Troubadours lost in the ozone

I had the pleasure of camping alongside of Louise Mosrie, the second place winner in the Troubadour contest. It was really fun hanging with her, and we can't seem to be able to get any other CD into our player cuz hers is so wonderful.

But she happened upon us because she was a totally confused, lost soul wandering around Town Park, and I'm hoping that we festivarians can come up with some way to make sure that doesn't happen to future troubadours.

Troubs have a lot on their minds when they come to T-ride, so when Louise showed up, she was a little overwhelmed. Most of the Troubs are rookies to TP, and though she found her way to the ticket booth, when she drove into TP she really had no idea what to expect. She not only didn't know where she was to camp, she didn't know those little things that we TP vets do (like you need quarters, where to find plugs for recharging your phone, internet access, etc).

As she was wandering around, she finally found someone to ask some basic questions, and was lucky enough to ask a willing Timbo, who guided her to our camp, help her set up her tent, etc. It's amazing what Timbo will do for a pretty woman!

So we (Camp Paint Can) ended up taking her under our wing, something she was very appreciative of. When I asked her about her experience of driving in "blind" I thought about ways to make the Troub experience easier on them.

I'm wondering if there are any camps, big or small, that would be willing to "host" a troubadour. It could be as simple as just communicating with them prior to the fest, getting them acclimated to the forum, and giving them a phone-friend that they could count on. Or it could be more, like having a tent/sleeping bag set up for them, including them on group meals, etc.

We benefited GREATLY from hosting our troub. We made a friend, shared a few meals, drank a few beers and best of all, made her sing for her supper!

Singing for their supper is something that happens at the Kerrville Folk Fest. ALL of the competitors are hosted in one area by a family who's done this for years. But even tho the family feeds all these people, the competitors are required to take turns singing.

Camp Paint Can, if we're lucky enough to score TP tickets next year, is committed to hosting a troubadour (Timbo is hoping for another pretty woman, but it won't matter to the rest of us!). How about your camp?