Photos by Ron Bailey, TheBayNet.com Photographer.

MECHANICSVILLE, MD – Despite the chilly and rainy weather, many people enjoyed live music and camped all weekend at the inaugural 4/20 Buddsfest at the Budds Creek Motocross Track in Mechanicsville.

With a small fee and an armband, festival-goers could indulge in music performances from bands such as MX 51 Band, Hydra FX, Come Back Iris, No Last Call, Kelly Bell, and Night Hawks. No Bad Apples, No Green Jelly Beanz, Driving Muzzy, God Shed Eyes and Sam Grow also performed during the weekend festival.

A variety of genres, including rock, country  and pop were on many set lists over the weekend.

It was supposed to be Maryland Woodstock, according to track owner Jonathan Beasley.

Low event attendance didn’t stop the people at the festival from having a good time.

Working the ticket booth on Sunday, Diana Bromley couldn’t decide on a favorite band.

“You could hear the music for miles,” said Bromley. “I liked Kelly Bell Band, they had a more bluesy vibe and mixed blues, funk and top 40. It was definitely music to dance to.”

The Nighthawks were more southern rock, and perform regularly with Kelly Bell Band, said Bromley.

“They were side by side and played together on Friday and Saturday. It was great, I really enjoyed it,” said Bromley.

Atop a steep hill, a temporary tent was set up over the stage, which was split into two venues for performing bands. Festival goers could stand by the fence and dance to the music or sit and relax in the grass at the foot of the hill.

“We split the stage up so as soon as one band finished their set, the next one in line could start performing immediately,” said Bromley.

Aside from free camping, amenities such as showers, indoor restrooms, and food and merchandise vendors were also available for festival-goers.

Two security companies and EMTs were also on scene to protect festival-goers during the weekend activities, said Beasley.

Food vendors such as Budds Creek Concessions, Pizza Hotline, Mike’s Barbecue, and others were at the event.

For $3 a slice, festival goers could grab a slice of pepperoni or cheese pizza from the Pizza Hotline. They could get a whole pie for $20. Pizza Hotline has two locations in La Plata and Charlotte Hall.

One of many vendor booths available for attendees was called Willow’s Neon Forest. When she wasn’t performing her fire dances, she was watching her shop, which included handmade jewelry, crochet clothing, and silk flower crowns.

“I’m glad this event is here, it gives people the chance to explore a different way of life than they normally would,” said Willow. “I performed on Saturday night with my fire routine. I started with a hula hoop and I met a guy in Boston that had fire hoops and look where I’m at now. I had a great time and I hope I can come back next year.”

If flower crowns and crochet tops aren’t your thing, Daniel with Tammy’s Cool Things was manning their vendor tent.

“We sell a variety of tie-dye shirts and other festival garments, as well as accessories for tobacco products. We have a location in Trappe and contacted Jon and asked his if we could set up shop here,” said Daniel. “I really enjoyed this weekend, it was very relaxed. It was filled with good music and nice people.”

There weren’t enough people that attended the event, said Bromley.

“We had maybe 1,000 on Friday and Saturday. We were hoping for a bigger crowd on Sunday with Sam Grow,” said Bromley. “Jonathan would really love for this event to get big like Bonnaroo down in Tennessee.”

The event was held despite controversy between the track owner and St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Department, said Beasley. The track owner would not elaborate on the controversy. 

“I wanted to work with, and always will work with county businesses because we support each other,” said Beasely. 

While this is not the first year the event has been held, it is the first the event has been hosted under the name Buddsfest, said Bromley.

“We had a smaller event last year that did really well, and Jon liked the idea and that’s how Buddsfest happened this year,” said Bromley.

For more information about her fire performances, contact Willow at willowsneonforest@gmail.com.

Jacqui Atkielski can be contacted at j.atkielski@thebaynet.com