When Wakarusa debuted two years ago at Clinton Lake State Park, we had three prejudiced expectations: hippies, drugs and very long sets by Phish-eating bands. Those elements were there, to be sure, but they were balanced by the majority of attendees, who turned out to be regular folks out to have a good time. The second time around, in June of this year, organizer Brett Mosiman (Bottleneck owner and master of Pipeline Productions) provided even more incentive for non-Bonnaroo types to come out, including a diverse array of admission packages and a lineup that featured more mainstream bands, such as Wilco and Son Volt. Weeks after Wakarusa twosa was announced, ticket orders came in from all over the country and several continents, surprising area cynics who figured nobody'd want to drive a thousand miles just to see a few bands by a lake in rural Kansas. We wouldn't have put much money on it, either. But Mosiman did, and he hit the jackpot.
