Don't Like Country? We Can Still Appreciate Faster Horses

As someone who grew up 15 minutes from Michigan International Speedway and had her first job at the grocery store like a mile away from the track, I learned how to appreciate every major weekend out there, Faster Horses included.

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So You Don't Like Country?

Hey, that's okay. Everyone has their favorite music and maybe country is not yours. I used to be the same way when the Faster Horses Festival began.

I thought I hated country music and thought a whole festival dedicated to it was kind of dumb...until I worked that weekend at the Country Market in Brooklyn and interacted with all the people who were so excited for it.

It was more than just a bunch of country fans listening to country music. It is like any other festival where hundreds of thousands of people are coming together for a time they can let loose, be themselves and celebrate their favorite music.

As I've come to really enjoy country music over the years, it now actually gets me kind of choked up sometimes to see all the pictures and videos of the festival and to see people like my sister go and count down the days until the next one the second they leave.

It's More Than Just The Music

It's an authentically country experience through and through.

However, there is plenty more to do than just listen to the music, though that is what brings people there.

There's camping, there's of course drinking games and mingling and parties but also, according to MLive, there shopping, games and time to go explore local Brooklyn businesses as well.

CLICK HERE to see the games and shopping opportunities from MLive.

It's so fun to see Brooklyn about a week before the festival. Businesses baton down the hatches, get all hands on deck and actually look forward to the influx of customers over the course of the weekend. Sure, it is busy and it is hectic, but it is also so fun to meet so many new people and, of course, make some serious money!

Good For The Community, Great For MIS

All in all, while Faster Horses does come with its fair share of inconveniences for locals and for anyone else trying to navigate the Brooklyn area the weekend of the festival, just think about what it means to the people who are there.

There is something so beautiful to me about this festival that I really don't know how to put my finger on as someone who has never actually been to it.

I just see how much my sister's soul shines while she's there, I hear the stories and of the incredible memories and friendships people have made there. I think about the times and places that gave me those same feelings and I realize, there is no need to rip on the festival and the people who enjoy it.

Even if you have your own preconceived notions of what the festival and the people there may be like, just think about the good things it does for the community too.

With Michigan International Speedway only hosting one NASCAR race now, it is so great to see such an amazing space that sits empty more often than not, be used to bring so much joy to another community of fans.