From kevyn@KSUVM.KSU.EDUFri Jul 7 16:32:32 1995 Date: Thu, 6 Jul 1995 14:36:21 -0500 (CDT) From: Kevyn Jacobs To: "Kansas Queer News [KQN]" Subject: (WHEATLAND) Frolic - Kansas Womon's Music Festival FROM THE NEWS-TELEGRAPH JUNE 23-JULY 13, 1995 ======================= FROLICKING IN WHEATLAND by Lisa Marie Neff KANSAS CITY-The land at Earth Rising's Camp Gaea is luscious. At this one-time nudist camp and former church retreat about an hour west of Kansas City, there are 160 private acres heavy with big, full trees and rolling hills. There is a 12-acre lake stocked with fish, including a 32 pound carp the collective hopes someone will catch between July 6 and 10 the five days of Wheatland Frolic IV. Frolic is co-produced by Frolic founder Jo-Pat Bishop, Camp Gaea owner Earth Rising and Full-Bloom Productions, the group that annually presents WomynVision in May in Eureka Springs, Arkansas and the Healing and Health Weekend in October in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Deerwomon, a festival organizer with Full-Bloom, says Wheatland Frolic could be considered the daughter of Midwest Wimmin's Festival, an event that ran for seventeen years. In between Midwest and Frolic was an event called WOW festival and, in the past three years, Wheatland Frolic. Bishop attended and helped organize Midwest, considered the mother of the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, and says she founded Frolic in its tradition but with two basic changes-- scheduled and paid musical entertainment and a "non-political" atmosphere. Freedom is the tradition of the past festivals and Frolic IV. At Frolic, organizers have planned only the basics--food, shelter and musical performances. Whatever else happens at Frolic is up to the women who attend. They are free to fish, swim, hike organize workshops, set up crafts displays and art exhibits and visit with psychics and healers. They may purchase tickets and eat the vegetarian meals provided by Full-Bloom or fire up the Hibachi and prepare their own. They may sleep in a cabin, set up a tent or park the RV (although no hookups exist in the camp). In short, festival-goers may do whatever they want. Deerwomon says the tradition is to "let the festival evolve organically....It's real different from a lot of the modern festivals today. What you have is a real collective effort." The scheduled music performances are in the evening on July 7 and 8. Elysian Sex Drive, a high-energy rock band out of Sarasota, Florida, is the featured band on July 7. Between sets, Lorien, a solo saxophonist from Europe, will take the stage. On July 8, the performers are Kansas City's Reda Carr and Ingrid Stozel (Strong Coffee) and Sister Beat, a New Orleans-based percussion band. Speaking of Sister Beat, Deerwomon says, "They have a shamanistic approach when they do this music....They set the beat for a journey." For women interested in attending for the weekend. a special $30 weekend ticket is available. The ticket includes three meals on Saturday, a breakfast on Sunday, the two nights of concerts and the camping space. Early registrants for the festival receive a gate pass and a festival map in the mail. Although the camp's location is not widely published for security reason, Deerwomon says by festival weekend, women who have not yet registered will probably be able to find the camp. "Word will be out there," she says. Also, women who cannot afford admission will not be turned away. Organizers say women who can afford to usually contribute more than their admission price and everything balances in the end. Advertising for the festival indicates this event is "non-political" and open to all women and (children). Deerwomon says, "We're open to all tribes. We're not preaching a politics. Just come and have fun. Bring your tribe." Bishop says Frolic may draw as many as 400 women, doubling its size from last year. But she is not concerned that a growing festival will destroy the communal nature of the event. "The way I look at it, if it changes, then that is what needs to happen," she says. "Each festival is an entity unto itself. She takes on her own life. That kind of magic is going to keep happening. Festival focus is celebrate ourselves and our culture. That may be done differently from year to year but it is always going to be there." To the women who journey this year to Frolic, Bishop says, "Welcome to my dream." For more information about Wheatland Frolic IV, call 913/799-5966. . Registration, with SASE, should be sent to Wheatland Frolic, 8539 . Barnett Ave., Kansas City, KS 66112-1824 ========================================================== Permission granted by the News-Telegraph for distribution to the KQN email list (KQN@casti.com), and archiving in the Queer Resources Directory (QRD) on the Internet (http://www.qrd.org/QRD). For News-Telegraph subscription information (published twice a month), please call 1.816.561.6266, or email: newstele@aol.com ==========================================================