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CARRBORO:Music festival makes Carrboro a'mini-Bourbon Street' I Orange County�NewsObserver.com 9/30/13 T49 AM <br /> "We like it all," said Susan Williams who, with her husband, Bob, had stopped off to hear the Emerson Waldorf <br /> Jazz Band. "We like to wander and listen to all the different kinds of music." <br /> Jon Lamb of Chapel Hill was strolling with his wife, Nicole Spilotross, and their 8-month-old son, Harrison. "It's <br /> very family-friendly," Lamb said. <br /> On Weaver Street by Carr Mill Mall, some kids took chalk to the pavement, others swayed with hula hoops and <br /> still others danced in front of a stage. On Main Street, Full Moon Pie went country with George Jones's "White <br /> Lightning" and Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues." Farther out Main Street, a cyclist ridir g by abruptly <br /> stopped and turned around when he heard Circle City's rock. <br /> "Hey, this sounds cool," Skip Batolanzo said to his two companions, and they walked their bikes across the <br /> sidewalk to stand and listen while the band wound up its set. <br /> "We look forward to it every year," Batolanzo said. "We like the variety, and we like the idea you can just wander <br /> around and when you hear something you like, stop." <br /> That's the idea, said Rah Trost of the Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department, one of the festival's sponsors. <br /> "We do want to see all the variety of ages," Trost said. <br /> "There is so much good music happening locally," she said. "That's truly the essence of the festival, to capture <br /> as much of the (local) ambiance as we can. ... It's like a mini-Bourbon Street." <br /> Bands apply to play in the festival and are chosen by festival coordinator Gerry Williams and a steering <br /> committee. If chosen, their payment is only food vouchers or T-shirts, and "They have to fight for parking like <br /> everybody else," Trost said. <br /> That's enough, said Brian Leden, drummer with Animal Envoys. <br /> "It's an opportunity for people that do it mainly for a hobby to get out and play," he said, packing up with <br /> vocalist and guitarist Brett Durham after their show. <br /> ":It's real open and accepting, there's no one judging. ... A fun gig," Durham said. <br /> "This is a fantastic venue ... to get your music out there," said drummer Gary Mitchell; who had finished a solo <br /> set and was getting ready to play with the band Funktion. "A lot of people are just going as the wind blows ... <br /> walking by and are pleasantly surprised" when they hear something they like. <br /> Admission was free and there was no way to count the crowd, spread over almost a mile, but Trost said <br /> attendance appeared "every bit as strong as last year" even with competition from the bluegrass festival in <br /> Raleigh. <br /> "We have a strong following, after 16 years," she said. "Right now it's tough to get across the street, so we're <br /> very pleased." <br /> Wise: 919-641-5895 <br /> Back to Top <br /> < Previous Story <br /> http://www.newsobserver.com,2013/09/2 9/324082 3/music-festival-makes-carrboro.html Page 2 of 3 <br />