Wakarusa Dispatch 1: Soaked, Sweaty, Stinky and Sublime.

This is our fourth Wakarusa, and it's already turning out to be a hot one. We prepared for weeks, worried that we were going to get a repeat of 2013's Swamparusa, where much of the site was consumed with 18 inches of mud.  Instead, the rain chances are now out of the forecast.  It's hot, dang hot.

Our aggregate media feed is over at The Sideblog, but here are images taken in the past 24 hours (Wednesday through early Thursday afternoon) atop Mulberry Mountain.

It's not too late to come on up -- passes are still available at the gate.  More information here.

Folk jam under the blue dome in RV Reserved at #waka2015 #wakarusa

A video posted by Kat Robinson (@tiedyekat) on Jun 4, 2015 at 2:46pm PDT

The place to fuel vehicles and bellies seems to be the I-40 Travel Center at Ozark.

Our festival home: our trusty, battered SoulPad.  Want one?  Check them
out on the SoulPad website.

Sunset Wednesday night.

A decorated cart.

Yay art.

It's so bright and sunny, people are using almost anything to stay in the shade.
Even giant flowers.

This year, the Great Waka Way is designated by an inflatable rainbow.

As expected, the sign has been painted again.

Camp Danger in RV reserved put on a feed on Thursday afternoon... a good, old-fashioned
Louisiana-style crawfish boil.

How about some mudbugs?

Artists of all sorts come to Wakarusa.  This guy creates amazing, colorful
Waka-centric prints.

Grav's just a little blue under the geodesic dome inside RV reserved.

The Ben Miller Band, hailing from Joplin, puts on a hell of a show, combining
folksy sets with washboards and trombones.

Their set at Backwoods Stage was great - the shade was awesome.

This lady was right above me as I sat in the pit at Ben Miller Band.

This early on, the grass in front of Main Stage is nice and thick.

Cure for the Common brings big brass to the scene.

Chuck Hues is painting at Revival Tent today.

More dispatches to come.