Birthday Girl: Mum(ford)'s the Word

I was so lucky to celebrate my 42nd birthday last weekend with Beary, my mom, my sister, and 36 000 other people at the Gentlemen of the Road Simcoe Stopover. Not something I normally would have jumped on, but when

a very big deal for our very rural county happens so close to home (a.k.a. no camping involved and dad on standby to chauffeur), well, a fantastic time is in order. I've put outfit details up near the top for y'all who'll want to deek out, and tons of other stuff beyond that for y'all who'll want to see. Seriously, tons - fair warning!

I'm also glad to be celebrating by joining Judith's second instalment of Hat Attack at Style Crone. With Visible Monday on holiday, Ariane of Style Sud-Est is hosting Show Me Your Style - see you there also. Yay!

green cowboy hat: one of those mall accessory stores 5 years ago
green scarf: a gift from my mother, Lupita's (Harlingen, TX), worn here
dress: Retrolicious, ModCloth, worn here
vintage crinoline: (not visible, but effectively manifest) Netty Vintage
DIY colour-corrected cowboy boots: Frye Billy Short, worn here as well

I highly recommend the CBC feature

"The Mumford Effect" (extended band interview

here) for more about the area where I live and this event's impact. Weather was perfect both days, and for Friday night's lineup the venue was wonderfully spacious. A favourite moment was

Dan Mangan crowd surfing, tambourine in hand.

bonus Friday "party pants" outfit: all info & details here
except messenger bag: here
on Beary:
cowboy hat: shop on the Six Nations reserve
trike t-shirt: screen-printed by Beary's friend Evans
banana popsicle: free at event (not as good as the strawberry)
cargo shorts: Joe Fresh

One of the buildings at the fairgrounds was set up like a wee miniature version of the Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show (now in its 173rd year) with displays of local art, quilts, vegetables, youth projects, commercial displays, and livestock. I got to say goodnight to these chickens instead of my own!

flower hat ornament: Dillard's 99-cent clearance

Before the concert on Saturday, we toured the town's street fair, which featured live music on multiple stages and many other venues to jam, a mustachio'd Town Hall, rides, shopping, and a classic car show.

guyabera shirt: gift from yours truly, El Disco Super Centre (Progreso, Mexico)

My favorite part was the prop-filled photobooth stations set up along the way, each with a historic Norfolk theme - and one of which incorporated the iconic horse head mask of Amazon customer images fame (I want one!):

clockwise from top left: tobacco farming (which I've written about here), Dr. John Troyer the witch doctor (see here and here), dance and music halls of the area, and rail travel.

If this were my car, I would HAVE to get these shoes.

Dedicating an entire side of a downtown block to chalk art inspired everything from wieners to angel cats and beyond:

Okay, this was my favourite part too - even pianos took to the streets:

We had the good fortune to follow this adorable and multi-talented couple as they played their way along:

There have been many-many significant improvements to large-scale outdoor concerts since the Lollapaloozas of yore, which I enjoyed but found brutally gruelling even being in my early 20s. Here there was shade, water, flowers, chandeliers with candles, and actual gluten-free food.

The sound quality was just tremendous as well, which helped the whole thing be enjoyable as well as comfortable and fun. Aside from the merchandise booths and sometimes food, line-ups were minimal - and there were enough staff on hand that they had the capacity to be funny and kind to the attendees.

all the wrist business plus: rubber O-ring, neon green 19 band, Stuhrling Tuskegee Skylancer watch, axe-and-barley ribbon and bar code event ticket, silver OM bracelet, leather and silver "hands" bracelet, yellow vegetable turquoise bracelet,
deets of the usual stuff here

I've brought you some outstanding audience stylins as well: did you spot the tot with the red sequin cape, the hat made of cardboard beer case, some high-fiving pass-through staff, a guy with nearly the same shirt as Beary, and the "QUIET AREA" standard-bearer? Okay, that last wasn't a great shot, but a favourite concept.

sing along

I had to include a special collage inspired by my friend Curtise, who, do you remember was so clever as to have a manicure that matched the port-a-potties? Well, me too! And the Sewage Waste truck! I found this happy coincidence on my way back into the melée after "scanning out" of the venue for a short scamper across the parking lot to the line-free and extremely humane facilities at the Aquatic Centre - sometimes a little local knowledge goes a long, long way.

Sorry for the rather distant juxtaposition. That's as close as I was getting in bare feet, especially given that wet spot of indeterminate origin.

I saw no juggling sticks or hacky sacks, both of which used to drive me just bonkers, but there were flower crowns galore - and powdered paint dancing:

I was desperately over-stimulated by the end, of course.

New favourite picture of Beary, it's how he looks when he dances with me.

After all that grooving on the grass, we climbed the grandstand just in time for a perfect view of the unique Old Crow Medicine Show encore ...

... and the best seats for watching an egg-shaped moon rise over the exuberant crowd.

A crowd that particularly appreciated the finale, given that Rick Danko was one of us:


Who should I have play my next birthday bash?
Hope everyone's had an excellent Labour Day (or start of September) weekend!