Merferd at the Pickin on Picknic Fest in St. Clair, Missouri

Phil needed a road crew!

​After having spent a long day preparing for the “Pickin on Picknic” fest in St Clair, Phil and Merferd arrived and slept in the bed of Phil's tree crane truck on a comfortable kick back lawn chair. The next day Phil was somewhat overwhelmed. He wondered "if it took so long to prepare and pull the Merferds out of their St Louis trees, how was I going to think I was going to be able to reinstall at the festival by dark?! It dawned on me that I needed a ROAD CREW."

Tim of the Merferd Road Crew

Phil Meets His Road Crew

​Help began to come with Tim, who owns his own tricycle people riding company in St Louis. He’d given me a ride once and I tipped him well, and it all comes back! I handed him 20 Merferds and shanks of rope that he helped me deliver to 20 trees!

When Tim stuck his head above that tailgate and asked if he could help if I hadn’t had a ride on his tricycle I would have thunk him an angel sent by God!

Piglet of the Merferd Road Crew

​And as I began attempting to do a triple Merferd installation a man appears, digging the Merferds. He tells me he loves to rig with trees. And who was he, other than a man named PIGLET who was the owner of the SHANTI in St Louis where I had performed once or twice!

Big Mike of the Merferd Road Crew

“Big Mike” joins me and Piglet, and the Merferds are in the buddy rigging system now!

Road Crew Member Laurel Lee

​I even had help from Laurell Lee!

There were other helpers too - the lady in the straw hat who saw me straining, the man who brought me his chair to stand on ... wish I had photos of them all."

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Marvin Rudolph jammin' with the Musical Merferds.

... then Phil went off to ride on a bicycle and listen to the music of  The Mighty Pines.