The American Festivals Project is back in action!  After a little winter nap and a few minor tweaks (ok, major is more like it), AFP is in better shape than ever.  We’re proudly sporting a new website.  Thanks to the boys at BA21 for getting this up.  The Airstream is gone.  Sigh…yes, but you try weaving in and out of flooded Chicago traffic pulling that behind your half-ton pickup.  Just feast your eyes, however, on our elegant luxury 1964 camper/home “The Dodge Lodge.”  Her ass is pretty big but she’s a true beauty.  Plus, the propane still works!  You might also notice a new face on the AFP website.  Charlottesville resident and photographer Andrew Owen is joining the project and gettin’ dirty with picture-takin’, bloggin’, and veggie greasin’.  So far so good with all the new changes!

We’re super excited for the next eight months and the upcoming adventures.  You can practically ride shotgun with us by tuning into our blog which we’re hoping to update daily.  We’re a touch behind already but we have some awesome posts coming really soon.  Keep an eye out too for some new features including daily twitter feeds, hi-def video clips, and a sweet map to track our progress.  Of course, make sure to see all the slideshow galleries from each festival.

It wasn’t easy getting out of Cville but with a little help from our friends we were able to pull it altogether.  Many thanks to Wheeler, Emily, and Jenna for the extra boost so we could set sail.  With Jonny Mills and Gabe Allan in the backseat, the Dodge Lodge loaded up on a tank of fresh veggie in Ivy and then departed on Friday January 30th for New York City.   We hit some nasty weather in PA but Ross kept his head as best he could and steered the big rig into the Big Apple.

We arrived just in time for a nights sleep before Brooklyn’s most vicious, fearsome, competitive, and ruthless shopping cart race the Idiotarod.  Inspired by the grueling dog-sled race through the bitter Alaskan wilderness, the Idiotarod also features sub-freezing temperatures, a nearly un-navigable course, and a host of predators.  Sabotage is just a way of life in the Idiotarod.  Feelings of helplessness, confusion, and despair can set in.  But with any great risk comes great reward.  And nothing can replace the exhiliration of crossing that finish line at GreenPoint Park.  A special shout-out goes to Razvan, Dudu, Natalia, Stelliana, Roma, and Gwendolyna of the Romanian Gymnastics team who finished the 5-mile competition in 13th place.

Make sure to check out all the best of the Idiotarod in our photo album

That’s it for now.  More to follow soon…