Thirteen years ago, Highway 280 didn't stretch four lanes across, and didn't lead travelers directly to Birmingham, as it currently does. The two-lane highway snakes through back roads and small towns, one of which is Waverly.
Traffic suited for four lanes of highway coming through a two-lane road generated constant hassle and hazard for Waverly locals and people passing through.
"Forever it was 18 wheelers and everything coming right through here. Can you imagine all that? Four-lane traffic coming right through this little, bitty, skinny road? That's what it was like all day and all night," said Scott Peek, owner of Standard Deluxe, a print shop that doubles as a music venue.
The Alabama Department of Transportation completed construction of a larger Highway 280 that bypassed Waverly altogether and relieved traffic in 2000. It was reason to celebrate, and the most fitting way to celebrate was to boogie.
A year later, Peek held the first Waverly 280 Boogie as a community festival of music, art and craft. The festival began humbly with a few hundred attendants, at no cost, and now returns annually packed by a dedicated and enthusiastic crowd.
"For 10 years, it was free," Peek said. "We did everything for free and we took donations. Some people paid and some people didn't. So, it was tons of work for free and people got it for 10 years."
As the Boogie grew up and shows at Standard Deluxe persisted throughout the years, the venue gained a reputation among musicians and fans.
"(Standard Deluxe) is kind of the big boy of the music scene," said Jake Carnley, local musician and recent Auburn graduate. "Playing there is just an honor, and you're playing for people who are thirsty for good music and who are expecting good music."
Carnley is a regular patron of the venue, but has also had the experience of playing at the Boogie in years past.
In the 11th year, Peek's business moved, and so did the location of festival.
With this move came the introduction of The Waverly Fall Boogie in addition to the yearly spring festivities.
Musicians now perform on an eclectic, tin-roofed stage and music lovers take it in under light-draped trees in the backyard of Peek's home.
Sitting, standing or boogying, the grass of Peek's yard provides a show experience atypical of a concert hall.
"Everybody knows it's somebody's yard," Peek said. "It's not bar, you know what I mean? It's not somewhere you can trash, you kind of feel like you're sitting in somebody's yard and you are. People respect it."
Twelve years after the first Boogie, the event has grown from a celebration of freedom from overcrowded roads to a widely known music festival.
This year's Fall 280 Boogie, which took place Sept. 28, drew in more than 1,000 attendants and nationally recognized bands such as Houndmouth and Jason Isbell.
The stop in Waverly on their tour throughout the states provided the Illinois-based band Houndmouth with their first trip to Alabama. The crowd in Standard Deluxe took the band by surprise because they have become accustomed to playing larger music festivals and shows in more well-known venues.
"We didn't know what to expect," said Katie Toupin of Houndmouth. "When we were driving up we were like, 'Are we going to someone's house? What's happening? But then we got here and everybody was super into it. It was surprising, we didn't have any idea of what to expect. We do a lot of summer festivals, but we didn't do any smaller ones like this, so this was really kind of refreshing. It's very unique."
After touring with The Alabama Shakes, Toupin said she also appreciated getting to see their home state and, "see what they're all about."
Houndmouth took the stage second to last, and got the crowd on their feet with songs from their latest album "From the Hills Below the City."
Toupin and other band members were conversational with the crowd, cracking jokes and telling stories.
Hundreds remained after the show, packing out the yard, as night fell and headliner Jason Isbell took the stage.
Though Jason Isbell and Houndmouthwere the main events of the day-long festival, other bands such as Peewee Moore, Great Peacock, Doc Dailey and others entertained the crowd from early in the day until well into the afternoon.
"There were a lot of people there who weren't just there to see Jason Isbell," Carnley said. "And so I think that's how you can really gauge the growth of it. It wasn't just about one band. People were there, they had blankets out. They packed food, they packed beer, they made it an event which is exactly what it needs to be."
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