
DENNIS: My story is about like George’s in that we came
for the first time and didn’t find anyone to pick music with and went home.
Then I came again in ’79 to camp with friends from Liberal for several
years until they quit coming. By then we knew lots of people. I saw the artist
at the festival spray-paint the dead horse with legs sticking up and then it was
hanging out of the tree the first time we camped here.
That’s why we thought it was Kick a Dead Horse camp.
Dennis probably holds the camp record of most consecutive years coming
to Winfield.
GARY
: In 1983, Tammy, Eddie and I pulled
up under that tree. I’ve known Eddie since Cub Scouts. I met Moose at a party
at Chip’s. I didn’t get to every
Winfield because I moved to Colorado. I came back when I was living in
DANI: I met
PAULA: Michael and I met Vicki at Ashgrove in 199l. We all went through job training together. She took off right after getting this new job for 2 weeks at Winfield. We came with her the next year—in ’92. Michael is definitely here. We were born on the same day. All things happen as they should.
CELLO BILL : I came to Winfield # 2 in ’72. I have come off and on through the years, but lately it had become more of a day-tripper thing. Shereen and Dennis brought me into the Shoes camp when Shereen recognized me in’01 on the road (we were high school friends).
MARTI: I have
known Paula the longest. A friend
approached me about having a gathering at my house after an Arts Fest in
In the early 90’s I had been camping with a group that
had a “closed circle” type of camp. These folks here (at Shoes’—she has a Shoes purse around her neck) are just so
nurturing. These sweet loving people have always been open, encouraging, and
inviting: Last year I placed 4th in the Auto-Harp competition. I was
floating high and it was
JOSH P. I
met George because of his sister ‘many moons ago’ in
FAY: I came to
RICK M.: I was
hauled to Winfield in 1980 against my better judgment. I didn’t play guitar,
but afterward went out and bought a $50 guitar and learned 3 chords. I wandered
in from the road and Mannie & Moose were playing. I didn’t move from that
circle all night and I still have a tape of it (’86). All the people I’ve
hauled down here (about 50) are from
TONY: I was
Winfield-born in 1991. -- got invited into the camp because of Karen &
Taylor. I met them at a Comedy Jam—I was staying at another camp; that was
’94 or ’95. I knew who Mannie was because I saw him on stage and then met
him in the Shoes Camp. The next year, I came in with Bev and Karen for land
rush. Karen saved me a spot under that tree. We had found out we lived fairly
close together in
BEVERLY
: We first camped with the Liberal,
BEN W.: I didn’t come to Winfield until my Senior year in high school because I have PROTECTIVE parents. Josh got to come a lot earlier because they could see by then that it wasn’t working out (the protective parents part). I still hold that against him.
I have come every year since ’90. He might hold the record of having driven farthest specifically to be
at the festival. Once I drove
here from
ANNDREA: I met Jeremy while working in ’93. I brought Patti R. for her Virgin trip this year.
PATTI: Winfield '03 was my virgin year. I had to hang up flyers about Comedy Jam Sat. Night and I hung them everywhere. I know most of the campsite from Anndrea who I have known since high school. I actually wrote a story and took pictures about Winfield and the Comfortable Shoes Campsite."
RYAN: I met
George and Josh P. at Salmonfest last year. We just happened to stop at Winfield
and Josh squeezed us in” This year Ryan
and the others from High on the Hog are back to the Shoes camp.
DEBORAH O: I met Eddie, Moose, and Jeremy in 2001 at Santa Fe Trails festival. I just found them on the road.
DESIREE and MATT F.: We
worked together in Cassville. We’ve been together 4 years.
GREGG: I was
traveling through K.C. in the maiden voyage of ‘Gladiator (AKA Blue Bison)’
and living in a collective for travelers. Sara P. was there after 9/11. She
asked me if I was into driving to Winfield with her. I
met
RAVEN : I met
all the Wardlaws before I met Josh. (This
was in response to my assumption that she had met Josh at K.U.-Lawrence).
“I came in ’98 with a friend and heard the music circle playing ‘Angel
from Montgomery’ so I just took a little turn right into this place (my friend
continued on down the road and I had to catch up to her and bring her back
here). Karen was singing. Then I
fell over backwards in a short sundress. Question for campers: does Raven hold Most Embarrassing Moment title?
The next day I am walking by and hear ’Hey, you!.....Girl who fell over in our
camp!’ It was Karen and Beverly so
I came on in.
ANGELA: This is my 4th year. I know Eddie because he is a friend of my Mom’s and I had re-met up with Eddie. Last year I fell out of the tent, injured my arm and went to the ER. They sent me back with a sling, no cast; “Not broken”. I was lovingly cared for all festival by Michael who made sure my arm was wrapped well and gave me ibuprofen and kept me quiet by plying me with alcohol. I spent a lot of time in the hammock, but I still had fun even so. This is a most loving group of people.
JOHN: Last year was my first. Angela and I met at family gatherings as kids. Then 10 years later we met again. But we always had a thing for each other.
BILL: I’ve known Vicki the longest—she was my babysitter. I was thrown here as a castaway—last year Vicki gave me a ticket because she couldn’t be here.
KARRY: I’m here with Fay. It took me 7 years to come. I met Fay at work with the Girl Scout Council. Last year I only knew 1 person here and she was camped right across the street. This is my 2nd year at Winfield.
KATE & DAVE: I
(Kate) knew Caleb W. at college in Sitka (AK). We were looking for land and a
place to land. When we came to
JEREMY: Moose
is my Dad. I moved in with him when I was 20. I had never heard bluegrass music
before in my life. My first year at
Winfield was ’94. One year I
showed up late ( days late) and got grounded by Patti & Vicki for 2
days—they wouldn’t let me leave camp.
JOSH W. I was a Freshman in high school my first
Winfield.” I brought Justin, Mike
S., and Matt C. to Winfield. I had met Matt through Justin. “ Indagrass” is
a
SHEREEN: I first came to Winfield around ’79; we camped
with some of Dennis’ high-school friends from the Liberal area. That first
year, they drew us a great little map showing us how to get around to the Pecan
Grove and where they would be. But
when we arrived, it was during the after-midnight Friday night rush. It had
poured rain, vehicles were stuck and the traffic was at gridlock.
I am viciously allergic to ragweed pollen so I quit coming until the mid-80’s when good allergy relief medication came around. I am always tanked on Flonase at Winfield. We got connected to Shoes camp through Mannie (didn’t everyone??)
DONOVAN: My
story is almost like my brother’s (Dilan). Where
did you meet
MICHELLE: Mom and Dad (Josh and Eloise) have been coming here since my oldest sister was little. They ran the Good Food Wagon. I wasn’t born yet; they stopped coming when I was born. I met Molly playing house with my sister and she couldn’t come over here to this camp so I went there (Molly is camped with family across the road). I’ve been coming 5 years. I will still be coming here when I am 25.
VIRGIN TALES:
ALASKA
MIKE: I came from
MATT C. & SYDNEY: We
know Josh W. and
MARK: I have been friends with Paula and Michael for years. I think Virgins are supposed to clean up trash and make hot toddies, probably.
BRANDI: We
need your story
IN MEMORY OF OUR FOREVER BELOVED:
LUKE (Winfield 1987, 1999 – 2000)
MICHAEL (Winfield 1992 – 2002)
MANNY (Winfield 1985 - 2004}
KAREN ( 1993 - 2011)
RICK (Winfield 1980 - 2014)
PATTY LOU (1986 - 2015)