Last weekend artists, musicians and audiences buzzed about downtown, which is typical for Athens. However, when you add a giant, inflatable space shuttle, construct two outdoor stages, pack every venue in town, and close off Washington Street, AthFest, the highlight of an Athens summer, is born.

Following tradition, the Flagpole Athens Music Awards served as the official kickoff for AthFest. Performances included a technical display of percussive prowess from the University Redcoat Drumline, tunes and trippy animation from The Buddy System, and energetic rapper C-Fre$h. Presenters included show promoter Mercer West, Missy Kulik of loved and hated comic strip Tofu Baby, and the beloved Of Montreal.

The early hours of Friday morning saw artists, vendors and production crews transforming Washington Street into a marketplace, two stages, a beer garden and a playground. Lis Carney and her skilled backup band opened the main stage at 5:00 to a mostly-seated, laid-back crowd that livened up considerably by the time Kite to the Moon played its “cute little ditty called ‘Slavery.’” Friday night’s main stage was closed by Dark Meat; its 15 musicians utilized the stage to their fullest potential and interacted with one another as if in a play that writes itself as it goes along. Not only did Dark Meat’s psychedelic tunes win crowd affection, but the band also brought confetti-fed leaf blowers.

“The Club Crawl,” 15 venues offering several bands simultaneously, allowed listeners wearing wristbands to float in and out so as not to miss anything.

Highlights were abundant. Pegasuses-XL’s performance was destructive, yet epic, and surprised audiences by closing with Jace Bartet on guitar. Contraband included Ninja Gaiden with its set, a surprise to its devoted fans. Folklore played its farewell show that one can only hope is not forever. I was elated by Tasty World’s all-night dance party, performances by legendary Elf Power, and recent Flagpole Award winner Madeline.

The most heartfelt performance of the weekend was without a doubt the reunion of Claire & Bain’s Maple Yum-Yum, unseen since the band’s breakup in 2002. Claire Campbell, Bain Mattox and Becky Rogers resurrected several old numbers for a loaded Flicker Theatre. Their dual vocals, singing saw and cascading melodies entranced friends and fans alike.

“I’m glad we did it,” Campbell said.

Saturday was kicked off bright and early. Kids of all ages packed downtown at 10:30 the next morning for Pan Blanchard and the Sunny Side Up Band’s blending of original songs and children’s classics. Saturday’s later performances included Spring Tigers, Allison Weiss & The Way She Likes It and headliner the Modern Skirts.

Saturday night also saw the debut of Creepy, a psychedelic, experimental outfit composed of members from Hope For Agoldensummer and Still Small Voice and The Joyful Noise. The four talented ladies mixed simplistic orchestra bells with hazy layers of guitars, solid drums and hauntingly delayed vocals.

Both One Man Machine at DARC and the Matt Kurz One at Cine gave new meanings to the phrase “solo performer.” King of Prussia played its last Athens show (for now) at the Hull Street Outdoor Stage.

The 40 Watt featured a Hello Sir Records showcase, including Centro-matic, Cinemechanica, A.Armada and We Versus the Shark’s final show with guitarist Sam Paulsen.

“We Versus the Shark’s set was great,” said local photographer Mike White. “Everyone put forth extra effort to make sure it was a great last show for [Paulsen], and added some oldies to the set list.”

Sunday closed the festival, and I perused the artists’ booths and snacked on pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies from Dondero’s Kitchen. Kids were turned loose in the Kidfest petting zoo. Final performers included Cacha�a, Packway Handle Band, Brantley Gilbert and Dubconscious.

“[The festival is] like a crash course in the local scene. You can get a taste of 200 bands in a couple of days,” said Allison Weiss, University student and musician.

- Marie Uhler is a contributor for The Red & Black.