Every year about this time people start discussing where they're going for vacation. Maybe it's Disney World, or going on a cruise. For the last 5 out of 8 years, my family have spent a week at the Cornerstone Festival just outside lovely Bushnell, IL. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so I've heard. If the sight of cornfields and farm houses - as far as the eye can see - is what one considers lovely, it must be just like home. Every year the town and neighboring cities anticipate the influx of some 30,000 festival-goers who represent a financial shot-in-the-arm for the local agriculturally based economy.
This marks the 23rd year that the Jesus People USA have put on the festival, which often resembles the best of Woodstock, with its hippy happiness. (JPUSA was started by a group of born-again hippies in the early 70's.) Cornerstone is the grandfather of Christian music festivals, drawing the most muscial acts of any such festival in the country. Hundreds of acres become home to some 25,000 campers over a one-week period. It's not just about the music however. There are seminar speakers every day covering a wide-range of topics for the Christian, seeker or whoever.
The first year that my wife and I went to the festival, in 1999, we went without the kids and were volunteers. That meant in exchange for our work we would be refunded the price of admission. Depending on the job, that could be a great deal. For an inexpensive vacation, that was the ticket. We volunteered again on our last trip in 2005. It was simply the longest week of our lives. By midweek, we were asking ourselves "why are we spending our vacation doing this?" We both swore we'd never do such a thing again. Vacation is too dear to spend it working.
Something to consider about an outdoor activity, like this festival, is the weather. The first year my wife and I were at the festival, in 1999, we were flooded out of our tents. It didn't rain again over the rest of the week, but there was mud for two more days. We returned in 2000 with our 3 children. It rained 3 out of 5 days. Mud was everywhere - up to a foot deep. It was a nightmare for adults; a dream come true for kids. Our other 3 trips have seen little or no rain. A good thing you might say. Believe it or not, it isn't. Instead of mud, there's plenty of dust. I didn't know this before, but during the summer, there's little difference between Illinois and Texas. It makes one wonder why they'd spend good money to go camping in a cornfield. Maybe I'm just getting old, but going in a RV is much more appealing.
This year my son is going without his parents and siblings as a reward for attending summer school. He hitched a ride yesterday with his aunt and uncle who previous made plans to go. My wife wanted to go this year, but her stick-in-the-mud husband didn't want to brave the high gas prices for a cross-country road trip to camp under the stars. The truth is after two years of being on or near an RV, the thought of going back to a tent in the field just didn't appeal. Dust is bad enough. Mud is much worse.
According to weather.com, rain is in the forecast for July 3rd and 4th, just in time to greet the festival campers when they arrive. The truth is though it may rain for just a day, the mud will last much longer. Have fun guys. You can tell me all about it.
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