while the sun was up, that projection screen behind the rusty old farm trailer stage made the perfect all white high tech backdrop to get these performer photos. After the sun went down that screen was full of Malcolm’s colorful, spinning psychedelic psychedelia. It was far out.
My best buddy… Glenn Allan
above a few who have a Jimmie knitted with love hat. There’s more than a hundred out there and each one is a unique work of art. These were the ones under this sunset on this hill country ridge on this particular evening.
Our friend and incredible performer, Havilah Rand.
A young Texas girl in the young Texas bluebonnets… that’s part of our culture right there.
When I think of The Woodzie I think of several important souls and Will Allan is way at the top of that list.
Jimmie lead a great circle under the sunset ceremony.
Hey kids…. get a tent!
My very cool cousin Kevin Smith. In addition to his great performance, his help in getting his dad Raymond Smith and my cousin and good buddy Cal Hill out here was one of the highlights of the Woodzie for me.
Well, this 7th Woodzie was by far my favorite. So many people pitched in it seemed to move forward on it’s own energy. Thanks to each of you who helped make it happen and each of you who participated in any way.
I’m so glad that so many of you liked the hats and tshirts. Means a lot to me.
We have a fun tradition of people sending us photos from far away places while wearing the Woodzie shirt (Glen posted one here of his son Will in New York). I would love for that to continue.
Please tell us what you liked best and what we could do better. We want to know.
Remember that you are welcome to invite friends and family next year. Give it some thought as it will effect everyone’s experience. Invite those who will appreciate and enhance the event just by being there.
It was a pleasure to meet so many new peaceful souls and see so many returning friends.
Thanks again.
I have Lynne’s and Deirdre’s and Renee’s…. who else has some? As soon as I get a few more I’ll do a slideshow and leave it up here all year. This shot from Renee has to be in contention for grand prize winner. This is Mario who scheduled himself to be off from work months in advance and drove all the way in from Houston. He was the official Woodzie Sheriff walking with his custom Woodzie walkin’ stick, 60’s peacenik army helmet and badge up and down the roads reminding drivers to keep their cars from blocking the way. He would have helped us all from being so oversaxed but one problem…. he was playing the very cool cajon drum rhythms in that sax/Janis Joplin/Pink Panther jam until 4:00 am. I love it. 
every year over cowboy breakfast on Sunday morning we have our traditional Woodzie laugh fest – mostly talking about what kept us up all night. One year it was somebody with a drum – I think he was beating it with two empty bottles of tequila while somebody sang old folk songs at the top of their lungs. This year it was the saxophone until 4:00 in the morning. It projected the Pink Panther theme at high volume from one end of the campground to the other. It was surrealistic. But think about this…. what if the saxophone was the only instrument you could play and you had music in you you had to get out? In the last three days I’ve been shocked to hear as many people saying they loved it as I have heard say they hated it. Taylor, for one and he’s sober as a church mouse, sat in that song circle and LOVED it…. he said the guy kept offering to play quieter but they were telling him to go for it. This is just another funny, classic Woodzie story. Like I’ve said many times before, the camping trip you remember best and the story you treasure and tell over and over is when the tent fell on you and you slept in the rain and survived it. We’ll all remember this Woodzie as, like Kim said, the one with the nonconsentual sax. I venture to say he had sax with all of us. Five years from now somebody will ask you “were you are the Woodzie with the saxophone?” And I promise you, you’ll have a memory of whether or not you were. Thanks sax guy!
I’m starting to get photos in. Lynne Allan took a ton of great photos… here’s one that’s priceless.
That right there, in that moment Lynne caught, that’s what the Woodzie is all about. We had a lot of kids this year like we always do and I was talking with this with several people – since we’ve been doing it so long it’s become ingrained in our children. The younger ones have not known a time without The Woodzie. I think it makes a contribution to help counter the lack of opportunity for kids to be able to be kids in the modern world. Meaning the no riding bikes on the street, no trick or treating, no unguarded time. At the Woodzie, kids are little Indians. They see that people can do things like this on their own…. I betcha some of these kids do their own Woodzie-like events when they grow up, or be drawn to other events like it, because the seed of the idea of it will be so deep in their childhood memories.
Thank you so much for the Woodsie experience. I really apprehiate being a part of it. I feel like I have made some new friends. What is the facebook name you are using so I can stay in touch via facebook.
Again thank you so much. I left my Mo Bandy chair there by mistake. If it is still there you can store it for next year or if you would rather not I can pick it up.
Love and Light
LaDonna
if you’re coming late, our sign isn’t lighted but right across from the gate is Lagerhaus Storage and they have a big lighted sign. Look for them on the right (if going north) and then for this Whipple Woodzie sign on the left.
Kim is fixing a wonderful cowboy breakfast for all the intrepid campers who get up early enough. I have 2 large french press coffeemakers, bring more if you’ve got them. I’ve also got an electric drip pot I’ll plug in. Please bring ground coffee to share if you can. I’ve got coffee cups this year.
I just got back from Sam’s and bought all the paper plates, plastic cutlery, and cups I think we’ll need.
Ice is always useful. Sodas and bottled water to share would be appreciated. We have 2 kegs of beer. Bring a cooler to share if you’ve a mind to.
We’ll cook lots of chicken quarters. Bring something raw and we’ll throw it on the grill for you. If you want to bring meat to share we’ll be happy to cook it.
The food tent is the place to drop your casserole or whatever item you’ve brought to share. We have plugs for crock pots. Please label the food items.
Come hungry and leave happy!
There will be a plant exchange and sharing table. The first aid kit will be on the sharing table if you get a boo boo. Bring a few things to share if you can – glo sticks, $1 store flashlights, bug spray, xtra batteries, bandanas. Be creative and generous and your Woodzie experience will be enhanced (as will your fellow festivarians). See you tomorrow!!!
this is the kind of thing that makes the Woodzie good.
Hey John
Thank you for the formal invite. I am planning on attending with my father and brother who will be visiting from the Houston area. I am planning on bringing banana bread, beans n rice and some corn tortillas.
My father is a musician and wood sculptor and asked if he could bring a sculpture for display-kind of tiki style. So I told him I would pass the question on to you. If you want a few pics i could email them to your Inbox. Also I read your post about bringing dogs. My brother has 1.5 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback who is his only child. I know your concerns about dogs, but assure you “Cali” is very loveable and will get along with everyone. If your unsure because you don’t know me very well or have not met “Cali” I can understand. I’m looking fwd to going to my first Woodzie.
Jason
Hi I am a new thought/folk singer song writer. I am very peaceful:) Chis told me about this and I totally want to camp. Can I just show up or do I need to let someone know in advance:) Thanks LaDonna
Found Jimmie’s excellent list of “rules” from last year:
Some ground rules and tips to help make EVERYONE’s Woodzie more enjoyable:
The Woodzie is a celebration of Spring, of happiness, of music, food, friendships and hammocks. You’re here with us to take a weekend off from your woes. Abandon all gloom, ye who enter here.
We have to BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL with fire! Care must be taken with cigarette butts, candles, and lanterns. Depending on conditions (i.e., wind), we may not be able to have fires at the campsites. Announcements will be made regarding fires—please heed whatever decision is made.
It’s critical that we keep the roads open. Pay attention to where you park your car and park off the roads. We will have volunteers whose duty it is to keep the roads clear. If you are asked to move your car, please do it immediately without any question. We don’t ask much but this is a big one and it’s for safety sake.
Each person is responsible for himself or herself and their DOGS, and every parent is responsible for their kids. This is a private party, and by attending the Woodzie and coming onto this property, you release the owners of all liability. If you are not comfortable with that, the Woodzie is not the right place for you—you need to leave and go camp somewhere else. We say this with nothing but love.
Have fun, but don’t overdo it. Please be responsible with the beverages you have brought. All laws are followed, and we don’t let any individual put the whole event at risk. Remember this is a family event—your mother may be watching. John’s mother is definitely watching.
Shoes need to be worn and preferably have closed toes, because this ain’t a mowed park here, Mr. City Slicker; there are cactus and rocks.
Respect the landscape. Please don’t cut live plants or trees. The answer to “Can I cut this down?” or “Can I drive over this?” is NO!
Share what you can. Food, water, bug spray, batteries, and don’t forget music! Make music under the trees or around your camp site. Make friends. Everyone here is a friend of a friend. Or a friend you haven’t met yet.
At 10pm, all amplified music will ABSOLUTELY stop. There is a designated quiet campzone for people with families or for anyone else who’d like to go to bed at 10pm when the stages shut down.
If you’d like to jam acoustically into the wee hours of the morning, please be respectful of the quiet zone by camping or jamming along the ridge.
HAVE FUN!
PLAY NICE!
Wear closed toe shoes – there are cactus and bull nettle.
It’s going to be chilly at night, bring some warm clothing.
We have a sink with running water at the site and it IS good to drink.
Most cell phones work here.
You will need a flashlight.
No banjos except as firewood.
Chris Pfeiffer will kick the main stage off at 2:00. Be there and be ready to hear something really, really great. You can sample some of this stuff here.
Mark Jungers will be a special guest this year. You can listen to some of his songs here.
Havilah Rand is making special arrangements to come. Listen to her stuff here. A good friend to me and lover of many kinds of barnyard animals, Claude Morgan will also be a special, special guest. I’m just mentioning these guys because the regulars know who they are and you probably know who the regulars are.
We have all the campin’ space in the world and it looks even much better this year than ever… your tent can be right here in the village. Remember, it takes a village to eat the casseroles. And if you wonder why it’s nice to have kids and dogs (as long as they’re watched closely and kept safe), this 36 second video short stars Vann Allan and Sancho.
That audio and video is live, Chris Mackenzie records to his computer off of the board. The fantastic set The Rosellys from England played blew everybody’s mind. As you can hear, Chris makes things sound gorgeous. They were in the U.S. on tour and just ask them they’ll tell you like they tell everybody, The Woodzie was their favorite event. They came all the way from England… surely you can drive up from San Antonio or down from Austin! The first guy you see in the video is Stephen Ingles who flew in from Hawaii that week and played Hawaiian slack key guitar in the featured slot on the main stage later that night. Also just amazed everybody. I guarantee you that you can’t know what’s going to happen at The Woodzie because Jimmie and I and the others who help during the whole planning of it never know. That’s what makes it a happening.
Still and/or video. We LOVE to share photos and the more people taking them the better. It’s a great day and a great setting to get artistic shots.
look for Jimmie Whipple’s beautiful drawing on a t-shirt very, very near you soon.
click to see it full size and to be able to download it in a printable size.
It’s very important that you bring something delicious to add to “the feast”. Remember, we become a community for a day and we have to feed everybody. We like to do it in style so give it some thought. While we’re mowing and clearing this week we’re imagining that you’re out there thinking and planning and dreaming and scheming to bring a new song AND big bowl of something incredible to eat. The Woodzie is small enough that every person’s contribution is needed and appreciated.
Jimmie has been out there for days running her new Troy-Bilt walk behind string mower cutting all this crazy new three foot high green growth out of the campsites. It just knocks it right out and she loves it. She has it looking really good. We had to chop down some of the more than 50 gorgeous oak trees that were killed in recent months by the drought induced fungus. Both this several year long drought and a very wet late 2009/early 2010 are heavily effecting The Woodzie site vegetation this year. We’re seeing types of plants we’ve never seen in 17 years. It’s wonderful. You give and take… we’ve very sadly lost some priceless oaks but we’re also seeing the most beautiful new growth we’ve ever seen. Mother nature has a handle on all of it. Come take a look at it for yourself.
As for Jimmie… I think the Woodzie chick she has drawn in the t-shirt design each year is a self-portrait. Jimmie may try to be humble about it but she really is the soul of the Woodzie chick.
I’m really super in love with her.
zoom in, zoom out and get directions to here from anywhere. The intersection is FM 1102 and Hoffman Lane. You’ll be coming in on 1102 and you’ll see “Lagerhaus Mini Storage” and the gate into The Woodzie (there will be a sign against the fence) is pretty much right across the street. That mini-storage has a bright lighted sign that stays on late so that can be your lighthouse beacon.
It’s true we lost over 50 trees this year due to the drought and a tree fungus. We can’t cut them all down in time for the Woodzie, so if you see a tree that looks like this:
or is just obviously dead (no leaves), please, please, don’t pitch your tent underneath it.
I know 50 trees sounds like a lot, but you hardly notice them in the dense forest that is WhippleWorld. It’s extra beautiful this year with all the wildflower growth. You’re gonna love it!
You can cook at your campsite. BUT in addition to that, we’re going to have enough bar-b-que pit space to cook anything and everything. Me and a couple of friends will taking turns watching the pit and throwing stuff on and taking stuff off all day. Jimmie and I will buy 100 pounds of chicken leg quarters like we do every year as the bulk of the que but bring us some sausage or steaks or ribs or deer meat or whatever and we’ll hand it back to you in delightful condition. We will also bar-b-que any dogs who try to bite anybody.
We’ve enjoyed having people bring their dogs – no offense to humans intended but some of the coolest attendees have been dogs. I always had some fear about it, worrying about them biting or fighting or disappearing forever down a deer trail and having to console lost dog owners… but we went five years with nothing even close to a problem. Only benefits, no problems. Then last year it caught up with us. Jennifer’s little boy got a nasty bite from a dog somebody very foolishly brought “to see how he would get along with other people”. Then, even following our rule about leashes on dogs that need it, we brought our dog to let dog lovers meet him and the sweetest little dog in the world walked up and got very seriously bit. It was a heart breaker. SO… we’re going to say NO DOGS without pre-approval. Both instances of trouble came from dogs the owners knew (Jimmie and I included) were unproven in this kind of environment, that’s what we have to prevent.
If you have a cool dog, a part of the family “almost a person” type dog and Jimmie and I know you, or if we don’t know you but you want to email us and have a short discussion about your dog which we’re happy to do, then you can bring it. After getting that go ahead, STILL bring your “known to be safe” dog on a leash and bring it up to meet us when you get here for approval on it going off leash. And I ask everybody, specially the dog owners, to help us monitor the dog situation while the Woodzie is going on to get us back on track to more years of no problems. IF anyone disagrees with this idea of how to handle it, let me know.
quite a bit of the communication for the event is happening on Facebook. If you have a FB account, go here and RSVP. If not, here’s the event description:
Are you interested in coming to The Woodzie Folk Fest to camp and/or play music and/or french kiss a tree?
We make a big bonfire and we sit around in campin’ chairs and look and act really folkie. We realize that that either sounds incredibly fun to you or it doesn’t. If if does…. round up a group of your family and friends and come spend a day and night in the country.
Plan on getting here in the early afternoon on Saturday. Music will start about 2:00.
This is a small 24 hour singer/songwriter music festival slash casserole eating contest. Win or lose, it’s a great reason to wrestle with tent poles. It’s walkin’ around in the bluebonnets. It’s Texas music and Texas bar-b-que – basically so Texas you have to scrub the Texas off of you when you’re done.
This is easy to get to, it’s on the north side of New Braunfels, Texas just two miles north of Gruene Hall. It’s in a gorgeous, hidden 32 acre forest on the first ridge of the Hill Country – you’ll love it. Take a look at the photos. If you want to come, watch here or at www.thewoodzie.com and we’ll put up maps and much more info.
We play a little bit on one large, rusty old farm trailer stage and one small stage hidden deeper in the woods but we mostly play constantly around the campfires in a Kerrville Music Festival feel. You can play guitar and sing to your heart’s content.
No, you don’t have to camp, you can drive in Saturday afternoon and out Saturday night, but camp or sleep in your truck if you can. Return on investment is high.
It’s very family oriented. Kids are extremely welcome.
Food is big at The Woodzie. We share a BIG tent full of community potluck food.. Cook something that you’re proud of and bring it. Other people will be doing that for you. It’s culinary communism.
The site is 32 acres as perfect as the Texas Hill Country gets. We have an almost endless number of nice little camping spots.
Everything is free. With one exception, the rare and beautiful commemorative t-shirt. Bring $10 if you want a t-shirt.
Those who are invited can bring friends and family that they can vouch for as being peaceful souls. The disclaimer is simple: If you’re a calm, cool person… you’ll fit right in and we’ll welcome you like family. If not, stay home. If you and your kids and your friends are open to helping put on a 24 magic trick, come on.
More info is at www.the woodzie.com
still working on a few technical widgety things but it’s coming together. I have it setup where you can create an account for yourself. Please do and PLEASE help me add some content. Any and everything helps. Being 2010 and seeing how Facebook is the new supreme commander of the Earth, I imagine a whole lot of all of our communications will happen on FB but there are many things we can do here that we can’t do there. And some wise people just don’t MyFace. Hope everybody is getting excited about us all being together.
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Last Message 2 days, 17 hours ago
- Info : Please, resolve the addition below before post any new comment...
- Guest_2015 : Can you please add my Blog's Link in your Blog...My Blog is «link»
- John : well first.... we have to have a saxophone. It's once a year, Kit. We've done little "mini-woodzies " on occasion. Somebody needs to propose one based on just about any half baked excuse. We're easy. I'm thinking about having one with just a dozen or so songwriters and having an overnight songwriting camp. But not until I recoup a little.
- Kit : i put on my woodzie shirt everyday. I can't get over the woods. It's not a T it's a hippie top that i'm in love with. how often do you do these hippie woods sleep overs?
- Sue : thank you so much for THE WOODZIE I can't remember when I've ever had a better day!!!!!
- John : got the Woodzie site pretty much all cleaned up. Thanks everybody for doing such a great job of preventing any messes. It just didn't take much to clean up. We had a big pile of giant trash bags and we started the bonfire back up and cremated it all and it's just gone. Not very green but I love it. With that much trash piled up all of a sudden, gone is good.
- John : Well.... it's late afternoon on Sunday and after more than 24 hours, everybody's gone. It's always hard to be ojbective in the afterglow but this has to be either one of the best or the best Woodzie yet. Wonderful! I saw some very dear friends I hadn't seen in years. I hope to get some photos to post... it was a gorgeous day in a gorgeous setting with lots of wonderful people.
- John : Now it's 9 hours later and it's been a wonderful day. This is easily one of the best Woodzie's ever. More people came than I expected. The campground area is full of tents. People are in the best Woodzie spirit that we've ever seen. It's just magical. Wish you were here!
- John : OK, just snuck back in for a minute to check messages. It's 12:30 and everything is going really well. People are starting to come in. Chris has the P.A. setup. We're getting ready push the port-a-potties into their place. Claude Morgan made the run to get 80 pounds of chicken. I'm going to fire up the bbq here shortly. Jimmie made the food tent look like a gypsy wagon. Taylor has the t-shirt stand set up. It's all good.
- Casey : Yay it is Woodzie day! Now to go run a million errands and set up.....
- Sara : Thank you Casey for letting me and my girls go! I sure need this and I think its going to be right up my alley!
- John : Supperhappy Funland will be having a ukulele songcircle at their compound on the ridge road down past Allantown. Bring your uke if you have one.
- John : OK... it's 10 pm Friday night and it's absolutely AWESOME out here at the Woodzie site. Quite a few campsites got setup a day early... very smart. The t-shirts were delivered and we had the unveiling. We have three BBQ pits going and we're all eating like kings. It's heaven in Texas out here. You HAVE to get in your little car and drive out here tomorrow!!!!
- John Whipple : actually, there is somebody who knows exactly what's going to happen.... the Woodie Chick. But she just smiles and doesn't say nothin'.
- Susan : thanks, we'll be there!!
- John Whipple : We announced the date for The Woodzie more in advance this year than ever before, More than 6 months ago. But it's been a late bloomer and it will be smaller this year. We're so happy about that because we're just in the mood for something simple this year. Smaller and better is our hope. YET... I'm suddenly getting a ton of emails RSVPs here in the 11th hour. So I don't know, it might be somewhere between small and medium. I love it, the Woodzie is all about spontaneity.
- Jimmie Bell : Everybody bring your Jimmiehats, I'm going to try to take a group photo.
- Jimmie Bell : The port-a-potties are here and I'm running up to Sams for plates and such. I think we're gonna pull this thing off!!
- Jimmie Bell : We are all going to enjoy the best weather in the history of The Woodzie. This will be a "Goodzie Woodzie"!
- John : Bring your kids Susan... bring your kids everybody... make sure they have closed toe shoes and long pants. Becci, we have a list my daughter uses to get people up and down off the stage but I hate to post it because it's inevitable that it changes. Glenn and Kim, Claude Morgan, Mike Fletcher, Brad Svoboda, Mark Jungers, Mitch Webb... tons of people are gonna play. Let us surprise you! I promise you, we're always surprised.
- Dan : Thanks, Glenn. I read the thing on FaceBook. I'm coming up from San Antonio after work at about 4:00. I outlived my rock star delusions and am just so thankful for a tree to play under!!!!
- Becci : Is there a schedule of who's playing and when yet?
- Susan : Heard about this from my friend at KNBT. So it sounds like kids are welcome? I have two who need a day in the woods.
- John : I was talking to Deirdre just now and we looked up the sunset and moonrise times. Here they are: «link»
- Jack : yes... stinging nettle is everywhere this year, Jimmie and it's hard to see in with the other weeds.
- Melissa : I'M SOOOOO EXCITED!!!
- John : I agree. People want a beer, we want people at the second stage.... it's a trade.
- Glenn : Actually separating the food and beer would create two gathering spots, not a bad idea.
- Glenn : That would definitely route traffic!
- John : Glenn, I know how to route traffic.... lets put the kegs at your second stage at the Bone Yard.
- Glenn : And so everyone knows... It's been thoroughly discussed and undocumented, the PA systems will shut down promptly at 10pm, at which time it'll be singin' 'round the campfires.
- Glenn : I'll have a sign in sheet near the stage, open mic style.
- Glenn : You're there Dan!
- Dan : I'm in for the second stage! What do I have to do to get on that schedule???
- Glenn : So do we need a secondary stage? I'm planning on setting up the battery rig out at The Boneyard, but before I buy some additional lighting I was wondering if anyone would even use it...? What do yous guys thunk?
- John : Google maps provides code to cut and paste into a post and what you see there is what magically pops up.
Days left until THE WOODZIE
It will happen in 8 months and 11 days.
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