Dates

A message from HBomb, our fearless leader for Euphoria!

Euphoria 2019 is in the books. We did it. After three long years, we've had two burns in the same place. We have a Home. 

And so...

Alchemy will be Oct 3–6, 2019.

Deadlines

We have fewer than 150 days until Alchemy! Your leadership is taking a deep breath before diving back into the deep end of burn planning, and when they come up it will be to spew a string of deadlines at you.

Here are the deadlines to keep an eye out for:

• team lead application
• theme submission
• art fundraiser
• public squares application: Jun 20–Jul 11
• ticket sales
• placement registration: Jul 25–Aug 15
• effigy design submission
• temple design submission
• swag design submission

Opportunities

Calling all TCOs!

Drunk Christine, of Margaritaville: D20, has decided to become a guiding light for theme camp organizers (TCOs) here in our Georgia burn community. She is already that in terms of demonstrable insanity, but now she wants to produce a written document, TCO Wisdom, which will serve as a handbook for all of us. If you have wisdom, share it: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSclW-Mt1R7BUYZzUUSzRV11RzkG37BC7VVIQCxZVfbo-x_gfA/viewform
 

Be a Timmy! Make friends! Earn soul shards!

Wanna be a Timmy, but don’t even know what that is? Alchemy Public Works (APW) is the group of hardy volunteers who make the thing go. APW oversees all infrastructure needs before and during the event. APW works with all other teams as well as the Event Lead Team to identify and procure needed materials. Additionally, they are responsible for building or organizing the building of all structures (except the Effigy and Temple) and setting up other infrastructure items on­site, as well as overseeing the physical inventory and maintenance of all Flashpoint Artists Initiative's owned items.  APW needs strong, dedicated volunteers (Timmies) to accomplish a great number of general and skilled labor tasks before and during the Burn.

Volunteer with APW and get your very own Timmy Tag! We work hard, but we have a lot of fun doing it. You can sign up to be notified here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2242638392683139/?hc_location=group
 

No dates or deadlines yet, BUT START THINKING ABOUT ART, HIPPIES

A message from your Art Dept: EUPHORIANS WE BESEECH YOU! We know about all those wonderful creative and artsy ideas flying around your head for the next burn. Please WRITE THEM DOWN and then in a bit when we start rolling out the Alchemy Art Fundraiser you can APPLY FOR FUNDING for your awesome idea! We have seen so many wonderful ideas floating around and we’d love to help get them to Alchemy. Be on the lookout for more stuff about the fundraiser in the next few weeks and LET’S MAKE SOME COOL ART!

Burner Tips

I have a Google doc where I record what did and didn't work, to help me plan future burns. [Dax]

I bring black trash bags for camp trash and white trash bags for laundry, dishes, etc. That way I don’t have to remember which ones I need to not throw away. [Old Man Dale]

Folding drying rack. [Scout]

(1) Store all your basic burn gear in bins and leave it in there year-round. Cooking pan, utensils, tent lights, bathing supplies, zip ties—all the little things that you might otherwise forget. When packing things away, recall the things you forgot to bring this time and add them to the bins. Even if you normally need 3 rolls of paper towels, you can put just one in your burn bin and it will remind you to bring them next time. (2) Take batteries out of lights. [Monet]

Profiles

In this issue of The Alchemist, we’re profiling some hippies for whom Euphoria was their first burn. Meet the virgins!

• Amy (Camp Where the Wild Things Are)
• Best Friend Lisa (Margaritaville: D20)
• Blue (open camping)
• Erica (Zentopia)
• Germaine (open camping; his actual virgin burn was last Alchemy, where he was at On Comm)

What on earth convinced you to do this thing?

AMY:  I have listened to King Max for almost 3 years talk about how wonderful everyone is, how much fun he has had, and how awesome he feels after a burn.

BEST FRIEND LISA: Drunk Christine has been trying to talk me into coming to a burn for YEARS. I love camping and I’m a hippie, so it seems like a natural decision, right? But I resisted for years, mostly because I couldn’t see the point. To me “camping” means either “backpacking in the deep woods and hiking all day with everything carried on your back” or else “climbing to the summit of Kilimanjaro.” Anything where you can drive your car up to your campsite doesn’t really count. The only exception, for me, is protest camps – so, Standing Rock or an anti-ICE occupation. Camping with cars for no purpose other than to have fun? I didn’t see the point. But Drunk Christine kept saying IT WAS OKAY, and she finally wore me down! ;-P

BLUE: The love of my life Krysten Bush.

ERICA: My wonderful crazy friends, Catherine and Stephen, brought me to my first burn as a way to honor my 30th birthday! I turned 30 on 5/5, and what better way to celebrate it than at my first burn with cool people?

GERMAINE: I had started hanging out with a new group of friends that all happened to be burners and on staff for Alchemy. I’m always the type that’s willing to try new things, so I decided to make my next new adventure a weekend at Alchemy.

What did you think you were getting into?

AMY: Honestly, I went in with no expectations. I wanted to experience my first burn with an open mind, heart and soul.

BLUE: Not quite sure exactly lol

ERICA: A lot of drugs and bugs, and maybe pretentious wannabe hippies who don’t pick up after themselves.  I was also worried I wouldn’t have fun as a sober person.

GERMAINE: I honestly didn’t know. The only imagery I had of burns were mostly of Burning Man, so I figured it was camping with no desert and less dust kicking in my face.

What surprised you the most once you were there?

AMY: The absolute dedication of everyone involved. When someone said “Welcome home” they meant it from the depths of their heart.

BEST FRIEND LISA: Being greeted at the gate by a total stranger saying “Welcome home.”

BLUE: The love.

ERICA: How easily I fit right in!  A burn really is just a bunch of silly, goofy people who have fun without judgments, and who respect boundaries.  I was also pleasantly surprised to see kids there, and how they were able to have fun as well.

GERMAINE: How chill and welcoming strangers were. It being my first burn I was super nervous, and I had tried to hide it from strangers to not seem like a noob, but I chose not to lie, and strangers were always telling me “Welcome Home” and asking me more about myself and what led me here.

What’s the best thing that happened to you at the burn?

AMY: Besides making some wonderful new friends, I would say the best thing that happened to me at the burn was relying on myself. Taking Radical Self Reliance and implementing it into my every moment. I found that I AM capable of doing just about anything I need for myself.

BEST FRIEND LISA: PRAXIQUAT!!!! Best night ever! Shout out to Ian with the Hat, and if you don’t know what this is and have to ask, well, you should. Everyone needs to understand praxiquat. It’s the true meaning of a Burn.

BLUE: Enlightenment.

ERICA: The Cocksmith blessed me with a Shrek Penis.  I now have the best centerpiece for my living room coffee table.  I also got to play limbo under a slinky that was held up by two penises!

GERMAINE: I’d say my favorite thing was seeing other acquaintances and coworkers who had no knowledge that I’d be here, and seeing the happiness on their face because they finally get to know me a little more and have become more comfortable being around me outside of the burn since then.

Did you get to volunteer? (Many virgins don’t, and that’s OK.)

AMY: I did! I volunteered for LNT on Monday. It was a great feeling being able to lend a hand to make sure we left no trace.

BEST FRIEND LISA: I can haz volunteer? LOL just kidding, I knew I could, but I chose to exempt myself for my first time. I may want to try to ranger next time though!

BLUE: I was supposed to but Krysten hurt her ankle.

ERICA: I didn’t, mostly because I was advised to take in as much as possible for my first burn.  Though I did feed some people while they were volunteering!

GERMAINE: I didn’t for Alchemy, but I helped out greeting at Euphoria and helped the lightlighters tear down for a bit on Sunday.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to convince a friend to come burn with them?

AMY: That's a hard one… I would say, “If you've ever felt out of place or lost in the ‘real world’ then you will find a home at a burn. Welcome Home!”

BEST FRIEND LISA: Drunk Christine said it was okay!

BLUE: Come and learn.

ERICA: Forget all the rumors or stereotypes you’ve heard about burns.  It’s just camping with fun, silly people, who hold no judgments. It’s not just for people who wanna drink and go wild, it’s for everybody.  People even bring their kids!

GERMAINE: There will always be at least one person that is willing to give you whatever support you need. And if that’s not true, then it’s because I’m not there.

Any plans to return? What will you do better?

AMY: Absofreakinglutely!!! I will plan my packing better—smaller tent, smaller bins, better way of having prepared food. Things of that nature. Also, I will venture out of my camp more often. I took my first burn as observant contemplation while working on radical self reliance. Alchemy, I will be working on Radical Self Expression. Watch out CWTWTA. Here I come!

BEST FRIEND LISA: Yes, I’ll be back for sure! This time I understand the “welcome home” greeting. I wouldn’t quite say it’s HOME, but it’s certainly a place I want to come back to. <3

BLUE: Of course! [I will] Explore!

ERICA: Definitely!  I want to find some way to give more in my next burn, and to volunteer.

GERMAINE: I definitely plan to return. I’ve already started researching dates and locations of other burns I want to check out. I made friends with many people that live outside of the state that have invited me to camp with them at burns in their state. What I did better for Euphoria  after Alchemy was plan my packing list and pack ahead of time. I overpacked immensely for Alchemy, and as a result of that, I forgot other essential items I needed more. So I plan to pack essentials first, and then fun stuff afterwards. I will also volunteer more for future burns.

Anything else you’d like to tell the hippies?

AMY: I LOVE EACH OF YOU—whether we met or not this time, I love you ALL! To my fellow campmates in CWTWTA, you have forever impressed upon me that we as humans choose to be arseholes, and that if everyone were like CWTWTA what an amazing world this will be. I am forever changed, and I can't thank you guys enough for welcoming me in with open heart, mind, and soul.

BLUE: Keep being hippies.

ERICA: “This is my Swamp!”  ;)

GERMAINE: In the words of Bill and Ted, “Be excellent to each other!” and “party on!”