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Colors of a family: Huge Rainbow gathering seeks harmony, but goal is hard STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. -- Pausing as he pushed a jogging stroller piled With a bushy, gray beard and a bare, bulging belly, Goodtimes believes in Yet the 60-year-old Goodtimes has seen enough of the world to know that "It's an experiment to see if we can live like this for at least a week, to And for a week, they do. Most of the time. The Rainbow Family is a living relic of the '60s, claiming to be the largest There are smaller gatherings all year, but the big event comes the first There are no leaders or dues, no mantra or dogma. The gathering draws devout Longtime members speak of peace and harmony, while newcomers say they're "You'll find just about as many reasons to be here as there are people Yet contradictions abound. While gatherings are open to everyone, reporters weren't allowed this year And while many object to alcohol or drugs, there were scores of drug arrests The contradictions are part of the anarchy that makes the Rainbow Family At its heart, the movement is healthy, Niman said, and a pure example of "It's our heritage as Americans to celebrate freedom," Niman said. "The Barry Adams, known to the Rainbows as Barry Plunker, is a founder of the Adams said he and a band of friends held their first Rainbow Family "I never thought there would be a problem with our federal government for us This year, in the woods 30 miles north of Steamboat Springs, about 15,000 When they left, pit toilets were filled in, tons of garbage was carried out There is no such thing as a typical Rainbow member. A sampling this year Brad Stone, an Illinois medical technician dreaming of medical school, said "There's a healing here," said a 20-year veteran calling herself Red Woman. If some ideals didn't match the realities -- the Forest Service disputes Members greet each other with "welcome home" and hugs are the norm. Those "What we have is a huge giveaway," Goodtimes said. "It just doesn't happen Then he looked down a row of cars lining a forest road and considered how "Look how unsustainable this is, really. You can't keep this up," he said. Already, scout teams are eyeing Texas, Arkansas or Oklahoma for next year. Playing off efforts by the Forest Service to regulate or stop the -- .
to live
By Chase Squires, Associated Press
July 30, 2006
with supplies up a dusty hill, Art Goodtimes proudly called himself a
holdover from the Summer of Love days of the 1960s.
the ideal offered by the Rainbow Family, the loose-knit band of hippies that
preaches love, peace and harmony, and is best known for its huge gatherings
every July.
enjoying a weeklong commune with thousands of others doesn't make it real.
see if we can get along," said Goodtimes, who happens to be a three-term
commissioner from Colorado's San Miguel County.
unorganized organization in the country. In fact, members revel in the
disorganization.
week of July, when thousands gather in a national forest -- to the dismay of
the U.S. Forest Service -- to exchange hugs, beat drums and just "be."
members of established religions, from Orthodox Jews to Christians and Hare
Krishnas.
looking for something spiritual or a connection with people they can't find
in the outside world.
here," said a member who goes only by his Rainbow name, Kyote.
without a "Rainbow guide" who shouted "Press!" as he led a writer through
the sprawling camps. There are no leaders, but members frequently refer to
elders. There are no work assignments, but everyone is expected to work.
Food is free, but everyone is expected to contribute something and donate to
the so-called Magic Hat.
at this year's gathering and an entire tribe camps far from the others in an
alcohol-fueled party zone known as "A-Camp." At least one Rainbow said he
was badly beaten in the camp.
what it is, said Michael Niman, a Buffalo State College professor who wrote
a doctoral thesis and a book on the movement. He lived among the Rainbows in
the 1980s and '90s, once spending a year with members.
American individualism amid growing government involvement in daily life.
Rainbows haven't really established a beachhead or liberated an island in
the Caribbean and declared their independence, but what they have done is
liberated a piece of time, that first week in July."
movement. Disillusioned with society when he left the Army in 1966, Adams
said he found happiness in San Francisco's hippie movement.
gathering in Colorado in 1972. This year, he surprised many by suggesting
the group launch a federal lawsuit against what he feels is a growing
crackdown by the Forest Service on the annual gathering, which includes a
prayer circle dedicated to world peace.
to go out in the woods and pray," Adams said.
turned up. Nearly 600 citations were issued, with about half for camping
illegally.
and a network of water pipes was removed. The Forest Service expects to help
Rainbows plant seed from wild grasses on the trails left behind, erasing any
trace of the crowd.
found a teacher, a college student, an attorney, a carpenter and a couple of
self-professed drifters.
he's a humanitarian who wants to help people. Longtime Rainbow "Bobcat" said
that at 57 he felt a duty to pass the spirit of peace to the younger
generation, so he brought his 15-year-old granddaughter along this year.
"Bilbo Baggins" said he goes to gatherings to demonstrate his First
Amendment rights.
"This is where people can have love and acceptance."
Rainbow claims that they always leave the forest better than they found
it -- the spirit of the gathering feels genuine.
arriving with nothing are provided for. Those with plenty, share.
in our society. There's shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry."
much food had to be brought in. Goodtimes said the spirit behind the Rainbow
Family is an ideal, but the gathering is an illusion.
"It's not like Rainbow stands outside the culture. But we can do this, if
only for a week."
gatherings, an unofficial motto has become: "Ignore all rumors of
cancellation."
.