How do you New Mexicans feel about the Rainbow Family National Gathering?

[here_is_to_hope]

The National Gathering will be in Northern New Mexico somewhere, location not disclosed yet.
How do you all feel about 20,000 hippies coming to your neck of the woods?


My Family and I will be there with bells on!

[here_is_to_hope]

1. Well, is any one near Taos?

Our meeting with the local townsfolk is coming up in early June, I say local but the gathering could be anywhere within 50 miles of Taos.
Early word is 12 to 15 thousand are expected, the bulk of which will show up in the area around the 30th of June.
There should be a few thousand straggling in through out the early weeks of June to set up and get things rolling.

[SheilaT]

2. I live in Santa Fe

and hadn't yet heard about this.

[here_is_to_hope]

3. You have to know the double secret keyboard tap...

Well, not really!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Family

Thats a good write up, you can also check http://welcomehere.org/index.php ,

[all.of.me]

4. I heard it was going to be in the Gila.

Either way, I have no problem with it. They dump a lot of money into the economy, and the forest gets cleaned up afterwards. It is always the authorities who start the problems out of fear.

[here_is_to_hope]

5. Spring Council is now in Cuba so that moves it to

within 50 miles of there...with any luck.
If it goes further south, we may not make the drive from Oregon.
While there are always a few bad apples, Rainbows do bring lots of money into the local economy.
We were last in New Mexico in 1994 I think.

[comanchero]

6. Top 10 Things to do

at a rainbow gathering are.............

[here_is_to_hope]

7. Hmmm..Top Ten eh?

1. Give hugs, get hugs.
2. Enjoy the company of fellow humans in a cash/ego/pride free environment.
3. Eat lots of yummy food.
4. Attend the workshops of your choosing, be it yoga or Jews for Jesus or that one my wife puts on for pregnant belly dancers.
5. Network with like minded Progressives working for a better America.
6. Attend the nightly shows at Granola Funk or enjoy the entertainment at any one of 40 or so other kitchens.
7. Go to Trade Circle with a Snickers bar and trade it for a 1/4 pound of pot or those Tony Lama boots you have always wanted! (don't laugh, I traded three cigarettes for a brand new pair of Doc Martens and once got a complete cookware set for a bag of Hershey Kisses)
8. Eat Krishna cookies till you can't sing another stanza of...well you know.
9. Walk. A lot. Miles and miles for smiles and smiles.

And 10...
July 4th, from Dawn till Noon, enjoy the complete silence of the entire camp, join in at Main Circle just before Noon when the Kiddie Parade is coming from Kiddie Village, 300 children making their way to the Peace Pole. Then, as we Ohm and circle, letting out a collective whoop to break the silence.
And then we dance.

There is more, much more. Many workshops to attend, from engineering to sewing, to yoga, dance, art, music.
And its free, money is useless at a Gathering.