LotusFest is enjoyable at any age

Was that us you saw dancing in the street last weekend?

At our age?

Yup.

A couple of years ago, we discovered LotusFest; and we are hooked.

The first time we encountered it, we thought it was simply a nuisance.

Streets in downtown Bloomington were blocked off for tents and booths and who knows what all. And as parents of a student, we just thought the whole thing was a pain in the neck. Or lower.

Just a bunch of flower-child-wanna-bes goofing around in a university town is what we figured. And there’s some truth to that, but just a little.

Our introduction came via my old friend Jim Klopfenstein. Klop lives in Florida these days, but he worked at Indiana University for years as a computer whiz. And he knew LotusFest was something special.

The name is deceiving. It sounds like something out of a yoga class.

But the festival is actually named for a guy who went by the moniker of Lotus Dickey. He was a Bluegrass musician in southern Indiana. And apparently he had very ecumenical tastes when it comes to music.

The festival named in his honor will offer you something of everything:

•Bluegrass.

•African pop.

•Canadian folk, including Quebecois.

•Afro-Cuban jazz.

•Religious chant groups from the Caucasus.

•Finnish techno-pop.

•Chinese big band swing music.

And more.

In the U.S., we seem to believe we are the center of the pop/rock/folk music world universe. Nothing could be further from the truth. At LotusFest you encounter musicians and artists that the entire world knows, except those of us here in the U.S. It’s as though there is a version of President Trump’s wall, keeping out all those melodies and rhythms the rest of the world gets to enjoy.

The festival plays out over about four days on something like seven stages. You buy a wristband for entry to all days or one, then you roam from venue to venue looking for music that gets your feet tapping.

At our age, we tend to limit things to a single night.

This year, we’re combining a couple of days of hiking at Turkey Run with a single night at LotusFest.

When Klop introduced us to the festival, he was a multi-night participant. But I think he’s slowed down a bit.

Just the same, the last time we got together we were all able to take part in the parade. That happens when two groups start marching from opposite ends of downtown Bloomington with their own percussion bands, banners, horns and associated nonsense. They then collide and merge and keep on making music.

Did I say “they?” I meant “we.” Participation in the parade is a must. It’s invigorating. It’s goofy. And it makes you feel almost as young as the kids around you.

If you missed it last year, mark your calendar.

See you next LotusFest.