Seems like everyone I know went to Lollapalooza this weekend. There were some good bands - I would have liked to see Raconteurs or Iron & Wine or Wilco, and all reports were that Radiohead was awesome. But there's just something about devoting that much time - 3 days - to wandering around from stage to stage at Grant Park, that, after doing it last year, I just didn't want to do it again. It's too much - I'd rather go spend 4 hours of one evening at a club and hear a band, or maybe 2, than such a surfeit.

So, instead, on Saturday, I went to the Sugar Maple Traditional Music Festival. One thing led to another during the day, and I did not get there until 6:00 p.m. - during Mike Seeger's performance. But I kept telling myself, as I was trying to get there, and there was still one more chore to attend to, "you have paid more, for less".

The Fest was at Shelter #3 at Lake Farm Park. I had been to the other side of the park before, where the Lussier Family Heritage Center is, but I had never been around to the back side where Shelter #3 and the group camp are - what a nice place. I wish I had ridden my bike out there instead of driving.

There was an assortment of food vendors at Sugar Maple, so the other fun part was that people were eating Jerk Tofu from Jamerica and blue corn enchiladas from the Santa Fe Trailer while listening to that bluegrass high lonesome sound (and sipping root beer floats from Ben & Jerry's but that seems more traditional somehow).