HEBRON — A group of young women are sitting on the grass in front of the stage, blowing soap bubbles as the band plays “Ramble On.” The music is loud but you can hear the women giggling as the shimmering bubbles float away.

“I’m a festival person,” said Brittany Johnson of Lewiston. “And this definitely looks like a good one.”

Nearby, a pair of young men stand watching car after car roll into the expansive field off Route 124 in Hebron.

“The music is great,” said 23-year-old Josh Blodgett of Rumford. “It’s really chill. Everyone is just hanging out, having a good time. As soon as we got here, we knew we wanted to stay.”

Harold Brooks would have been relieved to hear that. Although he’s a veteran of organizing massive festivals — the Redneck Blank (formerly the Redneck Olympics) bash is his baby — he tends to fret as they’re getting started.

“I get nervous,” Brooks said, sitting behind the wheel of his battered pickup truck and surveying the crowd. “I’ve got $35,000 sunk into this.”

“This” is the “Crazyass Music and Color Festival,” a three-day event featuring, among other things, a grape-flavored slip ‘n slide, 12-foot beach balls and full-body painting. Not to mention eight bands, fire dancers and a foam and glow party.

By 7 p.m., Brooks’ concerns appeared to be needless. Several hundred people were setting up for a weekend stay. Some were in tents, others in recreational vehicles parked near the tree line. Along the long dirt road into the property, chrome twinkled as newcomers arrived.

“This is the calm before the storm,” Brooks said. “Saturday is going to be the big day.”

It’s hard to count the number of people in attendance in one of Brooks’ festivals. His land is 200-plus acres of rolling fields, winding dirt roads and a sand hill rising like an ancient monument.

“It’s a good piece of land,” Brooks said. “We wanted to let people come out here and enjoy it.”

As the sun dipped behind the tree line, the people were enjoying it plenty. Two young women were dancing at the top of a grassy hill. A dozen people were hauling the massive slip ‘n slide into position. The band Zealous Bellus transitioned smoothly from Led Zeppelin to The Doors.

Nearby, a burly man named John was smoking a stubby cigar and greeting people as they drove up in cars, trucks, RVs and four-wheelers.

“I think this is going to be all right,” he said. “By tomorrow morning, we’ll have lines out to the road. It’s all cool. This is my spot. I enjoy meeting all these people.”

By Saturday night, the grounds are expected to be decidedly more colorful. According to Brooks, 1,200 pounds of colored corn starch will be fired over the crowd.

“Once they start throwing color around, I think people are really going to be into that,” said John, still smoking his stogie. “You really can’t go wrong.”

Brooks bought the property seven years ago and he’s been hosting festivals ever since. Historically, Brooks’ festivals are well-populated and well-managed.

“It’s controlled,” Brooks said, “by respect. Everybody respects each other. Everybody gets along.”

That appeared to be the case as night drew closer. Girls in bikinis were dancing with one another in the grass. Couples sat in lawn chairs with cold cans of beer. Little kids poked around the half-inflated slip ‘n slide, dreaming of what it would be like in its full glory. A young man in a ball cap was trying to teach his girlfriend to throw a curve ball.

On the other side of the field, a shirtless man lay on his back in the grass, his arms stretched out, his legs splayed. He was watching the late afternoon clouds roll by and grinning.

“Doing all right, my man,” he said. “Doing real good. Never better.”

His girlfriend rolled her eyes, smiled and took a sip of her beer. Then the band started playing “Casey Jones,” so she got up to dance.

mlaflamme@sunjournal.com

Music and Color Festival

12 Harold Lane, Hebron

$50 in advance, $55 at the gate.

For directions and a schedule of events visit the event Facebook page.

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