Harrodsburg – PlayThink
Magic is what happens when you least expect it. It can come from a smile, the glow of a Strawberry Moon, or just about anyplace else.
For me, this summer, the catalyst for magic was PlayThink.
PlayThink is four days of self-exploration through movement, music, meditation, and art at an off-road camp in central Kentucky. Parents with children, college students, couples, singles – everyone is welcome at this family-friendly event where just being is enough and no one is branded as too much.
When I arrived at Terrapin Hill Farm for the festival last month, the sound of rap-fusion and campers at play was thick in the air. Drummers gathered in a circle over here, those seeking self-reflection rested in a meditation tipi over there. Aerial artists and hula hoopers practiced uphill from a sunny swimming hole where faces ducked and bobbed.
Sound and motion were all around me. PlayThinkers call this “flow.”
Flow
Sound flows. Emotion flows. Water and wind and dance all flow. To me, flow at PlayThink was about letting myself just be: walking, or dancing; napping under a giant tree; doing laugh yoga for the first time.
Flow can also be dramatic. Many PlayThinkers have a love for “poi” – the art and motion of spinning objects on cord or string. Others spin fire. Lighted hula hoops add to the carnival, which all culminates in one spectacular event called the “Flowcase.”
Music – meditative, pulsing – framed movement during this event. There was a DJ, but this was no club. It was a Xanadu. Dancers were flanked by fire spinning on one side, painters working at easels late into the night on the other. Above it all? An electric butterfly, flickering in bright pastels.
Magic
PlayThink bills itself as being “for everyone.” There’s a playground and swings for children, drumming, a bonfire, an open-air chapel, open space for dancing, hooping, yoga, poi, fire arts and more. And all family-friendly play.
And if someone wants to do nothing? That’s OK, too.
My magical moment was lying on my back in the grass, looking up into the boughs of a cedar tree. They fanned out over me — a web of brown branches speckled with blue sky. All around was the sound of DJ Kiyoshi performing, happy dancers calling out below the music stage.
I have rested under a tree in my yard, or at park, but I’ve never had the same meditative experience that I had that late afternoon. I have no idea why. Not that it matters.
That’s the magic.
Camp
Shelter at PlayThink means a tent for most of the campers who I encountered. RVs are also permitted, on the other side of the PlayThink village near Terrapin Hill stage. Then there are people like me who slept in their vehicle. Whatever works!
Coolers are another mainstay here. Campers prep food and drink for the adventure and rely on on-site spigots to refill water supplies, plus a small “general store” for incidentals. Food and beverage vendors are available, too.
Plenty of port-a-potties are also on site, and there are no-frills showers. Not that I took at shower. It wasn’t a priority for me, or a lot of other people. A jump in the swimming hole is more fun anyway.
Cost
Tickets are now on sale for PlayThink 2022. General admission for an adult next year is $185 plus a $12.90 processing fee, with a child over age 5 admitted for $125 plus a processing fee of $9.24. Children five and under are admitted for free. Day passes are also available.
If you are thinking the cost of admission is more than you can afford for a summer weekend, it’s worth noting that each ticket covers four days of classes, camping (there is a one-time parking fee of $10), music, and magic. Still, it’s not unreasonable to want to save money.
Continue to check the PlayThink website for ticket offers if you’re interested in attending in 2022 and are also looking for potential savings. Tickets are available via Eventbrite here.
Save The Date
PlayThink 2022 is scheduled to open to campers at 6 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 15 and close at 6 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 19. Go ahead and mark it on your calendar. You might find that it’s just the magic you need.
