Local Radio Host Reflects on Her Experience at Watershed Festival

This year's Watershed bash at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy was, as usual, a jolly - and twangy - good time, fulfilling every expectation of festivalgoers. Spectacle? Check. Rollicking singalongs? Check. Down-home grit? Check, check, check.

Don't take our word for it. Aly is a mononymous radio personality here in Wenatchee; her morning show, cohosted by John Connor, airs every weekday on KW3. She is not a country music die-hard per se, but always looks forward to the communal atmosphere at Watershed.

(Aly published a helpful Watershed primer in advance of the festival. She will have additional reporting on Monday.)

"The lineup this year was pretty awesome," she says. She was there for the entirety of the three-day festival, staying overnight in a nearby Airbnb. Aly was thrilled to meet HARDY - one of the headliners - and to see a revitalized Luke Bryan, who at this time last year was too frail to perform.

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"But I will say - I noticed one difference between this year and previous years. The amount of camping looks minimal compared to years prior."

"The venue itself has been packed. Maybe just not as many campers as there are people coming to watch the show."

Aly suspects that inflation may have deterred overnighters: "Look at how much things cost [at the festival]. One of their signature drinks is $24! You gotta take into consideration the cost of food, drinks - and then to go camping on top of that?"

Even if vendors do charge obscene prices, Aly doesn't give a hootenanny. The atmosphere of togetherness makes Watershed worthwhile for her. Asked what she likes most about the festival, she replies, "the camaraderie!"

"Sometimes Watershed gets a bad rap for being a big ol' drunkfest," Aly says. "But people are doing what they need to do. People are looking out for their friends and their family - even strangers. That in itself is pretty beautiful."