By Cathy Maestri
InstantRiverside.com

Having survived three days of the Coachella festival, I have a few suggestions for this weekend’s Stagecoach Festival –

Wear sneakers; if you must wear boots, make sure it’s a comfortable pair (no high heels or flip-flops).

Drink lots of water (and no, beer doesn’t count).

Get a little plastic ID holder, the kind that goes around your neck, and put your little show booklet (available at the entrance) inside.

For heaven’s sakes, don’t sit at the main stage the whole time. You’ll hear a great set at the main stage — excuse me, Mane Stage — but it’s the intimate side stages where you’ll have the great experiences. And if that’s not enough reason for you… they’re covered.

And the CMT “Can You Duet” recording studio, where you and a friend can engage in a little karaoke and get a CD of your performance to take home.

•There’s also the BBQ competitions — two California State Championship competitions for the Kansas City Barbeque Society. You get five 2 oz. tastes for $10 — then you vote for your favorite. And it matters — there’s $30,000 in prize money.

Then there’s the new the Stagecoach Chili, Salsa, Wings and BBQ Competition on Friday, sanctioned by the Western Championship Cooking Tour. They’ll take place where the smaller outdoor stage had been last year.

•Other important things to know –

If you want to go to the rodeo (more on that later), you need to do that before you enter the concert grounds.

You can’t go in and out to your car. Nor can you bring food and drink inside. (Trust us, you aren’t the first one to consider filling a water bottle with something other than water.) It’s only $2 a bottle, anyway; you can buy one and refill it at the drinking fountain, or turn in 10 empties for a full bottle.

No squirt guns or misters; see above.

Children 14 and younger are admitted free (general-admission only).

Bring your ID with you if you’re picking up tickets at will call or if you want a beer — no matter how gray your beard may be.

You can bring a still camera, as long as it isn’t professional-quality (removable lenses). No video.

Bring cash — food vendors don’t take credit cards. There will be ATMs on site.

Small folding beach/camping chairs are OK; for details, click here. Umbrellas aren’t.

•The Half-Pint Hootenanny is designed for kids, but adults are welcome, too. It includes whip stunts, rope tricks and gun slinging; line, clog and square dancing; races, games, face-painting and contests; comedy; a petting zoo, and farm and garden projects. And music, from Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could (pictured); Buck Howdy with BB; the Bummkinn Band; Tom Freund and Friends; Uncle Ron and Aunt Sandii; and the Kid Fiddlers. For more, click here.

•The Professional Bull Riders Association arena is across Avenue 51; it opens at noon Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday and is free to Stagecoach ticketholders and kids 14 and younger.

•For any and all other Stagecoach-related questions, as well as directions and performance times, click here.

•We’re assuming you’re familiar with the headliners — the Eagles, John Fogerty, Trisha Yearwood and desert resident Shelby Lynne on Friday; Rascal Flatts, the big Judds reunion and Dierks Bentley on Saturday; and Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson and Trace Adkins on Sunday.

So here are our picks on the Palomino and Mustang stages:

On Friday, Mike Ness’ country-rock (for once, perhaps no one will shout out Social Distortion songs as requests) and the fabulous cowboy revivalist Don Edwards.

Saturday, it’s Earl Scruggs (if only so you can say you saw him do “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” and “The Ballad of Jed Clampett), the Dan Tyminsky Band (from “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” fame) and, of course, Dwight Yoakam, who also played Coachella.

And on Sunday, we’re going to recommend the Carolina Chocolate Drops, who describe themselves as an “African-American string band,” and the legendary George Jones.

Friday, May 2, 2008