morning afternoon evening the wee hours the low-down TW12

As Tom Waits said, "It would've been real lonesome around here if nobody showed up." So a heartfelt thanks in advance to everyone who made it up here, and everyone who lent a hand - the ractonuers and roustabouts, the cooks and cleaners, bookies and builders, construction workers, festivalgoers and bail agents. Hey - you're special, each and every one of you. --Setup Weekend -- (October 19th or 20th) Like every year, there's always room for volunteers. For an extra day of fun -- and the chance to use power tools and staple guns, come on up to the Battery Farm and help set stuff up for the festival! We'll drive up together, and there'll be plenty of pizza and beer. Contact Ted at (212) 596-9236 or tzf@spacelab.net. Mucho gracias!!

Getting to the Dead Battery Farm.

By train: Hop a Metro North train to Poughkeepsie, from Grand Central Station. The Hudson line is great - still diesel locomotives and river vistas all the way up. Call (212) 532-4900, or check http://www.mta.nyc.ny.usmnr/html/planning/schedules/schedulepage.htm for schedule info. Spend the extra cash on one of the cabs out front, and maybe even scrounge up a likely looking stranger in the station and bring them along for half cabfare.

BY BUS!! really, it's the only way Jonathan Richman would travel, and how many times have you had a chartered bus going right to your destination? It's a busrider's fantasy. So meet up at the Cheyenne Diner at the corner of 9th Ave and 33rd St. Friday nite by 9:00pm (212 465-8750). From there, we'll grab some impediments for the road and travel in motorcoach luxury to the Dead Battery Farm, arriving in time to claim a good camping spot or even snag a couch. Return trip is Sunday morning, 11:00am.

Accommodations:
The best option is to pitch a tent in the waitsville that springs up every year. Sleeping bags, tents, and "ship of the desert" motorhomes are all welcome. Stretch out under the stars, enjoy campfires, marshmallows, and stories galore. There'll be movies on the big screen and plenty of food and drink. Of course, you always have the option of snagging a bed, couch, rug, or floorspace in the house, but these'll go fast. For a reasonable room try... 5 mins from the festival:
Pleasant Valley Motel
914-635-8251 It's not fancy, but it's only $45.00 for the room, and they might have an hourly rate. OR 20 mins from the festival: 2 Beekman Arms Inn Route 9 Rhinebeck, NY 12572 914-876-7077. 19 rooms with private baths, Rate: $85 -110. Children welcome, Smoking rooms, America's Oldest Inn, continuously run since 1766.