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First published in  Lonely Goat Print Magazine Volume III - #5

Arrestival?: Thoughts on the Jomeokee Jamboree
By Chris Kempf (September, 2000)

Is that what you heard about the first annual Jomeokee Jamboree held at the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds? Was the festival just a 'field day for the heat'? Unfortunately, in many ways, it was.

Before I get on the soapbox about all the negative publicity, let's start at the beginning. What is a 'festival'? Webster's describes it as 'a celebration, entertainment, or series of performances of a certain kind, often held periodically.' To most of us who go to them, we know festivals as a whole lot more. We don't go to festivals to listen to music; we go to festivals to listen to music with good friends and family!

Good friends and family, no matter how large, do not need police security! We may need protection from 'outsiders' but that can be done on the perimeters on our own. We do NOT need to be searched or scanned by metal detectors to 'guarantee' our safety. We've never needed it before.

All right, so what makes a festival good? First, and mainly, the people! During the amazing performance of The String Cheese Incident, while dancing, I lost my wallet with close to $100 in it. This was Friday. On Sunday, I encountered a young man by the name of Brooks Kamszik, who asked me my name and informed me that he had my wallet! I was floored, especially when I discovered all the money was still there! Thanks again Brooks, you've helped reinstall my faith in the human race. Most of you probably did not hear about this incident. There were others. Another man reportedly lost his wallet with $200 in it. He was also returned his property and money! Still another woman suffered the loss of $800, only to have it returned to her! Good bless these people, who had the decency and courage to do the right thing.

Secondly, to have a good festival, you need good music. No problem there. With acts like The String Cheese Incident, Ancient Harmony, Fat Apple, and Widespread Panic, the jams were on, and the bases were covered! This great music brought these great people together. Why didn't we hear anything about THIS on the eleven o'clock news?

This brings me to the next topic. What makes a festival bad? Well, bad publicity is a primary variable that can sour the public's view of these events. Why do we get such bad press? I've tried to be objective about this, but keep coming to the conclusion that whenever the cops are involved the press eats it up like starving wolves with a wounded rabbit laid in front of them. This creates a vicious circle, where we have 'x' amount of people reported to have been arrested at one event, giving authorities reason to believe their presence is needed at the next event. The police weren't there for our protection! I didn't see or hear of any violence or vandalism. Let's face it. They were there to make busts, plain and simple.

So, brothers and sisters, how can we make these events better? First of all, don't arrive hoping to buy illicit materials. This will discourage the people who come there for the sole purpose of selling or buying them and have little interest in the music or the community as a whole. These transactions draw the attention of the 'powers that be', and that's what encourages the police presence.

Secondly, help out! Volunteer to patrol parking lots, pick up trash, do your part to eliminate the negative elements that give us bad publicity!

Finally, talk up the positive elements that these festivals produce. We are the ones who need to tell everyone about the 'Brooks Kamsziks' we encounter.

If we don't stick together and pitch in, we will lose control of these events completely. That's scary! I'd like to thank Jay Stephens, Mark and Celeste Bloomfield, Bob Robertson and all the other great people that helped keep the kindness in the Jomeokee Jamboree. The list is endless, but you know who you are. Hope to see everyone again real soon. Until then, keep smiling and keep dancing. Peace.

Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily the opinion of this publication.