Now that they own a piece of music history, Daniel and Sharla Horton have two concerns: protecting its legacy and trying not to annoy the neighbors with a bright blue "hippie bus" in their driveway.

The Hortons, who live near Huntsville in Harvest, are the proud new owners of the Roo Bus, which is parked annually at the Bonnaroo Musical Festival in Manchester, Tenn., and signed by attendees. The four-day event is attended by as many as 80,000 people each June.

The bus, previously owned by Bob and Tammy Wilson of Manchester, is not an official part of the festival but after its appearance for more than 10 years of the 15-year-old festival, it was a familiar and beloved site. Festival organizers have featured the bus on a pack of souvenir playing cards and it has been painted on walls inside the farm where the festival is held, Daniel said. It even has its own Twitter and Instagram accounts, and Facebook page.

"We consider ourselves to be caretakers of the bus, as well as being owners, as it's very iconic and beloved at Bonnaroo," he said.

The Hortons paid $3,500 for the bus, which was being auctioned on eBay. Daniel knew of the auction because he and his "Roo Crew," a name given to groups of friends who regularly attend the festival together, befriended the Wilsons at the June festival.

"Our group met the original owners of the bus at the last Bonnaroo this past June when we were parked next to them," he said. "They showed us around and we had a great time hanging out with them over the weekend. We kept in touch over Facebook and found that they'd decided to move to Florida and were selling a lot of things, including the bus, on eBay. Sharla put a ridiculously low bid on it as a joke, and we'd played around and said we'd sell our old RV and keep the bus if we happened to win. Turns out, we did."

Daniel said he and Sharla think of their group of friends as co-owners of the bus. "It's important to us that we pass on something to the next generation, so it tickles us to death to see them (their Roo Crew) loving it too," he said.

Five years ago, the Hortons didn't know much about the festival, which has been named a top music event by publications such as GQ Magazine, Spin and The New York Times, and was listed by Rolling Stone on a list of "50 Moments That Changed Rock & Roll."

The couple decided to change their oversight in 2012 and headed to the farm, which is about a 90-minute drive from Huntsville.

"We've been to the past five Bonnaroos in a row ... After then, we were kicking ourselves for not going sooner. Sharla and I have come to adore it there, not just for the music but for the vacation to another universe and for the amazing company of 70,000-plus new friends."

Festival attendees have enjoyed signing the bus, sometimes leaving names and sometimes words of wisdom.

"We're not sure how many signatures are on it, but I'd probably guess at least a several hundred from people all over the country and the world," Daniel said. "We're still discovering many of them, both on the outside of the bus and the inside."

The couple intends to change very little about the bus.

"We recognize that we now own something that thousands of other people have had a part in," Daniel said. "We're taking it very seriously and not changing much of it at all and will continue to take it to every Bonnaroo as long as we're able."