Strawberry Music Festival has a welcome homecoming

No matter where it calls home, The Strawberry Way lives on.

Thousands of fans of the Strawberry Music Festival descended on Westside, the new site of the long-running outdoor music celebration, over Labor Day weekend. The event marked the return of the festival to Tuolumne County, where it was born more than 30 years ago, after two years away.

“Strawberry could be in the parking lot of a Walmart. As long as Strawberrians showed up, it would be great,” said Anthony Breazeale, a 48-year-old San Francisco resident and seven-year Strawberry veteran. “But this is going to be a good spot for it. It really will.”

Since 1983 the event has called Camp Mather, on the edge of Yosemite National Park, its home. But the festival was displaced in 2013 by the Rim fire and then denied a permit in 2014 by the city of San Francisco, which owns the campgrounds. So it packed up and moved to the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley for a year.

But festival organizers always intended to move back to Tuolumne County. Working with local officials, they were able to form a partnership with the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians, which now owns Westside. The sprawling property was the former home to a large lumber mill that operated from 1899 to 1962 and then in the 1970s was briefly turned into a theme park and RV camping site.

This year’s acts included brothers Dave and Phil Alvin, with Marcia Ball and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on Sunday’s announced roster.

Festivalgoers said there were some obvious growing pains in the new location. The campgrounds were spread out across the larger area in smaller clusters. The ground was dry and dusty around the stages and in most of the campsites. Organizers have pledged to spruce up the site for future festivals.

“I did like it better out in the woods at Mather. But they are doing the best they can to provide what they can. And we’re able to use some of the things in town like the pool and other things,” said return Strawberry-goer Joe Riddell, who splits his time between Austin, Texas, and Ashland, Ore. “But wherever it is, it’s the people who keep coming back that provide the spirit.”

The 68-year-old typified the “The Strawberry Way,” spending Saturday afternoon dancing to music in a shiny, homemade Strawberry costume. The slogan refers to a friendly, generous and fun-loving vibe that most of its participants embrace.

For those who have come back year after year, the location has never been the only draw. Instead, it’s the family-friendly atmosphere and spirit of community. Six-time Strawberry veteran Daphne Ogle came with family and friends from the Bay Area. Her 4-year-old daughter, Zoe Glenn, danced nearby in ladybug wings and a unicorn headband.

“The music is great here, as always, and the people are just great. That never changes,” Ogle said. “It has such a great family feel. There’s always stuff for kids to do. The Strawberry Way is just always so nice.”

For area residents, the festival’s return is a true homecoming. The less remote location also meant some locals could spend the night at home and drop in for the day or night. But others still chose to camp out with friends.

Twain Harte resident Tim McCaffrey came with a large group of friends who go each year and call themselves Camp Get Enough Whiskey. This year his band, Little Fuller Band, played the Strawberry main stage. The performance marked a full circle for the group, which formed three years ago during one of the many late-night jam sessions that go on in the Strawberry campgrounds.

“I love that it’s back here in Tuolumne,” said McCaffrey, who plays guitar and sings in the indie-folk and Americana group. “I love the fact that it’s not on a fairgrounds and back in nature. I was just really excited to get to play here first. Honestly, the people here make it no matter what.”

This story was originally published September 5, 2015 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Strawberry Music Festival has a welcome homecoming."