Tickets on Sale Thanksgiving Day!

Tickets for the 2010 GrassRoots Festival go on sale on Thursday, November 26 -- Thanksgiving! Sometime after the pumpkin pie is finished, but before the tryptophane coma sets in, pop on over to grassrootsfest.org and pick up your holiday special tickets. Or just wait until Friday. Either way. Tickets purchased at the holiday special price will not be mailed until the spring, but you can print out a certificate if you plan to give them as gifts. And don't forget to get them by February 1. After that date, we take a couple of weeks' break to catch up our systems and get ready for camping sales, which begin on February 14 (Valentine's Day... Detect a theme? We always figure that if we make it easy for ourselves to remember these dates, it'll be easier for you guys, too!), so mark your calendars for that day if you're looking to buy camping.

Lost and Found!

Hey all! What a great festival, eh? We're still a little too exhausted to go into a full recap, but a lot of people are getting in touch looking for various things that they lost. We've delivered everything of value that we've found thus far to the Trumansburg Police Department, who you can call at 607-387-6505 (their non-emergency number) if you have a lost item. We don't have a record of this stuff at our office; it's best to just call them directly.

Camping Information - If You're Camping, Please Read!

If you've got your onsite vehicle and camping passes all ready to go, you're probably starting to wonder what the deal is with pre-festival parking on Rabbit Run Road. Well, we've got a definitive answer: the road will open up for parking on Tuesday, July 14 at 3:00 pm. Regular parking rules apply - all four tires off the pavement, watch for signs, and PLEASE respect the neighbors. This is all the same as last year, no changes.

Another camping note: if you were planning on camping at the camping area owned and operated by the Falls Tavern (our next-door neighbors North of the Fairgrounds on Route 96), you'll need to make other plans. This area will not be a campground this year, it will only be a parking area. Again, this change only affects the area owned and operated by the Falls Tavern, NOT any of our onsite camping.

That's all the news I've got for now! Let me know if you have questions!

Upping the Ante on Compost

GrassRoots has always been proud of the fact that we compost. Many major festivals don't even offer recycling facilities, so the fact that we offset over 10,000 lbs. of waste last year by turning it back into dirt makes us feel pretty good. Last year was the first year that our hospitality barn (where we feed performers and staff) became a waste-free facility - all utensils and tableware were compostable, and everything else was recyclable - and this year, we're turning the dial all the way to eleven.

Food vendors will be serving up your delicious treats on the same sort of compostable tableware that we've been using backstage, so no matter what meal you purchase, you'll be able to compost all of your scraps afterward. We're giving you a heads-up on this now, and we'll remind you again later, because if this is your first experience with compostable flatware and cups, you might find it a little strange. Yes, that fork DOES look like it's plastic, but it's actually made out of corn starch, and you can go ahead and throw it in the blue bin. We also want you to keep this in mind when you're making your packing decisions. Yes, it's convenient to bring a big ol' sleeve of plastic cups for your campsite margaritas, but if you bring reusable cups (or even compostable ones - you actually can find them in some better-stocked organic grocery stores), you'll be part of the solution.

Festivals can be terrifying feats of excess, leaving giant piles of useless garbage in their wake, but they don't have to be. We can do our part to keep our footprint closer to neutral. Need a little inspiration? Check out this cool video that our Master Composters put together after last year's event:

Onsite Vehicle and RV Camping are SOLD OUT!

We've set a new record, folks. Onsite vehicle and RV camping sold out in under two weeks after they went on sale, and the waiting list is also well over capacity, so we're not adding any more names.

There is still onsite tent camping available, if you really want to be on the festival site. You can buy that online or by calling our office at 607-387-5098.

For anyone who did order vehicle camping already, your tickets will be in the mail within a few weeks. For those of you who are on the waiting list, you'll be getting a call within a couple of days to let you know whether or not we're able to sell you a ticket.

Onsite Camping and Early Bird Tickets are On Sale NOW!

... get 'em while they're hot! On-site camping tickets won't last long.

Early bird tickets are available through May 1.

Early Bird Tickets and Onsite Camping go on Sale Feb. 14

Feb. 14 falls on a Saturday this year, but since we've ALWAYS put tickets on sale on Cupid Day, we didn't want to mess with anyone's calendar. Early bird tickets will be available online, over the phone, or at one of our ticket outlets (see the Tickets page on our website - we'll have outlets listed there soon, they'll mostly be the same as last year). Camping and youth tickets are only available online or over the phone.



If you're in or near Ithaca, remember that our last State Theatre show of the season is coming up: The Flatlanders are coming to town on April 3. The Flatlanders are Butch Hancock, Joe Ely, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Some of you GrassRoots veterans will remember Jimmie Dale Gilmore's incredible performance from several years back - we're still talking about it. Butch Hancock and Joe Ely are just as amazing, and all together... well, let's just say it ain't no joke. We'll see you there!

Currently Listening: The Flatlanders - 'More a Legend Than a Band'

Currently Watching: The Big Lebowski (Jimmie Dale Gilmore plays Smokey in this movie)