Grateful Dead

dead.net the official site

This is the poster from the first Sky River Lighter than Air FaireThis was probably the first real multi-day music festival and gathering on the West coast. We heard about it from the Dead Crew while at an Avalon show and went into travel mode. My friend had just bought a 1958 Jeep pick-up that burned alot of oil for $50, so we loaded up all our camping gear, head goodies, and picked up a couple hippie chicks off of Haight St. and head north, up 101. We were somewhere south of Portland when the jeep blew-up. So we left it on the side of the road and started hitch-hiking. In about an hour, a step-van full of heads picked up all five of us and they were going to Sky River too!!! We got there at night and sorta just camped out where we could for the night. In the morning, the sight blew us away....There was a band stand with a local Seattle band playin', shacks selling everything were around everywhere, there was probably 3000 people there with many just arriving. People had signs, selling everything. There were lighter than air balloons selling rides above the festival (I took one with my lady friend and we were tripping out big time). Through the course of the festival, Big Mama Thornton (pigpen played with her), Santana, James Cotton, Country Joe and the Fish and on the last day the Grateful Dead played. This was my first big outdoor camp-out festival and you could feel the esseance of the hippie community there. Everyone shared, danced, eat and partied for easyily three days. We stayed the day after to help clean up.