Craven Jamboree ends 'wild west' camping rush

People going to the Craven Country Jamboree with camping gear are encountering a new, more organized, system for getting to a spot.

In the past, the festival used a loose system where campers would simply find a spot they liked and set up.

This year, organizers decided to rely on reserved camping spaces.

"It's all about organization and making sure that our campgrounds are safe and our emergency vehicles and security vehicles can actually get through the campground," Kim Blevins, from the festival, explained Thursday. "The years of people coming out and staking out a half acre of land for a little Boler trailer are over."

In addition to about 4,000 reserved spots, festival organizers have included a general camping area.

"We don't want to get rid of our general camping completely because that's kind of been the history of Craven and the vibe of Craven and people come in and do wacky, goofy things," Blevins said. She added that area also has some controls in place. "It's just more of an organization. Even our general campground this year, we've actually staked the sites, which is new."

There are around 1,500 — delineated — general campsites available at the jamboree.