The third weekend of September has come and gone, and the second Lost Sierra Hoedown will Iive on only in our memories. It was every bit as epic as we thought it might be, especially for those that heeded our advice and purchased their tickets early. Yes, the Lost Sierra Hoedown was completely sold out by early Friday afternoon this year, leaving quite a few people disappointed to find that gate tickets were not available. While many festivals can sell unlimited tickets, the Johnsville Ski Bowl is located within Plumas Eureka State Park. They have smartly limited ticket sales to 500 people to minimize impacts on the Ski Bowl and its historic lodge. A cadre of artists, guests and volunteers brought the peak attendance to roughly 700 people over the weekend.
Attendees enjoyed a wide spectrum of music over 4 days, with musicians chosen from the local population and nationally known stars providing sets that ranged from classical guitar to the Grateful Dead, Nirvana, americana and rockabilly. While early afternoon shows enjoyed small and mellow crowds in lawn chair mode, the evening shows churned up the dust in the Ski Bowl with a large crowd enjoying boot stomping fun. When the main stage was done at midnight, the late night shows continued in the Eureka tent until nearly sunrise.
The Hoedown is more than just a music festival. It’s also a celebration of camping, sustainability and a passion for sliding on the snow. With the weather bringing mostly sunny skies this year, nearly all of the guests and artists camped together, just feet from the stage. Those seeking at least a few hours of sleep each night moved a few hundred yards down the road to makeshift car camps in the parking lot, or enjoyed the peace of the Plumas Eureka State Park campground. The perfect weather offered more opportunities for hikes to Eureka Lake and Eureka Peak, or a scenic tour to the old town of LaPorte.
This year’s Hoedown is expected to largely close the gap in funding needed to complete the installation of Squaw’s old Mainline chair at the Ski Bowl, as well as bring the Intorf Lodge and restrooms back up to code, allowing for an opening in 2015-16. We were really proud to be help underwrite and sponsor this year’s Hoedown. We offer a big salute to Azariah Reynolds, Drew Fisher and the army of volunteers from Plumas Ski Club, Sierra Nevada College and other volunteers that made the event possible. Thanks to the many people that stopped by the merchandise booth and shared your happy thoughts about UnofficialAlpine.com!
We already can’t wait until next year. We sure hope you believe us when we tell you the event will definitely sell out, so grab your tickets early!
