Toco Family Festival 2015

For the last few years a friend of mine has been encouraging me to go to TOCO Family Festival with my boys.  TOCO, a family focused music festival was held in a Jellystone park near St. Louis Missouri.  The fun started Friday afternoon and went through Saturday night ending quietly Sunday morning. It was held the weekend before labor day. 

TOCO was a fundraiser for Tapestry of Community Offerings.  Check out www.tocofamily.org for more info on this great organization that does good and gives to people in need. They operate a re-sale shop and give funds to help all sorts of people in need through the shop, a food pantry, and other efforts.  This festival was both a big fundraiser and gave back by providing everyone with a great time.

My boys had watched me go off to Wakarusa year after year with an envy in their eyes.  All they really knew was what a great time I said I had, and how relaxed I seemed when I returned.   They saw pictures of crazy 30 foot octopus dancing in the crowds and imagined the rest.  Each year they would ask me if they could come.  Each year, I said it was not an appropriate environment for the kids and that it was my time to relax.  

So this year I decided we were going to do TOCO.  The kids would get to have a festival experience and I would show them a good time.  I managed to encourage a friend of mine to join me with her kids and even got another friend to let me take her kid.  So we were two adults and 6 kids between the ages of 5 and 14.  

I spent all day on Friday running around doing all the things one needs to do before camping or going to a festival.  The running about went from oil change, to groceries, to glow sticks, to camping supplies, etc etc etc... Yet between picking up all the kids and packing up everyone we did not get out of town until 6:15.   

We made a caravan, taking the scenic route on hwy 50 through to the park.  We got there after dark and used our headlights to set up the tents.  The kids were so excited, it was like herding cats to get them to help set up camp before running off to discover and experience their first festival evening.  

The most unique aspect of this festival is it was created by people that really love festivals and kids, and it is attended by that same types of people. Everyone there had kids of their own or were cool with kids.  There was more kids than adults and the kids all ran free and enjoed the festival.

This is not  usually the norm when you have kids. Most often, when you have kids, you must confirm a situation is kid friendly and then spend all your time making sure your kids do not offend the non-kid people.   There is often this energy that you are imposing your wild, loud, messy, crazy, and annoying kids on everyone else.  Usually you are riddled with fear, that these kind, somewhat patient friends, have just decided where the line is are are about to kick you all out and cross you off all future invite lists. 

At TOCO,  the first things we saw was a story time nook, fire dancers, lights installations, and tons and tons of kids running around with costumes and smiles a mile wide. Parents were running after kids, chilling in chairs, dancing in front of the stages and having a great time.  I can't say I had ever been to anything that was as welcoming for the entire family as TOCO.

My kids got a real taste of a festival. They got to camp, plan games, do great activities and see fabulous performers.  Some of the great classes my kids participated in included tie dye bandannas, bird house making, hula hoop classes, stick juggling classes, and lost of other engaging activities. They were never board and came home with lots of great memories and stuff to prove they were there.  

  

The spirit of TOCO was present through the festival in many ways. My husband biked to the festival, doing the 137 miles in two days, joining us by Saturday afternoon. He was recognized with a trophy for his long ride and sustainable method of transportation.  This made his day. The trophy was his for one hour and then he passed it on to someone else making other people's day as the communal trophy modeled TOCO's giving spirit.  There were silent auctions and lots of great opportunities to support TOCO's mission throughout the festival.

I will be taking my family next year and hope that others will join us in this fantastic family focused time.   Well done TOCO and thank you for everything.  Thanks to all those that put in so much work to make this happen.  We really appreciated it.