The smells in the air assaulted me as I walked in to the Rock-N-Reggae bash Saturday
afternoon. Sage, elephant ears, corn dogs were among the many pungent scents that
filled the air.
As soon as I got out of my car, I knew today was going to be a good time.
There were people everywhere, throwing frisbees, footballs and doing keg stands.
It’s always a beautiful thing to see all different kinds of people getting
together to accomplish the same feat — listening to music and drinking free
flowing beer.
The bands were a lot of fun this year. Domestic Problems, Mother Bird, The Ark,
Roots Vibrations, Rooster, and the GVSU Steel Drum Band all tore it up. They got
the crowd into the show with everything from concert screams to a t-shirt cannon.
Bands like Root Vibrations, with the steel drums and great Bob Marley covers,
drew the crowd. There were people dancing all over the place!
Mother Bird turned up the volume, literally, and rocked the house, while Domestic
Problems covered the rock portion of the bash and kept people warm in the fading
light. They made everyone forget about the chilly temperature.
Throughout the day, I asked several people what they thought of the Rock-N-Reggae
Bash and if they were having a good time.
Mario Simoni, Grand Blanc sophmore, said,”Everyone is laid back and doesn’t
have a care in the world. This is the way America should be.”
Tom Klemzak, Port Huron senior, said,” The Reggae festival has become a tradition,
especially for the upper classman. It’s a way to let off steam before the
hard material in class begins.”
John Rizzo summed up his day by saying,”I’m here to listen to some music,
drink some beer and have a good time.”
Ahh, nothing like the simple pleasures.
As the day went on people just kept smiling and having a great time. They never
seemed to mind the fact that it was getting really cold, the beer was running
out, their cars were blocked in and police cars were waiting to pounce outside.
It was upsetting to see the police cars backed into the woods waiting before the
festival got started and after it was over, ready to bust people.
I don’t think I would have had as much of a problem with it if they wouldn’t
have been hiding. I know they say they want to protect us, but it seemed to me
they just wanted to catch some kids before and after a party.
While speaking to Mike Anger, Rock-N-Reggae Festival volunteer, he said, “There
are about 5,000 people here this fall, which is mellower than the spring festival,
which had about 10,000 last year, but it’s still a lot of fun and easier
to keep people safe.” I asked him his opinion on Reggae and he said, “Any
kind of fun you want to have, you can find here.”
I was surprised at how nice the staff and people in general were. I stopped to
check on the Michigan game at least five times and people were more than happy
to share the score with me. They even offered me a beer because I was a Michigan
fan. Talk about benefits.
I was also one of the unfortunates to get blocked in and when I needed to get
out, the staff took charge and really got things done. They even pushed somebody’s
car out of the way! I was surprised and impressed at the level of effeciency that
the volunteers had.
I have to say that on top of the Salt River Acres Rock-N-Reggae festival being
a really good time, it was very well organized and kept everyone inside safe.
I thought it was an all around a great vibe.

E-mail the author: Jena PriebeLIFE Staff Writer