School bus sleepovers and kiddie pool cool downs in Craven

In the fields of RVs at Country Thunder, one camper is schooling others on how to sleep in style.

Colby Bestrop brought a refurbished school bus as his camper for this year’s music festival in Craven, opting for a less recreational and more educational look.

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While the yellow bus stands out, Bestrop said not many people have commented on it yet, “but anyone that has looked at it has either given me a thumbs up or waved at me.” (Marija Robinson/980 CJME)

“(It’s) a 1986 Thomas school bus. Got it for $900, put a wall up in it. Put a bed in it,” Bestrop said.

The bus also features a couch, TV stand and speakers, although Bestrop was humble when describing his temporary home saying, “it’s pretty basic.”

Bestrop made the decision to buy the bus after his first visit to Country Thunder last summer, when he slept in his friend’s camper.

“We named it Carolina. It was in pretty rough shape,” Bestrop said.

This year, he said he wanted something different, and it came in the form of a nearly 40-year-old school bus that he purchased from his friend’s dad.

While he’s yet to name the vehicle, Bestrop said he was happy with the purchase.

The bus, which features a couch, plywood walls and a bed at the back end also has functioning outlets, letting Bestrop keep fans going while he’s parked. (Marija Robinson/980 CJME)

“(It’s) better on fuel than an RV, better on the highway, nicer to drive, bigger, cheaper, and I could build it how I wanted it,” Bestrop explained.

It’s only his first year bringing it to the music festival, but Bestrop said so long as the bus doesn’t die, it’ll be back next year.

“If not, I’ll buy another one,” he said.

From school buses to kiddie pools

While Bestrop’s revamped bus stands out, there’s one thing that can be seen across the festival grounds: kiddie pools.

“The pools are necessary because it gets really hot and you have no way to cool down,” said camper Sam Fletcher.

To ensure she and her five friends get enough pool time, Fletcher said they’ve set up two pools this year. One’s for tanning and the other’s for submerging – as much as you can in a foot of water, anyway.

Fletcher said she and her friends learned from last year’s mistakes at the festival, this time bringing foot-wash bins.

“Our pools were disgusting. They looked like they were black. It was bad,” Fletcher said when explaining why the bins were necessary.

While another camper, Brielle Warkin, also had a kiddie pool to share with her friends, she was more focused on making it through the weekend than staying cool.

“I broke my ankle within the first 24 hours, so I didn’t last too long,” Warkin said about her first Country Thunder experience last year.

“I tried doing a back flip. Some cowboys flipped me up in the air, and I didn’t land it.”

She said she’s hoping to meet more cowboys this year than last, although she’ll refrain from the flips.

“If you don’t talk to anyone, you’re gonna be bored,” she said. “You might as well make new friends.”