By Ellie Johnson
For Owensboro father-daughter duo RC and Ryan Coffman, ROMP isn’t just a festival — it’s a family tradition. They were among the many returning fans at Yellow Creek Park on Wednesday as ROMP kicked off with tie-dye campsites, local art displays, and the sounds of bluegrass filling the air.
“I’ve been to ROMP every single year since it started,” said RC, while 10-year-old Ryan added, “And I’ve been every year of my life.”
RC’s lifetime membership, gifted by his mother one Christmas, ensures their spot at Yellow Creek Park for years to come. And they make the most of it, camping out with friends and sharing their tie-dye creations with fellow festivalgoers.
“We just like giving them away to people,” Ryan said. “We’re always looking for someone who seems interested, and then we give them one.”
The tie-dye tradition extends beyond the Coffmans. Throughout the park, vibrant tapestries and art displays are the work of the “Romp Art Chicks,” a group of friends and family from Owensboro and Louisville who have been decorating the festival for six years.
“We’ve been here since Monday setting everything up,” said group member Laurie Grant.
From parades to decorated golf carts to dancing jellyfish, the group aims to bring a sense of creativity to ROMP.
“Everyone on the team has a role,” Grant said. “We do four people per parade — one leads, one is the caboose, and two pass out stuff to kids.”
But ROMP’s charm stretches beyond city lines.
For Patty and JP Morse of Somerset, Kentucky, the festival has become a decade-long tradition. The laid-back atmosphere and steady stream of bluegrass talent keep them coming back year after year.
“We love it,” JP said. “It’s easy. It’s simple. We’ve done it enough to know what’s going on. And there are so many good musicians.”
Over the years, the couple has followed artists from ROMP to other festivals across the region.
“We’ve seen Town Mountain, The SteelDrivers, Molly Tuttle, Willie Watson… a lot of them actually,” Patty said. “We try to catch them wherever they go.”
They prefer to camp at ROMP — in the comfort of their renovated camper — because they enjoy the convenience and the community feel.
“It gets us off the ground, which is nice because we’re past the sleeping-on-the-ground stage of life,” Patty said.
Despite the summer heat, a long line of dedicated ROMP campers like the Morses could be found in full force for Wednesday’s kickoff, ready to soak in four days of music, memories, and the magic that makes ROMP more than just a concert.
