James Nimmer is not looking forward to the end of Wuhnurth.
"I don't even want to know what the cleanup is going to be like [on Monday]," he said. "A lot of people have been cleaning up after themselves which is definitely an improvement from last year. But some people still just think of Wuhnurth as a giant party."
Nimmer founded and promotes the 2-year-old Wuhnurth music festival, which took place this past weekend at the Water Bowl. Nimmer, who graduated from Ball State University last summer, said the major cleaning job this year is due to the huge jump in attendance. He said between 2,000 and 3,000 people came out to enjoy the music, food and camping atmosphere at Wuhnurth during the weekend, compared to last year's debut tally of about 1,000.
Nimmer created Wuhnurth for two reasons: to raise awareness about the environment and to make Muncie a more accommodating place for music. He said the idea for Wuhnurth came to him after seeing the Water Bowl for the first time.
"I heard about [the Water Bowl] from my good friend and I came out here and checked out the place and thought there was a lot of potential," he said.
Ball State senior Austin Glick said his favorite thing about Wuhnurth is that it is so close to home.
"They did a really good job bringing all the bands here," he said. "It's really nice that something like this can pop up in your backyard."
This year's Wuhnurth, which took place Friday through Sunday, showcased more than 30 bands on three stages, light shows, fire dancers, on-site camping and eco-friendly food and merchandise vendors. People also swam and ran around a playground during the daylight hours. The huge number of people at the festival surprised second-time Wuhnurth food vendor Sean McMorrow. He said what started out as a local event mainly consisting of Ball State students has grown immensely in the last year.
"Last year was interesting when it was primarily students and they all knew each other," McMorrow said. "It was like being taken over to a friend's living room and being introduced to his roommates. Whereas, [this year] it's kind of like a meet and greet."
Nimmer also noticed the considerable number of non-local visitors and said he was pleased that word has spread about Wuhnurth outside Indiana.
"I met people from Oklahoma City and Texas and New Jersey. It makes me feel good to have all these great people out here that care this much about the environment and love the music and the cause," he said.
Despite the usual festival sights of smelly trash and unspeakable portable toilets, Nimmer's main goal for Wuhnurth was to help the environmental causes he is interested in. He said 100 percent of the profits for this year's Wuhnurth will be used to aid his environmental dreams, including starting community gardens around Muncie and educating local business owners about environmentally friendly practices.
Nimmer said his strongest weapon was his love for live music and the connections he has made over the years. Mike Tallman, guitarist for the band Euforquestra who played on Sunday afternoon, said he first heard of Wuhnurth through Nimmer and those who knew him.
"The first time we'd ever played in Indiana, we spent a lot of time talking to James," Tallman said. "We heard a lot of good things from him. Everybody that was there was saying, 'You gotta check out his festival.' We kicked around the idea and it worked out well."Tallman also said one of the first things he noticed about the Wuhnurth music festival were the people attending.
"We showed up really exhausted because we drove all night and slept in the van," he said. "And then we got here and everybody was really accommodating and we ended up perking up pretty quick. We just started wandering around and a lot of people have been giving us props on our set and it feels good."
Ball State senior Nicole Shaw, who camped out the entire weekend, has attended Wuhnurth both years and said the rising number of attendees is a positive thing for the festival.
"Last year was a blast, but there's a lot more people this year, so it has been more energetic this year than it was last year," she said. "Everybody's out here, getting outside before summer's over to hear great music and have a good time."
The simple, friendly atmosphere at Wuhnurth is something Nimmer is adamant about. Though the festival is clearly growing, he wants the scene to remain relaxing and intimate.
"We don't have one financial sponsor," he said. "And one of the main reasons is because I don't want to have a Walmart Stage or a Bud Light Stage. It's just not the way I operate."
Glick is one of the many people who have responded strongly to the environment Nimmer has tried to create at Wuhnurth.
"[Wuhnurth] has all the good stuff you get from every festival but it's in a small, intimate atmosphere. You're not walking ten miles back to your campground. You're hearing the music from your campground which is awesome," he said.
Even though the thought of cleaning up after more than 2,000 festival attendees is daunting, Nimmer is proud that he has created something in Muncie that has become a special part of people's lives.
"On Saturday morning, I was walking around the campground, just kind of shooting some pictures of the aftermath of Friday night," he said. "And I ran into this guy and he told me his dog gave birth to puppies-first time at Wuhnurth. I even heard that people got engaged out here. [The response] has been one of the most amazing things. It has made so many people's lives so happy."
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