What's New at the Second Annual Rothbury Music Festival?

Having experienced the 2009 Rothbury Music Festival, and also have attended the first installment of the festival in 2008, I couldn't help but notice a number of things that were different this year; some of which were apparent as soon as we entered the campground.

Street Signs - The first difference that was noticeable immediately were the welcome addition of street signs in order to help festival goers find their way through the maze of campsites and tents. Streets like The Golden Road, Air Strip Lane, and Maple Street, just to name a few certainly helped many-a-patron find their way home at night.

Campground Names - Another thing to cut down on the confusion and possibility of losing your campsite are the campground names. Borrowing names from various types of fish, amongst the campgrounds were Camp Trout, Camp Muskie, and Camp Bass, just to name a few.

Lucky Lake - Last year Rothbury offered up concert-goers the option of swimming in Wildcat Lake - but that turned into a swampy mess by Friday. This year, patrons at the festival could take a dip in Lucky Lake; for a fee. Some, who opted for VIP tickets even got to camp right next to the lake.

Besides the above mentioned attractions, there was plenty of new beautiful, random art to be found everywhere - most of which was made from a variety of recycle materials. Oh, and what was with that large blue bus that was buried half way into the ground?

And of course Sherwood Forest got some enhancements, as well - though it still retained its familiar, magical-yet-somewhat-spooky feel with numerous changing lights and decorations; both auditory and visually. While on a budget that was a little bit tighter than last year's, the organizers of the Rothbury Music Festival still managed to expand on Sherwood Forest this year a little bit, too.

Speak E-Z - Instead of having "The Establishment" this year, fans were given the Speak E-Z located directly in Sherwood Forest. Home to raunchy burlesque acts, the party didn't begin here until the evening - though it certainly lasted all night long.

Zen Garden - If one was to wander off the beaten path through Sherwood Forest just slightly, you might suddenly find yourself strolling through the beautiful Zen Garden. Decorated with various shrines and pieces of artwork that did their best to remain unnoticed, blending in with their surroundings so well that you'd hardly even notice that they were there.