On August 6th of this year we diligently loaded up the rv and headed on up the road toward Symco, Wisconsin to participate in a little festival known as The Symco Shakedown. It sounded like it would be a really fun gig so off we went.
I knew a few things about this event before we left. The first being it was over six hundred miles away, a thought that weighed heavy on my mind with the old girl but Steve with the help of his cousin Aaron did some maintenance on her before we left and fingers and toes crossed we headed that way. The second thing I knew about this show was that there was an old town-Unionville- set up and the only vehicles on the grounds would be authentic old cars and vintage campers. The third was there are a lot of people that dress the part-well this was no problem because I dress rockabilly for Steve’s shows, old work shirts, big hair etc. so that was covered. I knew we would be camping in an adjacent field with many others. What I didn’t know was that our friends Tilford Sellers and the Wagon Burners (Patrick, Josh and Justin) were camping next to us. This of course meant some shenanigans were to be had, but also sometime just spent chatting. They are from Indiana so we don’t get to see them as often as what we like. We also got to visit with some more of our friends Rodney and the Regulars –they are from Ohio like us but we don’t get to see them too much either.
An unexpected surprise for me was the the mini-bike races-from the grandstands to the dirt track what else can I say about this, except that this is something to see in person.
I have to say when we got there Thursday night and things were pretty empty I had an idea what it was going to be like but when things filled up it was something else. I turned to walk down the main street of the town and there were vintage cars parked everywhere-it was beautiful. There were people dressed in time appropriate clothing. The playground had great merry-go-rounds on it, the big old ones with wood benches and bars to hold onto. The kind of merry-go-round that would teeter and creek creating a delightful combination of ups and downs and round and rounds –memories of being spun until I was ready to vomit, laughing and wrapping my legs around the bar so I could let go and yell “Mom, look no hands no hands go fasssssstttttttter!” I was completely taken back in time. I closed my eyes for a minute and sucked in the hot Wisconsin air and listened to the sounds of the playground –imagining just for one small second that I was young again and my parents were still alive-as I opened my eyes I dragged myself back into the future.
This is definitely a must visit festival. You don’t have to dress vintage to go and you don’t need a classic ride. You can come and spend the day –or several-and camp or just walk around. There is food, vendors, music and many activities during the event. I hope we get to go back next year.
I knew a few things about this event before we left. The first being it was over six hundred miles away, a thought that weighed heavy on my mind with the old girl but Steve with the help of his cousin Aaron did some maintenance on her before we left and fingers and toes crossed we headed that way. The second thing I knew about this show was that there was an old town-Unionville- set up and the only vehicles on the grounds would be authentic old cars and vintage campers. The third was there are a lot of people that dress the part-well this was no problem because I dress rockabilly for Steve’s shows, old work shirts, big hair etc. so that was covered. I knew we would be camping in an adjacent field with many others. What I didn’t know was that our friends Tilford Sellers and the Wagon Burners (Patrick, Josh and Justin) were camping next to us. This of course meant some shenanigans were to be had, but also sometime just spent chatting. They are from Indiana so we don’t get to see them as often as what we like. We also got to visit with some more of our friends Rodney and the Regulars –they are from Ohio like us but we don’t get to see them too much either.
An unexpected surprise for me was the the mini-bike races-from the grandstands to the dirt track what else can I say about this, except that this is something to see in person.
I have to say when we got there Thursday night and things were pretty empty I had an idea what it was going to be like but when things filled up it was something else. I turned to walk down the main street of the town and there were vintage cars parked everywhere-it was beautiful. There were people dressed in time appropriate clothing. The playground had great merry-go-rounds on it, the big old ones with wood benches and bars to hold onto. The kind of merry-go-round that would teeter and creek creating a delightful combination of ups and downs and round and rounds –memories of being spun until I was ready to vomit, laughing and wrapping my legs around the bar so I could let go and yell “Mom, look no hands no hands go fasssssstttttttter!” I was completely taken back in time. I closed my eyes for a minute and sucked in the hot Wisconsin air and listened to the sounds of the playground –imagining just for one small second that I was young again and my parents were still alive-as I opened my eyes I dragged myself back into the future.
This is definitely a must visit festival. You don’t have to dress vintage to go and you don’t need a classic ride. You can come and spend the day –or several-and camp or just walk around. There is food, vendors, music and many activities during the event. I hope we get to go back next year.
RSS Feed