Dirt Fest 2015.

Another Dirt Fest has come and gone, and, as usual, it was a big blur punctuated by highlights. It was my third year helping out with the event, and it seems as though every year I become farther removed from the participation aspect and more closely intertwined with the organization and making-stuff-happen aspect of things. That’s what happens when you’re in bed (literally) with the organizer and Dirt Fest King, but I’m totally okay with it. There’s no way I’d be able to just sit back and relax and not do everything I could every moment of the day to help out. And besides, I don’t want to ride the Allegrippis during Dirt Fest anyway—I get to ride the trails every other week of the year when there aren’t two thousand other people out there.

Just because I work the event doesn’t mean I don’t have fun. Working with a great crew of volunteers (who are also all mostly my good friends) is awesome. The people-watching at the Fest is pretty fascinating. And at the end of each very long day, we head to the Dirt Rag tent and eat some of Elizabeth’s amazing pizza and hang out just like everybody else.

This year’s Dirt Fest went fairly smoothly, with only minor hiccups, injuries, and complaints. As usual, there are things to improve upon for next year, and that will never change.

Here’s a rundown of the week, mostly in photos:

Thursday night of Dirt Fest is always my favorite—before the masses arrive, before it all gets crazy, before I’m so sleep deprived that I don’t even want to hang out and drink beer anymore. This time was no different. And as always, the funky bikes came out and Elizabeth Klevens manned the pizza oven and created her sinfully delicious pies that were usually gobbled up within seconds of them hitting the table.

The beautiful pizza-maker at work:

And Friday morning, we all had to be up way too early to greet the influx of Dirt-Festers pouring in. The expo opened at 1, and the Fest was in full swing.

Sunday morning, it poured, most of the scheduled events were cancelled, and everyone poured out of the campground. By the afternoon, only a few of us remained, and it was time to celebrate another successful Fest. We hung out at the Dirt Rag tent, took a ride to the skills park, paddleboarded and swam.