1. What is the Budgiedome? 

2. Who is in charge of the Budgiedome?

3.  How is the Budgiedome constructed?

4. Are there any rules for the Budgiedome?

5. Who has played at the Budgiedome?

7.  When is FRFF?

8.  How do I get to FRFF?

9. How do I find the Budgiedome at FRFF?  

10. Where is Lower Camp Früvous?

11.  Where is Quiet Camping?

12. What do I need at Falcon Ridge?

13.  If I don't have a car, how can I find a ride?

14.  How do I keep in touch with the rest of the world during the festival?

15.  Can I bring my pet?

16.  How do I find a seat?

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1. What is the Budgiedome? 

The Budgiedome was conceived as a communal camp space for ourselves and a couple dozen friends, after Steve Martin spotted another large camp structure made of a tarp and lots of PVC piping and decided "I can do that!"  The 'Dome is not intended to be sleeping space, but serves as a combined kitchen and living room, approximately 15' by 30', where we can sit down and chill out, have a cup of coffee or cocoa, cook a meal, take a nap in the shade if it's quiet, enjoy the sounds of mainstage while shielded from sun or rain, and enjoy a semi-enclosed, lighted performance space when the main stage has closed for the night. 

We encourage performers to stop by, both amateurs who can join our friends in jamming to songs they like, and professional musicians whom we gladly will schedule for short, informal sets after mainstage has closed for the night.

The name "Budgiedome" derives from the Canadian band Moxy Früvous, whose cartoon mascot is a half-bird, half-dog miscreant called a budgiedog.  As a group of people who became friends through a shared interest in Moxy Früvous, it was a foregone conclusion that our camp would harken back to them in some way.          

2. Who is in charge of the Budgiedome?

Steve Martin is the main engineer and tech guy at the Budgiedome.  Consult him for any structural problems or questions.  Lori Martin is co-owner and camp "Mom" when she's around, as well as being the webmaster for this site.  Gordon Nash is in charge of the performing schedule.  Other camp regulars include Paul Mischler, who serves as Budgiedome emcee each night at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, singer-songwriter Carey Farrell, Neal Shankman, and Traci Poli. If you are in the camp area and have any questions or concerns -- or just want to say hi! -- please see any of them.        

3. How is the Budgiedome constructed?

4. Are there any rules for the Budgiedome?

5. Who has played at the Budgiedome?

A list of past 'Dome performers can be found here.  Some independent artists, including Russell Wolff, Kevin So, Christopher Williams, Eric Schwartz, Alistair Moock, and Jim Infantino, have started out as "New Artist Showcase" performers at  Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, played "after hours" at the Budgiedome, and in subsequent years have played full-length festival sets.  Others, such as Butch Ross, have gotten gigs elsewhere as a result of someone hearing them at the 'Dome.  We like the idea of providing a small, casual setting for people to play to friends and supporters, and have their music heard by passerby, before they get so big that such a setting is impractical for them. Hence our motto, "Wandering Minstrels Adopted."    

6. How do I get to play a gig at the Budgiedome?

Professional performers who wish to schedule a time to play a short set (30-45 minutes) at the Budgiedome after the mainstage performances have ended, please contact Gordon Nash.  If you're not a pro but you love to make music, anytime the mainstage is quiet you're likely to find some people having a singalong, jam session or song swap at the 'Dome.   

7. When is FRFF?

FRFF begins the Thursday afternoon before the fourth weekend of July, and runs through that Sunday evening (Thursday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday).  If you can take the time off from real life, it is a good idea to try to arrive Wednesday afternoon or evening to set up your camp, meet people, and share in some of the pre-festival activities at the Budgiedome and other camps, including informal jams and singalongs.  If you are a festival volunteer, you may be scheduled for training or duties as early as the Sunday before.     

8. How do I get to FRFF?

•   Directions from the FRFF website, including information on air, rail, bus and taxi service.
   
• From southeastern PA and NJ, and points further south::
  
  
  • Get to the NJ Turnpike North.
  • Take to Exit 11 -- Interchange with Garden State Parkway.
  • Take Garden State Parkway North into New York State. You will see signs for I-87/I-287.
  • Take I-87 North -- this is the New York Thruway. Follow I-87 North to exit 21, Catskill.
  • Get on NY Route 23 East (you may have to follow Route 9W South for a little while in order to get to 23.) You will cross the Hudson River, go around the town of Hudson (watch carefully as 23 East makes a couple of turns), then cross the interchange for the Taconic State Parkway perhaps ten miles later, and continue another few miles (maybe 9?) to the town of Hillsdale.  Make a left at the main intersection in town (route 22, the only stop light) and head north on 22.  Go 5 miles to County Route 9D; make the left and you should see festival signs and traffic.  If the festival follows the pattern of previous years, once the festival is underway there's usually a police detail helping the volunteers to keep parking, pedestrians and traffic sorted out.  
    

9. How do I find the Budgiedome at FRFF?

(Section to be re-written once we have some clue ourselves.)

To drive to upper camp, where the Budgiedome is, after entering the festival site you must pass the farm and make a left on the dirt road where a volunteer tells you to go. Then head up the hill to the to, make another left, and go all the way to the end paralleling the tree line. This road ends in a loop and the Budgiedome is on the front end of the loop, on the crest of the hill.

To walk up from the festival mainstage and lower camping area, just walk toward the left side of the hill, heading for the giant silvery tarp with several flagpoles near the end of the hill (where the hill begins sloping down toward NY Route 23.) Last summer we added beacon lights and a Budgiedome sign to help people find the place in the dark.

An aerial view of FRFF identifying selected areas of interest for Budgiedome regulars can be found here.

In addition to being a location for jam sessions, Upper Camp Früvous/the Budgiedome has the advantage of a great view of the festival, and since the hillside forms a natural amphitheatre you can hear the mainstage clearly without leaving the comforts of camp.   There also is an on-site propane-heated shower and camp stove for the communal use of Camp Früvous denizens.  Just be aware that if you camp "Upstairs", you should bring earplugs or not plan on getting much sleep. The Budgiedome and several other camps nearby often keep music and conversation going across the ridge until near dawn.   

10. Where is Lower Camp Früvous?

Lower camp  boasts a shorter walk to the main stage, and the advantage of not having to walk up and down the hill many times during the day. "Downstairs" is also very convenient for quiet(er) camping, for those who want to sleep at night but who may not have brought earplugs.    

11. Where is Quiet Camping? 

(Section to be re-written once we have some clue ourselves.)

 The area behind the water tank in upper camping is designated as Quiet Camping. It makes for a very long walk to the stages.  

12. What do I need at Falcon Ridge?  

• The first thing you need is a ticket -- a 4-day pass with camping, if you want to be there for the whole festival.  If you stay at one of the local motels or bed-and-breakfasts and have no need to drive into the camping areas, you won't have to pay the camping fee.  Ticket prices are discounted in early spring, and increase as the the festival dates get closer.  Price information can be found at falconridgefolk.com/tickets .
  
  
• If price is a prohibitive factor you can volunteer, which gives you free admission and free meals for the weekend.  Volunteers have to buy a t-shirt "uniform" for a nominal fee, and are expected to work 20 to 24 hours over the course of the festival.  There are a variety of crews, including setup and breakdown, so you may be able to schedule your work shifts before the music has started, or during off hours.
  
  
• For basic provisions, you will need enough food and drinking water for whatever time you plan to spend at the festival, or you will need money to buy food. 
  

• There are many food vendors at the festival, and most of the food is delicious, with many vegetarian options as well as pizza, hamburgers, breakfast sandwiches and snacks.
  

• Free water is supplied in tanks to the camping areas and to drinking fountains near the stages, but if you prefer bottled water bring your own.   Each person should plan on requiring a minimum of a gallon of water a day, depending on weather conditions and how many drinks you plan to buy from vendors.
  
  
• If you are camping you will need a tent (or tent space shared with a friend), bedding, clothing for both warm and cool extremes -- it is not uncommon for a 90-degree-Fahrenheit day to be followed by a 35-degree-Fahrenheit night temperature -- as well as raingear, and toiletries.
  
  
• You will need something to sit on -- at minimum a blanket or small tarp you don't mind getting dirty, to lay over the ground, or if you want to be comfortable bring a lightweight, low-backed folding chair. Small tarps and blankets are also useful in claim seating space in front of the stages for performances where a large crowd is expected (especially for Friday and Saturday nights.)
  
  
• You may want to bring extra money to buy CDs, FRFF t-shirts and other gear, and crafts, instruments, clothing and trinkets from the dozens of vendors. 
  

• A fairly comprehensive checklist of festival necessities can be found at Cos' frfflist .  If you do forget anything, there is a small booth in the vendors' area with basics such as sunscreen, bug repellent, toiletries and rain ponchos.  The town of Hillsdale is just a few miles south of the festival on NY Route 23, and features a supermarket and a building supply store with some camping supplies.   

13. If I don't have a car, how can I find a ride?

If you are a member of our Google group (moderated, new members welcome, usually comes to life sometime in June), you may post a request there.

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At the old location cell phone coverage was getting better each year, but given the new location for 2006, the best advice is not to count on being able to use your cell on-site If you get a signal at all, service may be patchy in different areas of the farm, so you will have to check for messages, or perhaps go into Hillsdale to make or receive calls. 

 

15. Can I bring my pet?   

Pet policy is posted on the FRFF web site, and can be summarized as “Please leave your pet at home unless it is a guide animal".  

Main stage seating policy has changed from year to year as the festival tries to reduce crowd tension over the "prime real estate" in front of the main stage.  The FRFF website will have the most up-to-date information on any revisions to the policy.

In past years people often have gotten up at the crack of dawn to get a good "starting position" for a daily "land rush" to set down their tarps in front of mainstage, so if you want a spot in the crowd for the big nights of music, make sure you either take the time to join the crowd in putting down a tarp early in the morning, or arrange beforehand with a friend who is doing so to share their tarp.  Do NOT count on just being able to squeeze in among friends at the last minute. At best you will annoy people who put some forethought and effort into getting space for themselves, and at worst you won't get anywhere near the stage that night.