Summer, don’t go: Reliving one of our favorite parts of a PNW August.

The wooded campsites and dusty trails of Pendarvis Farm might have felt a wee bit more packed this year, but who can blame the brand-new converts for joining Pickathon’s crew of longtime, loyal fans? When word gets out about a really, really good thing, it turns out—people listen.

Pickathon 2016 delivered, as always, with its enchanting stage setups, delicious and affordable local vendors (think biscuits, Boke bowls and BBQ dumplings), eco- and visitor-friendly festival amenities and, of course, a lineup of incredible talent that urged us to run home and replenish our entire music library—immediately.

This year we remembered why we love acts like Beach House and Jeff Tweedy, and we excitedly welcomed local legends the Fruit Bats with a late-night Saturday set. But the real show-stoppers? Names we barely knew like Boulevards, AKA Jamil Rashad, a modern funk songwriter-performer from North Carolina, and Daniel Norgren, a phenomenal Swedish crooner we’re convinced we witnessed on the cusp of “discovered” greatness. (The guy’s sound just seeps with soulful magic.)

I Draw Slow caught our attention with the affable group’s melange of instruments (vocals, guitar, fiddle, banjo and double bass) and their enchanting storytelling skills (makes sense; they are Irish, after all), and Joseph, a trio of talented sisters from Portland, stopped us in our tracks with their unassuming confidence and perfectly-aligned harmony. And these, of course, were merely a few of our favorite takeaways.

Leaving this event feeling inspired and invigorated is pretty much a guarantee, and we find it a good sign that we already discussed our strategy for next year’s fest before even making it home to rinse off the many layers of sunscreen, sweat, dirt and sweet memories of the weekend that just unfolded.

Though we thankfully have awesome music gatherings to tide us over in the meantime (Bumbershoot and Timbrrr! Winter Music Festival, we’re looking at you), it’s never too late to start thinking about next year’s trek down to Happy Valley, Oregon. We’re just sayin’….the countdown to Pickathon 2017 is already on.