15th Annual Sacred Harvest Festival
“Unveiling the Sacred; Immersed in the Luminous Light of Love” - August 6-12, 2012
Greetings and thank you for registering for The 15th Annual Sacred Harvest Festival!
This letter is to acknowledge we have received your registration and to inform you about important details concerning
this year's festival. Please read carefully so you are prepared for the camping situation at the festival, events, and changes
since last year.
This year we have new national guest speakers, musical performers, workshops, rituals, and a new food vendor! We also
will have many merchants will be displaying their wares. All this and our rates remain the most reasonable around!
Our Heart Chakra Community Fire is the hearth for late night inspiration, and many of our guests know how to stoke that
fire. Drumming late into the night is highly encouraged on Friday and Saturday nights. However, due to recent local
restrictions we must end all drumming by 10:00pm Sunday through Thursday and by 1:00 am on Friday and Saturday
nights. This does not mean that we can't still sing. So stick around and pull out your favorite chants, rattles and stringed
instruments!
The Rangoli is one of our most beloved community traditions, raising energy through the use of powerful drumming,
rattles, shakers, hands and voices.
Fire Rings
Wood can only be
burned in fire rings which must be rented from HT for $25, which includes all of the wood you will require for your
campsite. We encourage people to have communal fires for cooking and getting to know your neighbors.
Ice
Only 20 lb
bags of ice will be available on site for $5 each. This is a LARGE bag so plan to bring smaller closable bags to divide them
up with your neighbors!
Gate & Registration
Upon arrival,
you will need to temporarily park your vehicle, go to the gatehouse to sign waivers, receive wristbands, and sign up for
community service BEFORE you set up camp.
The gate will be open for attendees starting Saturday, August 6th at 12:00pm (Noon) until 9:00pm and will be open
during the following hours for festival participants to arrive: Sunday through Friday (9 am-9 pm), & Sat. (9 am-1 pm).
Merchants will be allowed in starting at 9am on Saturday, August 6th. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are an HT Member, or
are traveling with a Harmony Tribe Member, and wish to enter the festival Friday August 5th, make arrangements in
advance of Wednesday August 3rd using our website contact form, and plan to arrive by Noon on Friday, to secure your
entrance Friday. Non-members traveling with a HT member pay an extra $10 camping fee and both need to plan to assist
in Festival setup from noon until we're ready. If you, as an HT Member, would prefer to not assist with SHF setup Friday,
then please plan on other overnight arrangements and waiting until Saturday noon for entrance to SHF.
Tenting participants will be allowed to drive their vehicle into the park to unload camping gear at their chosen campsite.
Vehicles will only be allowed onto the park road for this purpose. Then all vehicles not registered as a sleeping vehicle for
an RV spot need to be moved to the parking lot. Since young children will be running at will, we are asking that driving be
limited to drop-off only and that extreme caution is taken while driving through the campsite. Persons planning to live in
camping vehicles for the duration of the festival must pre-register this request with Harmony Tribe. The park has
requested that vehicles only be parked at the designated RV pads in order to protect the root system of the Oak trees.
Permits will be issued on a first come, first served basis, (after those with medical needs). Please plan your arrival time
accordingly. It takes cooperation from the entire community to run a festival of this magnitude.
Assistance is needed with such things as pre-festival set up, monitoring the Front gate, heralding daily activities,
common area preparation and clean-up for entertainment, pot-lucks, etc, post-festival tear down and much more. Upon
arrival at the front gate you will sign your waivers, sign up for community service shifts, receive your Village Guide and
wristband, and then find a spot to camp. Once you have chosen a campsite and unloaded your supplies, please park your
vehicle in the lot on the west side of the park out near the front gate entrance. Community Service Harmony Tribe
requests that all adults and teens volunteer 3 shifts if they will be joining us for 7 days, 2 shifts if they are present for 5
days, and 1 shift if they are at the festival for 3 days. Not all of the shifts are the same length, as some jobs are more
physically demanding than others.
Food and the Village Square
Harmony Tribe is pleased to have a food vendor to sell meals and beverages to participants on site near the Info Booth.
Meals from MG will cost between $5-$9. There will be a sign up sheet for dinner nightly.
First Aid / Medical Emergency
No
first aid or health care of any kind will be provided by Harmony Tribe, Sacred Harvest Festival, or Harmony Park. If any
festival participant chooses to provide first aid or health care of any kind, they do so of their own volition and at their
own risk. Although basic first aid supplies will be available at the Information Booth, located at the front of the park, all
participants need to be prepared to handle any medical emergencies that may arise without additional support. If any
individual is unable to make provisions for the maintenance of their own health during the festival, they are encouraged
to not participate.
Bucket Brigade
As part
of our overall safety plan, we are gathering buckets to place near fires across the campground. If you have a 3 gallon to 1
gallon bucket (like an ice cream bucket) that would be available for this use, please bring it to the festival.
Youth
All
community members are welcome to create and share projects and activities. If you have activities or ideas to share
please bring them along. Again this year, Harmony Tribe will be doing a daily “Caught Being Good” drawing for the kids
& teens of our festival.
How do they enter you ask? By being caught
doing good deeds, being helpful/pleasant/charming, etc. We need you, the community, to donate prizes. Please bring
anything you might like to donate such as new toys, CDs, jewelry, gift cards, candy…let your mind run wild!
Rites of Passage
Many
Rites of Passage get planned and happen at SHF. If you wish a public rite, the SHF Ritual Committee will help coordinate
those events so they might be consolidated if possible, and be well attended. If you are planning a rite, please bring
everything you need: props, gifts, plans, and location needs. Open Stage Talent Show On Wednesday, please join us in
the Open Stage Talent Show. Break out the guitars and coin belts and let’s see what you have planned for us this year!
Bardic Circle
featuring a new Bardic Circle on the evenings we are unable to drum at the Heart Chakra.
We will also be
Site Accommodations
Harmony Park
is considered a primitive campground. Here are the “luxuries” you can expect during your stay and a list of some
recommended items to bring along:
• Bathroom facilities consist of “Port-a-potties,” including several that are handicapped accessible, and hand washing
stations
• Harmony Park provides a co-ed shower house. These showers do not turn off and are temperature controlled. (These
are pay-showers which usually cost $5 for five minutes per token.) Harmony Tribe, however, is pleased to offer shower
tokens at $3 a piece.
• You are encouraged to purchase and bring along your own solar shower.
• Potable cold water spigots for drinking and washing (the water at Harmony Park is safe for drinking but has a high
level of minerals in it and tastes “rusty”).
• Tiki torches placed throughout the park for moderate nighttime navigation
• Kids’ playground with swings, climbing apparatus and merry-go-round
• Lots of beautiful Oak trees
• We have trash and recycling. Announcements will be made at the morning meetings.
• In the event of inclement weather, we will have a weather radio on handfor keeping abreast of any developing
hazards. Should we need to take shelter you will hear a large bell ringing and are to quickly and calmly make your way to
the shelter of the shower house with your family.
Things to bring
• Tent, ground cloth, tarps
• Sleeping bags, pads, pillows
• Solar Shower
• Garbage bags
• Food and snacks for the week
• Wagon, wheeled cart, or wheelbarrow
• Camping stove or grill, & cooler
• Cooking and eating utensils
• Biodegradable dish soap
• Rain gear and Trash Bags
• Extra warm and dry clothes
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Personal Tiki torches and/or solar lighting
• Sunscreen and/or aloe
• Bug repellent and/or mosquito netting
• Candles and incense
• Ritual gear and garb
• Items to place on an altar to be charged
• Pen and paper
• Extra camp chairs
• Sacred earplugs
• Acoustic musical instruments, drums, songs and chant books
Merchants
We
suggest you bring duct tape and extra tent stakes as there may be a need to combine next to others spaces. This will help
provide seamless continuity along Diagon Alley. We also ask merchants bring with them a fire extinguisher (A,B,C, dry
chemical) just in case. A 10 lb ABC fire extinguisher is fairly inexpensive, and is a worthwhile investment for any merchant
to have when camping in an area with open flames and tiki fuel.
Clothing Optional Policy
Sacred
Harvest Festival is a clothing-optional event. However, we will have an area in the front of the park, including the
children’s area, where clothing is required. This area will be designated in your Village Guide Map. Other than in that
area, everything from skyclad / starclad to elaborate ritual regalia is acceptable.
Safety Policy
Fireworks, pets, illegal substances, and firearms are prohibited for the duration of the festival and can be confiscated by
Harmony Tribe. Any illegal or dangerous acts involving any of these items may result in unhappiness and/or litigious
consequences and would be a real drag. Please leave these things at home, as we feel horribly when we have to ask
someone to leave. Our contract with the property owner stipulates no pets are allowed in the park, and anyone found
attempting to bypass this rule will be asked to leave and return without the pet. All state and federal laws are enforced.
Unattended Children
Sacred
Harvest Festival is known for its child friendly, family focused environment. However, parents must realize that this is an
event that is open to the public and the campground is located near open water. As much as we try to promote a safe
festival, the dangers at this event are much the same as any public place in the mundane world. Parents are expected to
participate in all kids and teen activities where their minor children are in attendance, these are not childcare facilities.
Unattended, misbehaved, injured, or otherwise discontented children will be directed to their parents, even if said
parent is participating in a ritual. Harmony Tribe assumes no responsibility for minor children under any circumstances.
Join Harmony Tribe
Would you
be interested in joining Harmony Tribe? We create Sacred Harvest Festival and sponsor several other activities
throughout the year. We will have an informative workshop about our organization during the festival. It will be
announced at the Village Meeting and scheduled in the Village Guide. Come and listen to Harmony Tribe members
share their experiences. Harmony Tribe materials will be available in the Info Booth, and you can always check us out
online at: http://www.harmonytribe.org
Register for Next Year
This
year we are offering a pre-registration for next year’s festival! Stop by the Harmony Tribe Info booth to lock in next year’s
festival at this year’s rates!
Directions to the Festival
From Minneapolis:
• Take I35 South to Exit 22 (Geneva Exit)
• At top of exit turn left onto Highway 35
From South Dakota:
• Take I90 East to I35 North
• Follow I35 until Exit 22 (Geneva Exit)
• At top of exit turn right onto Highway 35
From Des Moines, Iowa:
• Take I35 North to Exit 22 (Geneva Exit)
• At top of exit turn right onto Highway 35 From Madison, Wisconsin:
• Take I90 West to I35 North
• Take I35 North to Exit 22 (Geneva Exit)
• At top of exit turn right onto Highway 35
Everyone:
• Continue on Highway 35 (a.k.a. Main Street) to the first Stop Sign in
Geneva.
• Turn Right onto County Road 45 (a.k.a. Central Ave S).
• Travel south for 2 1/2 miles, past the lakeshore, to a gravel road on
your left (298th St.).
• You will see a group of large gray silos on your right.
• Directly across from the silos will be a sign for “Harmony Park” and a
gravel road.
• Travel down the gravel road until...You arrive! Welcome!
We look forward to seeing you at Harmony Park!
Drive safely and Blessed Be!
Harmony Tribe Council