Cars parked on the side of the road stretched to the right and left of the Boogie's entrance as far as the eye could see while over a dozen tents were set up inside the gate.
The first Waverly Boogie was held in 2001 when residents of the small town just outside Auburn came together to celebrate the rerouting of Hwy 280 that saved the town from destruction. On Saturday, residents and art lovers alike continued that celebration at the 2017 Fall Boogie.
Foldable chairs and coolers filled the lawn in front of the Old 280 Boogie stage as festivalgoers listened to reggae music while waiting for the day's first musical act to begin.
Handmade jewelry from Flannel & Floral, Blue Spring bottled water, coffee from Mama Mocha's, jellies from Hornsby Farms and sandwiches from CosbyQ BBQ were a few of the local vendors present at the event.
Without including the large amount of people who bought their tickets the day of the Boogie, approximately 600 tickets were bought before the event – the most the Fall Boogie has ever received, according to a staff member working the gate.
Boogiegoers filtered in and out of Standard Deluxe's shop, browsing and buying locally made T-shirts, posters and artwork throughout the day.
A table was set up in front of a palm reader sign on the porch of an orange and blue country shack where Maggie McCoy, an Auburn University student and volunteer for the event, was selling merchandise for the bands.
“I specifically requested to volunteer here this semester because I loved doing it so much last spring,” McCoy said. “Everyone is here to have a good time and it’s such a good atmosphere where you can just chill and talk to new people.”
A diverse crowd packed the chair and quilt-covered lawn, from young adults drinking craft beers to families pushing strollers and hoisting babies and toddlers to gruff, aging men with long beards and straw hats.
Matt Arnett, the event’s emcee, went up to the stage before the music began and thanked Scott Peek, the owner of Standard Deluxe and host of the Boogie, for bringing everyone together that day.
“We are so blessed and honored to have somebody like that in this community bringing music, art and fellowship and all of that stuff out here on a regular basis, so I just want to say one last time, give it up for Scott Peek,” Arnett said to an applauding audience.
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The music began around noon with the folk-Americana sounds of the Lonnie Holley Band, followed by the haunting music of Faye Webster.
It began to rain during a soulful Southern rock set from Maggie Koerner. Some attendees rushed beneath vendor tents and the porch of Standard Deluxe, while the majority stayed in their chairs, with some simply opting to use their blankets and quilts as cover from the 10-minute downpour.
Greg Sellers, an Auburn resident and graduate who went to school with Peeks, said he has been coming to the Boogies for years.
“Back in the old days at small venues around Auburn, Scott was always on the scene and always had a good musical ear for good bands," Sellers said. "He’s just a laidback guy who’s got this thing going on out here. They could still have people you’ve never heard of play out here and a year later they’re on the scene. This Revel in Dimes band, we came specifically to hear them because they were so electric last year and where they’re going to go from here, who knows?”
When Revel in Dimes began to play in the early evening, onlookers rushed to the front of the stage and danced along to the band's heavy bass and energetic vocals as the sun started to set.
Hailing from Brooklyn, Revel in Dimes graced the Boogie with its quick-paced, hard-rocking Delta blues for the second time in a row, having performed in Waverly in the spring.
By the time the Dimes were halfway through their set, green and gold string lights were lit over the entirety of the lawn while the art-deco styled multicolored stage lights shown on the bands and the growing dancing crowd.
The Boogie closed with the hard-hitting Birmingham garage-rock band Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires, who dedicated their song to eradicating white supremacy and misogyny while tearing down the walls between people.
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