gays adult

so heres the first one i found..

it says there are already 2000 people on the land?? sounds like a high estimate to me..

Thanks for posting the link HHB.

yeah, 2000 sounds high…I read 300 in one e-mail, 1500 in another… I’m not even sure how these people do their guess-timations
Not that I think this article’s worthy, but isn’t this the kind of thing that should be saved to the Group page? Maybe we can find some articles from previous Gatherings?

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN AUDIO

"Police called the group "unconventional" and said they are preparing businesses and residents for any possible criminal element that might accompany such a large gathering. "

that whole part pissed me off
Yeah, I was trying to figure out how the article feature worked in the group but it was confusing…it listed articles from all over HipForums. & I’m still having a bug issue with the ‘links’ feature. Could someone else check the top welcomehome link & see if it goes to welcomehome? I put the bottom link in as a substitute until the bug gets worked out but maybe it’s a bug in my browser or something.

Any volunteers to dig up last years articles? cuz building an article archive from what was posted last year (and other years) would be too cool.
Here’s a link to a bunch of articles from last year:

If anyone sees news articles about this year, then please post the article or at least a link.
that group shit is useless, i said it when the discussion started about it.. but now yall got it,, a useless pain in the ass page linked to here..
have fun tryin to do what ya wanna do with it.. as for me,, ill keep postin my shit here..

love n light
Maybe it is useless. But Hippies are like a pack of Monkeys. Throw a Strange Thing in among a pack of Monkeys, and they’ll poke it with sticks, and throw feces at it, and yell at it, and if the Strange Thing refuses to go away, then one of them will pick it up and start to play with it, then another of them will try to steal it, and there will be a big ol’ fight, and after much chaos and confusion, then they decide if it’s useful, or dangerous, or worthless.
lol I mostly like the photo group gallery feature…it’ll be cool if folks upload their pics to share, won’t have to search down several galleries that way….but I still come to the forum page first to find out what’s happening. The calender could be useful if someone can figure out how to work it; the link page too…

Hey anyone know if the waterin’hole is still up? It was nice finding their posts on agr cuz they have links to many articles once the media starts nawing on the Family

By the way, the Fort Smith news announced the Gathering last night.
i love the "the members are scheduled to be in the woods till mid july" closing..

so what time do we all take a shit???
420 sychronized shitting its gonna be an olympic event someday
biggest pile wins
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<sigh> the dial-up makes it too hard to watch video. HHB do y’all ever save the video stuff you’ve seen about Rainbow? (I’ve been having one of those weird one thing leads to another months & last week I was told that me’n'JuJu were ‘heir’ to some old Rainbow pics which a brother we were very close to took & this morning, another bro mentioned that he had some archival info from TX’88 & so do we…which led to the Rainbow archives in Sante Fe. Plus there was the wonderful scan of the ‘87 Howdy Folks that a sis posted in her gallery…just riding the universal wave, I guess )
the rainbow tribe is an "environmental group"? that is what it says in the article. i was under the impression that it was for a more all encompasing world peace and harmony, which would include the environment, i suppose. am I wrong here (sorry, new) or are they?

p.s. am very sad i cannot go, but there is no way i can go to arkansas. i’ll send good thoughts, though!
Little sis, some folks think we’re an environmental group, and some people think we’re a protest group, and some folks think we’re a spiritual group, and I don’t think we’re too sure ourselves, sometimes. Is a Swiss Army Knife a corkscrew or a pair of pliers?
Harrison Daily Times

Rainbow Family gathers
By JAMES L. WHITE, Times Staff
06/22/2007

Staff Photo/James L. White
Ed "Dogman" Slook of Taos, N.M., is a member of the Rainbow Family who had arrived at Fallsville earlier this week.

FALLSVILLE - If you have a bellybutton you could be a member of the Rainbow Family.
Members of the group are camped in the Ozark National Forest near Fallsville for their annual gathering and they say all people are welcome in the Family.
Although rumors abound in Newton County about habits of drug and alcohol use and abuse, civil disobedience and public nudity, an unofficial spokesman for the group said most members of the Family have only one goal: peace.
And almost no one will disagree with that
But not everyone agrees either.
‘Warriors of the Rainbow’
The Rainbow Family has a Web site, , but it’s called "unofficial."
"It is longstanding Rainbow Family consensus that nobody has ever, or ever will represent the Rainbow Family," the site says.
The site continues by saying the Rainbow Family is the "largest non-organization of non-members in the world," and that members are "into intentional community building, non-violence, and alternative lifestyles."
Many of their traditions are based on Native American traditions and members have committed themselves to caring for the planet.
"We also believe that peace and love are a great thing, and there isn’t enough of that in this world," the Web site proclaims.
The Family gathers annually in a national forest to pray for peace, the site says, but it also quotes a Native American prophecy that states:
"When the earth is ravaged and the animals are dying, a new tribe of people shall come unto the earth from many colors, classes, creeds, and who by their actions and deeds shall make the earth green again. They will be known as the warriors of the Rainbow."
‘They’re just doing routine stops’
Rainbow Family members began arriving in the Ozark National Forest within the last few days. Wednesday, a Daily Times reporter went to where they were camped.
Numerous law enforcement officials stood by on Highway 16/21 outside Fallsville and for miles in either direction to make sure everything was going well, officials said.
Denise Ottaviano, U.S. Forest Service information officer out of Albuquerque, N.M., spoke to the Daily Times from Fort Smith where she is stationed during the Rainbow gathering.
She said Rainbow events often attract as many as 10,000 to 25,000 members from all parts of the country.
Those members can have "a large impact" on the forest and surrounding communities, she said. So, the Forest Service developed the National Incident Management Team (NIMT) to "manage the impacts of Rainbow Family national gatherings," a press release said.
Ottaviano said officers come from all over the country to follow Rainbow Family gatherings.
Drivers in the area are stopped often, especially ones who drive on or off the Forest Service road that leads the two miles to the main camping area.
Drivers who ask why they were stopped are told that officers are making sure everything is all right and to make sure law enforcement officers aren’t under surveillance themselves.
"They’re just doing routine stops," Ottaviano said, adding that officers are making sure all attendees are safe and for general public safety.
Some officers have dogs trained to search for drugs, she said.
Wednesday, at the beginning of the road to the campsite, a young man sat on the side of the highway while a Forest Service officer talked to him and another videotaped the scene.
Just ahead, three other young people stood beside a vehicle with New Jersey license plates talking with two more officers and a third officer searched baggage apparently pulled from the car.
An officer on the scene Wednesday afternoon said one reason for such tight security is because the "Rainbows" hadn’t secured a permit from the government to hold a large gathering of people on public land.
Ottaviano confirmed that, saying groups of 75 or more are required to secure a permit for a gathering of any kind so Forestry officials can help them find a proper campsite while not disturbing "archaeological sites."
But the Rainbows, "as is customary," haven’t gotten such a permit, Ottaviano said, although Forestry officials are still trying to work with them on locations.
But it might be too late.
‘It’s a workshop’
Rain had been falling at Fallsville for a couple of days and more than a hundred Rainbows were already setting up camp this week struggling through mud and standing water.
Pitching tents and warming food over campfires, most of the Rainbows declined to be photographed due to the mud and muck. One man named Val said the pictures wouldn’t translate well.
But Val was willing to talk about the Family.
For one thing, Val explained that the Family isn’t just one large group. He said members of like-minded groups comprise what is collectively known as the Rainbow Family.
What they share in common is being outcasts in the cities, as well as a love of nature, acting as "stewards of the woods," he said.
They come from all walks of life. Some are addicts coming to get away from the temptations that might cause them to use. Some are seeking spirituality.
Val, who also studies sociology and is a woodworker, said, "I don’t know why most of them come."
But he continued by explaining the main purpose is to pray for peace. The actual gathering is July 1-7, with the main day of prayer set for July 4. On that morning, he said, the entire camp will be silent as members pray.
The remainder of the time will be spent studying nature. They will have a chance to use woodland experts to explain what is growing in the woods can and can’t be eaten. There will be other people studying spirituality and any other matters that surround such a topic.
"It’s a lesson," Val said. "It’s a workshop."
Some people have estimated as many as 25,000 Rainbows might attend. Val calls that unrealistic and puts the estimate closer to 7,000 at most, 5,000 at least.
Val said some people think the Family is gathering to relive the flower power days of the 1960s, but that’s not the case.
He pointed out that many of those attending were young, born in the late ’70s or early ’80s, and were bringing their children with them.

Some of the men have long hair and beards, while others are clean shaven and have short hair. Dread locks are popular among both men and women. Many carry guitars, violins or musical instruments of other kinds.
But not all of them are young.
Ed "Dogman" Slook of Taos, N.M., had just arrived at the campsite Wednesday afternoon. He explained that he went on his first peace march in Washington, D.C., as the war in Vietnam raged.
He said the Family is almost exclusively peaceful. But even at that, there are some members, as in any large group, that come to the gathering for other reasons.
For instance, "Camp A" is largely segregated from the main group. Those people, he said, are the drinkers among the Family and they stay where they are.
But the rumors surrounding the gathering are a partial concern to Family members and law enforcement as well.
Isolated incidents
Some people have said Rainbows are known for raiding gardens and stealing and slaughtering cattle for food. But the Forest Service’s Ottaviano says that’s not accurate.
Ottaviano did say there are isolated incidents with certain Rainbows when they interact with local residents.
She said there is a vast cultural difference between many of the Rainbows and other people, so some confrontations can occur.
In addition, there have been some isolated incidents of loitering or trespassing, but they aren’t that common.
Val said there is an alleged incident from a 1984 Rainbow gathering in which one of the Family members got into an altercation with people in a grocery store. The Rainbow was accused of urinating on the fresh produce in the store.
Val said he isn’t even sure that happened, but it’s one of the incidents authorities bring up to locals every time the Family gathers.
He said one high-ranking law enforcement official from Washington, D.C., visited a community where the Rainbows were set to gather and told the people there they should lock up their doors and hide their children.
Val said that was totally inaccurate, but it’s the kind of thing that follows the Rainbows wherever they go.
Still, not everyone is scared to have the Rainbow Family around.
‘They don’t understand them’
Elizabeth Moak lives at Fallsville. She said the Family hasn’t been any trouble for her.
"I’m enjoying watching them go by," Moak said. "Some of the buses are artwork."
Some of the Rainbows stop and ask for directions and have been easy to get along with.
"I haven’t seen any of them who are rude or anything," Moak said.
What she fears is that there might be trouble with local people who might want to start trouble with the Rainbows.
She said a group of loggers came into the Fallsville store one day last week when it was raining and they couldn’t work.
One of the loggers said something vulgar to a group of Rainbows sitting together. The Rainbows all stood together, although they made no threatening gestures and the logger took notice.
"And he left," Moak said.
Added law enforcement presence doesn’t bother Moak either.
She said one woman was complaining that she didn’t dare carry her customary cooler of beer in her pickup to drink while she was driving because she was afraid of getting stopped. And she could no longer let her 5-year-old daughter ride in the bed of the truck.
Moak also said the people who drive vehicles without license plate or those who have suspended driver’s licenses are now getting rides from other people or allowing someone else to drive.
She also said she knows of one individual who has taken to walking everywhere by going through the woods, not on the highway.
Moak admits there are people around the area who don’t welcome the Rainbows, but she has a couple of ideas on that subject.
For instance, many locals go to the forest where the Rainbows are camped to "drink and party," so there could be some animosity there.
In addition, "because they are hippies and a lot of people are scared of them," there is automatic suspicion, Moak said.
And some people could mistake the Rainbows for "tree huggers" or environmentalists that are coming to the area to disrupt the logging industry or disturb the local way of life.
"I think it’s that they don’t understand them and they’re expecting trouble," Moak said. "But I am really enjoying them."
Shirley Sims is owner/proprietor of the store at Compton. She said some of the Rainbows had been passing through and had stopped.
"The one’s that were here were nice," Sims said.
Emma Griffith was at the store last Wednesday. She said one young man was extremely polite when he came through.
"And he rode his bicycle all the way from Kansas to get here," Griffith said.
Sims said she expects no trouble out of the gathering.
"I feel like the Sheriff’s Office is going to take care of us," she said.
‘Taking all precautions’
Newton County Sheriff Keith Slape said his department is working with the Forest Service to patrol the area as much as possible.
And, given Fallsville’s location near the border of both Johnson and Madison counties, those two departments are helping out as well.
He said they will soon set up a command post near the forest and man it 24 hours a day, adding that his officers probably will be able to work all the overtime they want.
Slape admits there hasn’t been much trouble out of the Rainbows.
"Right now, there’s been some isolated incidents, but we’re trying to safeguard to keep anything from happening," Slape said. "We’re just taking all precautions."
Slape said that although there are three individual camps that authorities keep an eye on, he thinks it should be fairluy peaceful.
"The majority of them are good people," Slape said.

Wow How Cool!!!!! We did the ‘91 Peace Vigil in Austin with Dogman (bro in pic).
He’s another one I hadn’t seen for a few years. I’d always thought of him as being more east coast than "from Taos". Maybe that’s why I haven’t seen him for a while? Perhaps he bought some land out on The Mesa next door to all them other grouchy old farts, and has been busy digging in?
That ‘Digging in’ comment is very true…& in the most literal sense He was thru the mkt in Austin some time in spring 2006 (I think) & I saw pics of his place. It’s very nice.
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"An officer on the scene Wednesday afternoon said one reason for such tight security is because the "Rainbows" hadn’t secured a permit from the government to hold a large gathering of people on public land.
Ottaviano confirmed that, saying groups of 75 or more are required to secure a permit for a gathering of any kind so Forestry officials can help them find a proper campsite while not disturbing "archaeological sites."
But the Rainbows, "as is customary," haven’t gotten such a permit, Ottaviano said, although Forestry officials are still trying to work with them on locations."

So I sent the reporter a copy the letter from Mark Rey.
turnup what letter is that? was that posted here somewhere & i missed it?
if its not too much trouble could u post what u sent him? just curious
or a link to it if its already online somewhere

what i love about that statement
your required a permit so fs can help with site selection
we dont have a permit but theyre helping with site selection anyways
sooooooooooooooooooooo
we dont need no stinkin permits!!!!!!
We have the right to peacefully gather. they just want money. I’m sure if we gave them money then they’d leave us alone. it’s horrible that we have to pay for peace.
Hippiestead posted it here in the thread "conference calls" a couple pages back.
what cost money, i thought the permits were free. every gathering i went too permited or not didnt cost any money, other than donations to magic hat or gas or somthing. I dont think i ever paid for peace, well i have paid to have my children gone for the weekend.
I think the permits are free. I also think the reason that Gatherers get hassled is because they are free…
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National event runs July 1-7
For The Courier
FORT SMITH — Rainbow Family National Gathering attendees have begun to arrive on the Ozark National Forest in Arkansas.
The event, which runs from July 1-7, draws thousands of people from all parts of the country and all walks of life. Some Rainbows describe themselves as hippies, hobos or even gypsies, according to a press release. This year’s National Gathering is expected to have a lower attendance than previous years and may only draw 5,000-10,000 people.
Gathering organizers could not agree on a location for this year’s event, so they are occupying two different areas of the Ozark National Forest. Several hundred people are camping on the Big Piney Ranger District of the Ozark National Forest near Fallsville (in Newton County, a few miles north of Johnson County on State Highway 21), and another group is reported to be camping on the Boston Mountain Ranger District north of Mulberry (Crawford County). [My Italics WT] Participants will continue to arrive for the next couple of weeks and then migrate back out for several weeks following the event which culminates on July 4.
Because of the magnitude for this event, the Forest Service utilizes an agency National Incident Management Team (NIMT) in coordination with local Forest Service personnel to manage the impacts of this event.
The Forest Service NIMT will be working in Arkansas throughout the duration of the event and is coordinating with various agencies to manage and minimize environmental, social and political impacts. Forest Service resource specialists are working on the ground with gathering participants to develop an operating plan that will mitigate resource damage and provide for the safety of gathering participants and the public.
Local businesses can expect to see large numbers of gathering participants visiting stores and buying food and supplies along routes to the gathering sites, according to the release. Roads leading up to the gathering sites are soon expected to get very congested, so the public should use extra caution while driving. Copyright 2007 Russellville Newspapers, Inc.

“left”>

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Northwest Arkansas edition:

Contact: Denise Ottaviano, National Incident Management Team-Information Officer 505-259-2290
Rainbow Family Begins to Gather on Ozark National Forest
Fort Smith, AR (June 23, 2007) –Rainbow Family National Gathering attendees have begun to arrive
on the Ozark National Forest in Arkansas. The event, which runs from July 1 – July 7, draws thousands of
people from all parts of the country and all walks of life. Some Rainbows describe themselves as hippies,
hobos or even gypsies. This year’s National Gathering is expected to have a lower attendance than previous
years and may only draw 5,000-10,000 people.
Gathering organizers could not agree on a location for this year’s event so they are occupying two
different areas of the Ozark National Forest. Several hundred people are camping on the Big Piney Ranger

District of the Ozark National Forest near Fallsville and another group is reported to be camping on the
Boston Mountain Ranger District north of Mulberry. Participants will continue to arrive for the next couple
of weeks and then migrate back out for several weeks following the event which culminates on July 4th.
Because of the magnitude of this event, the Forest Service utilizes an agency National Incident
Management Team (NIMT) in coordination with local Forest Service personnel to manage the impacts of this
event. The Forest Service NIMT will be working in Arkansas throughout the duration of the event and is
coordinating with various agencies to manage and minimize environmental, social and political impacts.
Forest Service resource specialists are working on the ground with gathering participants to develop an
operating plan that will mitigate resource damage and provide for the safety of gathering participants and the
public.
Local businesses can expect to see large numbers of gathering participants visiting stores and buying
food and supplies along routes to the gathering sites. Roads leading up to the gathering sites are soon expected
to get very congested so the public should use extra caution while driving.
##
National Incident Management Team
U.S. Forest Service
Incident Command Post
700 Rogers Avenue
Fort Smith, AR 72901
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HipForums has group pages now…if you scroll down, you should see the groups on the left side. It has places for links, a group photo gallery, calender.

On this Crawford County rumor, I’ll try but my sources are already on-site…

Update-Jay Rainbowwolf (local Fam) say that he’ll check but last he knew, no one was there.

2nd Update from rainbowwolf:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I Miss The Family, Say Hello To Dog Man, From Linda From Baltimore, And Everyone! Peace & Blessings!
Love Yas All!
I’ve met a Linda from Baltimore. I doubt if she remembers me. Judy Appleseed still keeping us all up to date on the Space Aliens?
Here’s that kfsm story:

FALLSVILLE, AR–From California to New York thousands are flocking to the Rainbow Family’s gathering just 30 miles north of Clarksville.* They are from all walks of life and every age from old to young.* Some live nomadic lifestyles, traveling from one gathering to the next, while others only come once a year to the annual gathering wherever that may be.

Car after car after car line*the dirt*road*deep in*the Ozark National Forest near Fallsville in Newton County.* 5NEWS counted license plates from at least 27 different states.* This year’s gathering is expected to be several thousand but far less than in years past.*

A man we met who simply goes by the name Simple says it’s about coming together.

"People hang out in the woods," Simple said.* "The kitchens, the ovens; making pizzas, helping people haul stuff in.* Getting water for them."

Anyone with an RV or van parks at the Bus Village.* Their kitchen feeds about 20 people per day, but about 20 other kitchens feed anywhere from three to 500 people.* Camps are spread throughout the national forest.* Alcohol is typically confined to the "A" Camp, while children are able to play at what’s called the Kiddie Village. **

Daniel Robertson says he plays a fatherly role to many of the younger family members.

"They run away and they come here because they’re taken care of people love them people feed them try to give them counsel," Robertson explained.* "Help them out in the life."

There is no real organization there.* In fact, this year they were almost unable to reach an agreement on where they would meet.* Majority rules and at council meetings everybody gets a say before a consensus is reached.* Every morning there is a kitchen council where cooks figure out the supplies they need, while problems and issues are addressed at the afternoon council.

Those who arrive first set up the seed camp for the gathering which doesn’t begin until the first and then runs through the seventh.* We’re told a clean-up crew will actually stay well beyond that time.

Some Rainbow Family members tell 5NEWS the location is not ideal.* Usually they camp in a large clearing or meadow.* At this year’s site, the camps are much more spread out and there’s not enough parking along the narrow dirt road.

Thousands are passing through the tiny Newton County community of Fallsville on their way to the rainbow family gathering.* It’s something the quiet little village has never before seen.* But it means business is booming at the Fallsville Store.

"I’m gonna say it’s doubled, probably tripled," clerk Susie Shannon told 5NEWS.

Hundreds pass by the store every day on their way to the gathering.* Susie says the community sees a lot of tourists during the summer months but nothing like this.* This is only*her second day on the job.* The store owner wasn’t prepared for the huge influx of people, so she hired Susie.*

The Fallsville Store is also where we met a man hoping to sell produce to people at the gathering.

"We brought cantaloupe, watermelon, onions, tomatoes, etc. We got a little bit of everything.* I have a lot of jellies," Sam Mitchell described.

One family member told us they usually pick one or two places to patronize during a gathering.* Most of the time, it’s an organic foods store, like a truck we saw delivering supplies to the main camp.* Rainbowers say food is an important part of the fellowship.

There’s a massive law enforcement presence with members of the U.S. Forestry, Newton County Sheriff’s Department, and others here to keep the peace.* But what do the locals think about the Rainbow Family?

"Most of them don’t have a problem with it," Shannon shrugged.* "They’re a peace loving bunch.* They don’t hurt anybody.* And for the most part everything’s going really well."

Many of the Rainbow Family members were friendly, waving and welcoming us [5NEWS].* But there were some who were not happy we were there.* At the Fallsville Store, we witnessed an argument between one Rainbow Family member who seemed to be trying to provoke a forest ranger.
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don’t know…I just used the highlight, pickup, drag & drop method…when I copied one Howdy Folks that was circulating around MySpace, the original had hearts & my copy had question marks where the hearts were. Don’t know enough about these machines to understand why they do much of anything
In Ark., Forest Service trying new approach with Rainbow Family

Thursday, June 28, 2007 5:50 PM CDT

FALLSVILLE, Ark. - The U.S. Forest Service has waived its permit requirement and is trying a new approach this year to protect the woods as thousands meet for an annual Rainbow Family gathering in the Ozark National Forest of north Arkansas.

The gathering, with roots in the hippie era, draws thousands from around the country to a national forest site each year to pray for peace and celebrate love. The group traditionally does not comply with the permit requirement and, in years past, has been at loggerheads with the federal agency.

Denise Ottaviano, information officer with an agency team created in 1998 to deal with the gatherings, said Thursday that, rather than require a permit, team members developed a plan to address how to best protect the forest and ensure safety at this year’s July 1-7 gathering.

Ottaviano said some Rainbow Family members worked with the agency to come up with the plan, and it has been in place on a trial basis this week as many arrive to set up campsites and outdoor kitchens for the event.

"This is the first time we’ve tried this approach," she said. "There is no other group that ever tries to use the national forest land that doesn’t want to get a permit. Other groups work with us. This is the only group that challenges us to make them get a permit."

The plan includes such detail as distances between campsites and water sources, and sensitive areas to avoid. The Forest Service also has workers who monitor the wildlife for any damage from overexposure to people.

"The Rainbow Family is making an effort to comply with our Forest Service regulations and trying not to make an impact on the land," she said. "For the most part, they are complying and there’s not too much confrontation."

About 3,000 people had arrived for the gathering as of Thursday, Newton County Sheriff Keith Slape said. About 50 federal or state wildlife officers and county deputies were patrolling the event. Slape said nearly 30 arrests had been made on various charges, including drugs, alcohol, outstanding warrants, and disorderly conduct.

With a seven-officer force to cover a county of 8,800 residents, the sheriff said his deputies will do what they can to assist federal and state officers at the peak of the gathering around July 4, when he expects about 7,000 people will be camping in the forest.

"Basically we’ve got a small town there. It’s functioning like a small town," the sheriff said.

The sheriff said he had about eight inmates more than his 100-year-old jail could hold Thursday and neighboring Johnson County told him it couldn’t help out because the jail there was full, too.

"Our resources (are) diminished," he said. "We didn’t have much to start with."

Ottaviano said one concern was the congested traffic on the forest roads. She said the vehicles make it difficult to get in and out of the forest and she urged the public to avoid the site during the gathering.

"It’s real muddy. People are getting stuck," she said.

The closest community is Fallsville, about two miles away.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)
This is posted on a local bloggers site at

Rainbow Gathering 2007: Further Commentary
June 28th, 2007 at 4:18 pm

So what do you get when you gather a couple thousand people in the forest for the promotion of world peace? A pretty good time so far, that’s the word from the “regs” attending the “national” gathering of the Rainbow Family of Love and Light.

Other than the usual delays in getting set up for the event which have largely come in the form of undue police harassment and inclement weather, things seem to be going pretty good down there. In my time at the gathering I didn’t witness anything negative happening at all, as a matter of fact. I would have liked to have seen more tarps up by the time a torrential downpour sent my family scrambling for cover to “Kiddie Village.” We DID find shelter and fire and plenty of friendly folks, though. Nice people, indeed.

I suppose it vexes the imaginations of those who sit in a nine-to-five routine to try to comprehend the lifestyle that most of these people lead. Many of them have no permanent residence, they don’t participate in the credit culture (system), and they don’t aspire to be the world’s next millionaire. Some might label that as giving up but sometimes I wonder if it’s not good plain sense. We certainly seem to live in a world gone mad. Why not just drop it all and head for the hills? LOL

Rainbow Family members come from all walks of life and various socio-economic backgrounds, but the one thing I’ve found that they all have is a consensus that peace, not war, is the way to human evolution (seems to make sense, we can’t very well evolve if we’re all dead) and that there is another way of living this time we’ve been given on Earth which I have found to be quite fascinating.

The regs don’t really deal with money that much. They mainly barter, just like in the “good ole days.” But like any person who actually had to haul cartons of eggs down to the general store to get dry goods will tell you, it’s really not all it’s cracked up to be if your main concern is CONVENIENCE. I feel that most folks in this country are obsessed by the concept of convenience, so bartering doesn’t work for most people. It’s just easier all the way around to throw out stuff you bought and don’t like in a yard sale and take the old credit card up to the Wal-Mart and buy new schtuff. Fabulous.

Have there been reports of malfeasance on the part of individuals who have come to the gathering? Sure…about 198 of them (violations), according to the last figures I saw. Are these offenses “serious” or not? I suppose if you think it’s worth the taxpayers money to house hundreds of extra law enforcement officers at a Best Western (roughly 40 miles from the gathering, at the SUV rate of fuel consumption that works out to about twenty bucks a day per vehicle, just for SHUTTLING the LEO’s out there…) to issue a couple hundred tickets for minor drug charges, unlawful parking, on a forest road, and using park services without a permit…do you see what I’m getting at here?

Do we really need to have the Forest Service spending what will certainly be tens of thousands of dollars to prevent these terrible “crimes?” Is that reasonable, or logical in any way? Need I remind you that while they were busy covering this Rainbow event that a campground host at the Buffalo National Forest DIED AND WAS NOT FOUND (IN HIS RV, AT THE CAMPSITE) FOR A WEEK by park officials who were too busy checking if people had “all four wheels fully off the forest service road when they parked.” I haven’t seen this story in the MSM yet. Maybe someone will talk about it.

There have been limited (extremely limited) reports of theft from local businesses, but I’m going to wager they will make their money back and more from the money being pumped in from all sides of this issue. The LEO’s need gas and supplies. So do the Rainbows. Money is being made here in the county…bottom line. Keep in mind, that besides the tourism and forestry industry there is virtually no other “industry” here at all. I’m surprised we didn’t put up a welcome sign at the front gates for these folks. We need their money to boost our economy, undoubtedly.

The Rainbow Family still thrives after nearly 40 years of protest, and hearkens back to the anti-war and counterculture movement of the 60s, of which it is the natural progression…many of you remember those glory days. I don’t. My mother was a hippie, though, and she spoke consistently throughout her life on behalf of the ideals of world peace and brotherly love throughout her life. I say that she was a Rainbow at heart. Perhaps I am as well?
Undersesretary of Agriculture, probably one of several Undersecretaries of Agriculture. Perhaps you should google all over him, and let us know if he has a more complete job title?

Contact: Denise Ottaviano, National Incident Management Team-Information Officer 505-259-2290
Attendance Reaches 2,000 at Rainbow Gathering Near Fallsville
Fort Smith, AR (June 26, 2007) – There are now approximately 2,000 people camping on the Big
Piney Ranger District of the Ozark National Forest just north of Fallsville for the Rainbow Family’s National
Gathering. Individuals from all over the country and all walks of life attend the annual event on a different
national forest every year. Their gathering culminates on July 4th with a large prayer circle for peace.
A Forest Service National Incident Management Team (NIMT), in coordination with local Forest
Service personnel, have developed an operating plan for the gathering site that addresses resource impacts,
health and safety issues, and site rehabilitation. Gathering participants are working with the Forest Service to
comply with the terms of the plan and Forest Service resource specialists are monitoring the site daily. A
group of gathering participants usually stays behind to work with the Forest Service on site rehabilitation.
During past gatherings, natural resource violations have occurred as well as numerous criminal acts.
So far this year, 198 violation notices have been issued to Rainbow Gathering participants, mostly for drug
and alcohol related offenses and traffic and vehicle violations. In addition, 22 arrests have been made for
various offenses including drugs, interference with law enforcement officers and outstanding warrants.
Officers from the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas State
Police and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are providing valuable assistance to the Forest Service in
patrolling the area in and around the Rainbow Gathering. The Forest Service is committed to providing for
the safety of gathering participants and the public.
#
National Incident Management Team
U.S. Forest Service
Incident Command Post
700 Rogers Avenue
Fort Smith, AR 72901
Court set for Family
By JEFF DEZORT, Newton County Times -
06/29/2007

DEER - James Marcschewski, a federal magistrate from Fort Smith, will set up court in the Deer Work Center later this week to hear criminal cases involving law breakers attending the National Rainbow Family Gathering in the Ozark National Forest east of nearby Fallsville.

DEER - James Marcschewski, a federal magistrate from Fort Smith, will set up court in the Deer Work Center later this week to hear criminal cases involving law breakers attending the National Rainbow Family Gathering in the Ozark National Forest east of nearby Fallsville.
The announcement was made Wednesday morning during a Unified Command Meeting with local law enforcement and community leaders conducted by officials with the U.S.D.A. Forest Service. The meeting was held from 10 - noon in the cafeteria of the Deer public school.
Forest Service personnel with its National Incident Management Team (NIMT) arrived in the county last week as Rainbow Family members started gathering for the Wednesday, July 4, congregation.
Don Palmer, NIMT planning section chief from the Monongahela National Forest in Elkins, W.Va., commented that this is expected to be one of the smallest gatherings in the group’s history.
Many of the NIMT members said this is the fourth gathering they have policed. They said their main focus is public safety.
A number of federal and local arrests have already been made as the number of Rainbow Family members arriving in the area continues to climb.
U.S. marshals and attorneys called into the county to assist the NIMT have made arrangements to use the Forest Service’s maintenance compound at Deer as a temporary courthouse. The property is fenced to provide security and the office will be converted into a courtroom to be presided over by Magistrate Judge Marcschewski beginning at 1 p.m. Friday. Other sessions already scheduled are for 1 p.m. on Monday, July 2; Tuesday, July 3; and Thursday, July 5. Marshals said federal prisoners are being housed in Fort Smith.
So far, marshals estimate 60 defendants will be processed Friday on all charges. This is being done as a convenience to them as most live in other states.
Newton County Sheriff Keith Slape said his department had made 22 arrests as of Wednesday morning. He said his deputies have seized illegal drugs including LSD and marijuana. Some felony charges have been filed, but most are misdemeanors such as public intoxication. There have been complaints of trespassing and some incidents involving the store at Fallsville. Newton County District Judge Tommy Martin has already held two sessions of district court this week to process the flood of defendants.
Denise Ottaviano, NIMT communications director, said there have been about 230 "violation notices" issued to Rainbow Family members. She said violation notices are citations that don’t require incarceration, but do require court appearance.
She also said this morning that there have been about 30 arrests which did require incarceration of some kind.
Slape said defendants can post bond and be released, but many are without money and are being sentenced to perform community service. He said many of the inmates have been at work cleaning around community buildings, cemeteries, Bradley Park in Jasper and along highways.
Lt. Kevin Thomas, chief enforcement officer in Newton County for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said the agency has sent more personnel into the area to help with enforcement and to help with security during the 10th annual Buffalo National River Elk Festival on Friday and Saturday in downtown Jasper. He noted 26 officers are scheduled to work three 12-hour shifts.
Arkansas State Police Troop I Commander G.B. Harp of Harrison said his troopers are also on alert. He noted, however, that he doesn’t have vehicles that can operate in the forest terrain and that they are limited to operating on highways surrounding the area. Troopers will also be assigned to the elk festival.
A Unified Command Incident Summary will be available to communities following the gathering, which will begin to disperse after the July 4 community prayer service.
So far reports have been received of one person suffering from a broken hand, one person was taken to North Arkansas Regional Medical Center for treatment of a copperhead snake bite, one person was treated for a brown recluse spider bite and many more people have complained of ticks, chiggers and poison ivy, officials said.
The Rainbow Gathering reportedly provides its own first aid clinic, but they reportedly are inadequately staffed with trained personnel.
A clearing has been made nearby for a helicopter landing area.
The Forest Service’s other concern is the impact so many people will leave on the forest in the way of trash and scarring.
Harrison Daily Times 2007
Big Rainbow influx ahead
By JAMES L. WHITE, Times Staff
06/29/2007

FALLSVILLE - Officials report about 3,000 members of the Rainbow Family of Light had by this morning arrived for the annual gathering, held this year in the Ozark National Forest.

FALLSVILLE - Officials report about 3,000 members of the Rainbow Family of Light had by this morning arrived for the annual gathering, held this year in the Ozark National Forest.
But the gathering isn’t really set to begin until Sunday, July 1, so there may be a lot more people coming through the area over the next few days.
U.S. Forest Service information officer Denise Ottaviano said Rainbow Family Gatherings often attract from 10,000 to 25,000 people, but a Family member told the Daily Times that he doesn’t expect more than 7,000 for this year’s event.
Ottaviano said location for the yearly gathering varies from national parks in the east and west part of the country and attendance is lowest in the east. Arkansas is considered east.
The official gathering is set for July 1-7, with the biggest prayer circle for peace on July 4. That day will see the largest number of people in the forest, but Ottaviano said to expect to see quite a bit of activity in the days leading up to Sunday.

"There’s going to be a lot of people coming in this weekend, then on Monday and Tuesday," Ottaviano said.
Following the main prayer circle, Ottaviano said there will most likely be people leaving "in mass quantities" on July 5, which could cause road congestion.
She said some stores could be impacted as well with the mass exodus of individuals who could loiter and panhandle as well.
Some of the Family will remain behind to help with clean up and restoration of the forest, she added.
Rumors of varied illegal Rainbow Family activity have been flying, but Ottaviano said many of those are simply rumors.
It was said that Rainbows went into the store at Fallsville and helped themselves to merchandise without paying.
"That is not true," store owner/operator Toni Lippe told the Daily Times.
Ottaviano said she had visited with store owners along Highway 21 and none of them have reported problems.
Still, Ottaviano said there could be some confrontations with local residents who don’t understand the Rainbows.
"It’s a very diverse group," Ottaviano said.

Harrison Daily Times 2007
I’m out of here - my rides coming and were heading Home. Peace, Love, Namaste to all!!!!

Mark
alongyourpath
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check out this local bloggers site at Alongyourpath posted one of this local bro’s blogs up in post #42 but there is another blog that has his own comments set into this article…quite an entertaining read (and I didn’t post it cuz I figure the bro will appreciate the extra hits on his blog site)
New article from The Harrison Daily Times:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3,500 at Rainbow gathering
By JAMES L. WHITE, Times Staff
07/02/2007

FALLSVILLE - U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officers have set up a roadblock about a mile and a half from Highway 21 on the forest road leading to the main Rainbow Family Gathering due to heavy rain and vehicle traffic, officials said.

And Denise Ottaviano, Forest Service spokesman, said cars are parked all along the three-mile road leading to the Buffal River headwaters back to Highway 21.
As of Sunday, Ottaviano said, an estimated 3,500 peole had arrived at the gathering, but she said this morning she is sure there are more people there now.
"It’s nothing but a big mass of vehicles and people on that road," Ottaviano siad.
The roadblock, she said, was necessary to keep emergency traffic lanes open. They have issued passes for vehicles to bring in supplies or to shuttle people to the site to ease congestion.
Heavy weekend rains also have caused problems, most notably muddy conditions. She said a tow truck called in to pull out another stuck vehicle got stuck, too.
"It’s just a mess," she said.
She also said there have been "more than one" report of Rainbow Family members getting gas at Clarksville and driving off without paying for it.
The Gathering is scheduled to culminate in a prayer circle for peace on July 4. They also expect a large exodus of people leaving on either July 5 or 6.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

and this one from courier news

Newton County’s hills chock-full of Rainbows

Counterculture group soaking up the peace

By Tracie Dungan ()

•
•
•
The aroma of whole-grain pancakes, infused with nutmeg and almonds, wafts through a Rainbow Family kitchen as campers in this culinary “clan” toil over an outdoor stove top hand-fashioned from mud and stone.

“We’ll need three servers,” calls out Rebecca Johnston De La Garza. “Some of you guys can help serve syrup.”

Web Extra

The Rainbows, as they’re sometimes called, are about to form a miniature version of their mammoth Fourth of July prayer circle. The blessing of their midday hotcake feast foreshadows the coming spiritual ceremony of their annual North American gathering.
hey theres a great slide show in with that audio link al posted,,..

i love it…
I see from the first video link that Grandpa Woodstock is in Arkansas… Rock on Grandpa !
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Antibiotics given to 43 after woman hospitalized with meningitis

Friday, July 6, 2007 1:55 AM CDT

FALLSVILLE, Ark. - A case of bacterial meningitis among the several thousand Rainbow Family visitors gathered in the Ozark National Forest prompted health officials to provide preventive doses of antibiotics to 43 people who had been in close contact with the hospitalized woman, authorities said.

Three nurses from the Arkansas Health Department were delayed a day in providing the antibiotics when the area where they visited Tuesday also turned out to be the site of a drug bust, said Denise Ottaviano, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.

"There was an arrest that was being made, and there were some Rainbows that became disorderly and were interfering with that arrest and it was drawing attention to that area," Ottaviano said. "The nurses then were evacuated. If there is a potentially hostile situation or a dangerous situation, we don’t want them to be there at all."

But the nurses returned on Wednesday to administer ciprofloxacin, known as "cipro."

"They were very nice to us the next day," said Dr. Joe Bates, the state agency’s deputy health officer and a professor of epidemiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. "They seemed appreciative."

The hospitalized woman, not identified by authorities, was diagnosed with Neisseria meningitis, an infection of the membrane covering the brain and spinal cord, Bates said.

He said symptoms begin with fever, headache, body aches, weakness and malaise, and if the disease progresses to the brain, it can result in a stiff neck and confusion, and might progress into delirium or coma.

"It generally moves pretty rapidly," he said, with the onset of more serious symptoms coming within 24 hours of the first, milder signs of the illness.

According to Bates, the organism that can infect others is spread from a carrier’s throat when that person coughs, speaks, shares utensils or cigarettes, kisses someone, or shares close quarters, such as traveling in the same car or staying in the same room or tent.

"Most people don’t carry the bacteria, and of the few who have it, most don’t become ill from it," Bates said. "A carrier might spread it or not and might become ill or not, or the person could carry it for weeks before falling ill. It’s just the few of the few that get sick."

He said there was nothing in particular that would make a Rainbow gathering a more likely place for the disease to crop up than other human contact.

Forest Service officials estimate that about 5,000 people gathered in the Ozark National Forest this year for the annual Rainbow Family get-together. The gathering, with roots in the hippie era, draws people from around the country to a national forest site each year to pray for peace and celebrate love.

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Rainbow sues over permit

BY MICHELLE BRADFORD

Posted on Tuesday, July 3, 2007

|

A member of a counterculture group gathering by the thousands in the woods of Newton County has sued the U. S. Forest Service over a permit requirement the group has been bucking for years.

Tony Nenninger, 49, a longtime Rainbow Family member and a third-year law student at the University of Missouri at Columbia School of Law, sued the U. S. Forest Service on June 25 in U. S. District Court in Harrison.

His suit challenges a Forest Service requirement that a group of 75 or more who gather on Forest Service land for noncommercial use must sign for and obtain a free special use permit.

The suit also claims the Forest Service is conducting illegal traffic “check points” in Newton County and targeting Rainbow gatherers at a rural site near Fallsville.

Nenninger is one of thousands of Rainbows who are in Newton County for the 2007 North American Rainbow Gathering. They’ve been meeting every year around July 4 since 1972 to pray for world peace, discuss issues and demonstrate their views.

The gatherings, which are in a different state each year, are communal and usually last around a month. In Newton County, officials expect up to 10, 000 people.

Nenninger attended his first July 4 gathering in 1985 in the Mark Twain National Forest near his home in Crawford County, Mo., according to his suit.

He claims Rainbows have been harassed by law enforcement during gatherings over the years.

On Thursday, U. S. District Judge Jimm L. Hendren denied Nenninger’s request for an emergency restraining order against the Forest Service and for his request to be declared a pauper for the purpose of paying legal expenses.

Nenninger said in an affidavit that after paying court fees and for gas to drive to the Harrison courthouse to file the 60-page complaint, he has only $ 117 left in his bank account.

The suit asks for monetary damages. It claims Nenninger can’t comply with the permit requirement without abandoning a “central tenet of sincerely held religious beliefs.”

The requirement threatens the “lack of agency relationship” that Nenninger and the Rainbows view as a fundamental and necessary element of religious experience during their gatherings on national forest lands, the suit states.

Forest Service spokesman Denise Ottaviano said Monday she couldn’t comment on the suit. The Rainbows traditionally have refused to sign the permits, claiming they are not an organized group, according to the suit.

Over the years, Nenninger and other Rainbows have met with Forest Service officials to try to develop an alternative manner of regulation besides the permit rule. The suit states there’s been a continuing pattern of confrontation between law enforcement, the Forest Service and Rainbows ever since the Forest Service began enforcing the permit requirement in 1995.

Violating the requirement is punishable by up to six months in prison and a fine of up to $ 5, 000.

Rainbows have sued the Forest Service before over the permits and over traffic stops, according to The Associated Press and past newspaper articles.

A call Monday to Forest Service headquarters in Washington D. C. about the outcome and history of those suits wasn’t returned.

In his preliminary ruling Thursday in the case, Hendren wrote that federal appeals courts have rejected arguments similar to Nenninger’s regarding the Forest Service permits and over the traffic check points.

Nenninger claims the Forest Service is selectively targeting Rainbows by stopping their vehicles for prolonged periods along a steep, dangerous twomile gravel road.

The Forest Service said in a news release Monday that it has issued 230 violations to Rainbows, mostly related to traffic and vehicle and drug and alcohol-related offenses. The Forest Service set up a U. S. magistrate court at the Forest Service work center in Deer to handle the cases.
i found this quote in this article about the suit,

, an just had to go what the fuck???????????????/

The Rainbow Family has long refused to sign the permits, saying they are not an organized group, the lawsuit said.

Nenninger is the lawsuit said.

yep hes a rainbow with a lawsuit.. have to see how this one plays out. . but ya know how it gos,, who knows where these "karmic archangel’s" will let this one wind up..
Miraculous karmic archangel protection enhancement…Doesn’t Smilin’ Bob sell pills for that?

(get) Over the Rainbow
An Editorial
07/08/2007

Thirty-two years ago a relatively unknown group of largely left over hippies from the Vietnam war era gathered in Marion County near the Buffalo River for a little ‘R&R’.

You know, a time to get close to Nature, breath in the fresh Ozark Mountain air and just kick back for a few days.
Ah, life at a Rainbow Family Gathering.
We covered that gathering just like we did last week’s annual event which happened in the Ozark National Forest south of Jasper. Back in 1975 the group was much smaller and best as we can recall, the newspaper headlines centered around a large group of young people who just preferred to go "au natural." They seemed to be more of a nuisance than a problem, and eventually faded into the forest.
Last week an estimated crowd of about 6,000 Rainbow Family members, with associated vehicles and dogs, slogged through the rain and mud along a desolate Forest Service road, all the while dodging a few hundred rangers, deputies and other law enforcement personnel.
During the (unofficial July 1-7) event, some even got an added bonus with a trip to Deer to talk with a federal magistrate for not being quite as nice as the rangers would expect. A little marijuana; not enough lights on the car; that outstanding warrant you forgot back in New Jersey. Not a problem. Nothing that a $50 fine and $35 court cost can’t take care of. Pay the piper and it’s back to the party.
A lot about nothing you say?
Don’t tell that to the U.S. Forest Service Rangers who have been staging this Incident practice for weeks now from a downtown hotel in Ft. Smith. We know. We saw them there.
The way it’s been explained, the Forest Service is trying not only to keep the peace in Newton County, but to use this group as a training exercise for officers. Should a real disaster on a large scale happen, those officers will have the experience necessary to deal with a big crowd of people - naked or otherwise.
And we doubt the good folks of Newton, Madison and Johnson counties will lose much sleep when the "Family" heads back to Walla Walla, Tucumcari and other points afar.
But no matter what, it has been something to talk about, hasn’t it?
There have been numerous stories floating about concerning Rainbow activity. We’ve been trying to either confirm or dispel those rumors, too.
Just last week, it was said that either spinal meningitis or hepatitis were running rampant through the camp.
As it turned out, there had only been one person taken to a hospital to be treated for bacterial meningitis. And that word came from a United States Forest Service spokesman who wouldn’t mind telling a tale of hundreds of cases were it true.
There were stories of stores along Highway 21 being looted or outright robbed, none of which were true. In the Madison County Record, editor Kyle Mooty wrote that a group of Family members were suspected of making a big mess in the bathrooms at Wal-Mart and a local restaurant. That’s a disgrace.
Next year, the Family will choose another community and those people will have just as much to talk about. We wish them luck.

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State News

“left”>Makeshift courtroom processes Rainbow cases