34 / matters magazine / summer 2017 finalmatters Party in the Park Party in the Park A n insider’s tip: Don’t schedule anything for the weekend after Independence Day. On July 8th and 9th, all of Maple- wood will turn out for a two-day music and arts festival right in our back yard: Maplewoodstock, now in its 14th year, held on a grassy slope next to the train station in Memorial Park. Of course, it’s not literally in our back yard, but pretty close. We live across the street from the park – so close that the music and excitement reverberates throughout our house the entire weekend.  We’re not complaining. Every year, we block off the week- end of Maplewoodstock in our calendar as soon as it’s announced. We also start listening to the featured bands, which will be Los Lobos on Saturday night and Ruthie Foster on Sunday night, in eager anticipation of the big weekend. For us, it’s an event that sums up everything that makes Maplewood so spe- cial: It’s a celebration of life, love, family, friendships, diversity, music, arts, food and community. Where else can you find a rich lineup of lo- cal bands like Marry the Sea and Dollar Store Riot mixed in with big-name bands such as the Smithereens, Joan Osborne, Norah Jones’s Puss N Boots, the Wailers and Rusted Root – all in your neighborhood park, packed with scores of familiar faces? “When I first moved here and I walked down to see it one day, I couldn’t believe that they had such great artists – two blocks away from my house!” said our neighbor Eliza Danielson, who lives on Oakland Road. Add to that the KidsZone with arts and crafts, face painting, miniature golf, bouncy rides, and ice cream treats and you’ve got a truly family- friendly event.  “Before we had kids, we used to come and just listen to the music, and now that we have a kid, we take breaks and do face painting and bouncy houses,” said another friend, Alex Carter.  In our household, Maplewoodstock is a family affair. We take our own kids (now age 5 and 7) with us for the daytime acts, and book babysitters each night. Many of our friends do the same, or let their kids stay up late. It’s not uncom- mon for our kids to see nearly every child in their class at the park.  Last year, our daughter and her friends had an impromptu dance party in the back of a truck parked on the lawn while our son ran though the bouncy house as many times as his handful of tickets would allow. It’s also an all-day affair. Iced coffee for the mornings and giant cups of tangy lemonade – and visits to the beer garden – for the long, hot afternoons. We al- ways eat our fill and then some at the vendor tents that feature a delicious array of foods (even lobster rolls!) from all of our favorite local restaurants. Once, during a lull in the sets, we caught a lady trying to move our blanket to make room for her blanket. While we hastened to defend our turf, we made sure to find room for her family as well. Her kids shared their coloring with ours and we all ended the night with new friends. Another year, we made camp under a tent, thanks to a friend who found an enterprising Co- lumbia High School student willing to wake up early and set up her canopy and cooler. The neigh- boring tent was home base for two other close friends whose husbands woke up early to make camp. The night ended with everyone dancing in the rain to Railroad Earth. These memories are so special to me be- cause they were unplanned and unexpected. Maplewoodstock is our town’s biggest and craziest party of the year. And the best part is that everyone is invited. For more information, visit www.maplewoodstock.com or search #maple- woodstock or @maplewoodstock on Instagram. Malia Rulon Herman previously covered politics for USA Today and the Associ- ated Press. She has always loved rock ’n’ roll. n