Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

I was satisfied with my experience at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. At first, I had thought I was going to enter, interview the first three people in sight, and then leave. I had a very busy weekend and didn't want to take too much time at the festival. Upon arriving, I was drawn in by not only the music, but also by the food and by the relaxing nature of the festival. Since I got there at 4 pm on Sunday, I had three hours to spend. I used the first hour and a half to walk around most of the six stages, getting a general feel for the crowd, and, on one memorable occasion, declining edibles that were offered to me by hippies. Around 5:30, I started searching for people to interview, and I eventually found people from their early 20s to mid-40s, which I felt got an accurate representation of the crowd.

Get on the Bus

My biggest takeaway from the bus assignment was that journalism requires being extremely attentive at all times. Being an observer means you can't ask people to slow down to make their words easier for you to comprehend. To actively observe in a crowded environment requires extreme focus and attention to detail.

I met the demands of this assignment by simply scribbling down as many notes as I could and then organizing them afterwards.

One other thing that I learned from this assignment was the value of doing research beforehand. Had I not looked at the route before I began the assignment, I wouldn't have been aware that the 48 ran an extended route at certain times of the day. It is extremely important to be prepared for an assignment.