"If there are people reading this Rainbow message board who fear that the
Rainbow Gathering may be held near their town this coming July, then they
should consider this . . .
If those towns around where a Rainbow Gathering may or may not be held knew
how much money they would make by having many thousands of hippies camping
out in the nearby wilds for a couple of weeks, they would all be begging us
to come to their area of the state. If they could they would be hiring
lobbyists to take Rainbow Gatherers to dinner to try to talk us into getting
to their part of the state. It would be similar to how large cities court
convention organizers and go out of their way to get large conventions to
come to their city. They know how much money out-of-towners bring with them
into the local economy - even when thousands of out-of-towners spend only
minimal amounts of money per person, it all adds up to lots and lots of money
being spent.

The Rainbow Gathering that took place in Montana last year brought many
hundreds of thousands of dollars into the tiny economy of Western Montana.
And we didn't require much from them. There were a few dozen Rainbow
Gatherers who required some medical care, and there were some extra so-called
"law" enforcement (who were basically having a good time from what I saw as
they had great big smiles on their faces and were waving "hi" to just about
everyone). There were apparently some small petty "crimes" committed (such as
begging - and some reported petty "crimes" that were not actually committed
by people attending the Rainbow gathering). But the local towners still came
out way ahead in their economy in a way that they will likely not see again
(unless they get us to hold a gathering there again). We bought up much of
the stuff in the local stores to the point that the stores had to hire extra
help, and had to rent trucks to make runs into the nearby cities to buy extra
supplies. The Rainbow people also spent a whole lot of money at the gas
stations and little stores that were anywhere near the gathering spot.

Many from the local area saw that Rainbow gatherers aren't such bad people
after all. A lot of locals came out and camped with us. Some weren't used to
seeing hippies in such abundance, but apparently many liked the event because
they ended up staying for a while.

When I got out of my car to get gas at a town in Southern Montana on my way
to the gathering, and the lady at the register realized I was "one of them
Rainbow people," she turned her back on me. I guess she heard all the rumors,
and believed them. I bet after that little gas station store got done
counting all the money that came in from the Rainbow people, they were very,
very glad that the Rainbow gatherers came through their little town.

The people who ran the store in the town right near the Rainbow gathering
couldn't have been nicer. I spoke with one old man who said he was related to
the owner of the store. He said they "couldn't be happier" with all the money
the Rainbow people were spending. And he said "this is a once in a lifetime
opportunity for us to make this kind of money." These were not complaints.
These people were glad the Rainbow gatherers came to their town. There were
so many Rainbow gatherers buying up most everything on the shelves that it
was hard for the workers to keep things stocked. It was so crowded that they
had to limit the amount of people they could let into the store at one time.

So if you are afraid of the Rainbow people setting up camp in your neck of
the woods starting in late June, perhaps you should stop worrying and start
thinking about what types of things you could sell to 15,000 or more campers
(estimates of the Montana gathering were 17,000 to 23,000 Rainbow gatherers)
who are traveling from all over the continent to come to your part of the
galaxy (many people even travel from other parts of the world to get to the
annual American Rainbow gathering . . . Take a hint: flashlights, batteries,
lighters, camping spoons/forks, large tin camping coffee mugs (used for food
and drink), cigarette papers, American Spirit tobacco, bottled water,
toiletries, sun glasses, sun block, sleeping bags, plastic tarps, rope,
bandanas, TP, chocolate, spices, herbs, sweeteners, maple syrup, dried fruit,
nuts, bandanas, t-shirts, socks, etc. . . but not any of the following:
hairspray, nail polish, nylon stockings, costume jewelry, or anything
requiring electricity). Alcohol is not part of a Rainbow Gathering, so don't
plan on a lot of alcohol sales, although there will be some. But do start
practicing giving a lot of hugs because if there is one thing people want
when they get to a Rainbow gathering it is a great big hug, and to hear the
words "welcome home."

Hippie money is good money. And it is all spent to get to this annual "family
reunion" that we call a Rainbow Gathering because all varieties of people
show up. That is all it is, a large family reunion with craft making, food
preparation, long walks, talking, singing, drum circles, and dancing with
some yoga classes and various religious and political activist types and some
nudity thrown in.

Many of the gatherers could be described as "kind-hearted, Earth-minded,
nature-tuned, and peace-loving." Tent neighborhoods sprout up throughout the
forest in the gathering area. Each camp has its own kitchen built out of
fallen logs, rope, and tarps. Stoves are built using mud and rocks. All
gatherers who are capable are encouraged to make bulk food donations to the
(mostly vegetarian/vegan) kitchens, and to donate some time each day to help
out in any of the many kitchens. All kitchens make and give out food for free
to anyone who is hungry. There are many types of camps, including a camp for
people with young children. There are various religious camps. There is a
main field/gathering area where many events are held, such as the daily
dinner circle, and the 4th of July peace circle (on the morning of the 4th of
July everyone is encouraged to remain silent until 12 noon, and to join in on
a large hand-holding circle that breaks at 12 noon to begin a large drumming
and dancing celebration). Money spending is discouraged inside the gathering
camp, but trading things is okay. Loving and celebrating life is encouraged.

Welcome the Rainbow gatherers to your town. Join in."

John
writingjohn@aol.com
P.O. Box 1272
Santa Monica, CA 90406-1272

A sample of what can happen to a community the Rainbow Gathering lands
Driftwood:

Driftwood writes in response to WritingJohn's letter
 
 
"Are you referring to that sweet little place that had the stuffed lion from
Africa and various other types of taxidermy?  The lady who ran that shop was
so incredibly nice, I was amazed!  I was in talking to her a few weeks before
the gathering, and what she told me was that they had been on the fast track
to bankruptcy. Then they heard "we" were coming to town.  So they decided to
try and hold out and see if they couldn't make some money from us to get
theirselves back on track.  And what do you think happened when we came to
their little town? They made more than enough to get back on their feet
and keep their family business.  Pretty good story, eh? I really liked the
woman who ran that store. I'm glad that in the process of all us family
coming home, we also helped a great local family keep their business when
they otherwise quite possibly would have lost it."

 Read what the Montana Standard reports about last year's gathering
 Read what the Helena Independent Record reports about PA '99